BMX racing qualifiers begin on Thursday at Saint Quentin en Yvellnes BMX Stadium and the semifinals and final will be held on Friday. Paris will mark the fifth time the discipline is competed at the Olympics, but it’s the first time BMX racing will compete under a roof.

Quarterfinals consist of three heats of eight cyclists competing in a series of three runs. At the end of each run, bikers are assigned a point-for-place — one point for the winner of a run, two points for second, etc. The 12 cyclists with the lowest number of points after the end of three heats advance to the semifinals. 

Riders ranked 13-20 after the quarterfinals move on to the last chance qualifier, a one-time race of eight competitors. The top four finishers move on to the semifinals and the rest are eliminated.

The semifinals progress similarly to the quarterfinals. There are two heats of eight cyclists, with points assigned based on placement after each run. The top eight cyclists advance to the final, for which there is only a single run.

The men’s and women’s fields will feature several four-time Olympians in BMX racing: Alise Willoughby (USA), Joris Daudet (FRA), Mariana Pajon (COL), Laura Smulders (NED), and Lauren Reynolds (AUS). If any of them win a medal, they would break the record for oldest medalist in BMX racing. It really can be anyone’s race in Paris as the race is often decided by tenths of a second.

France is a serious threat to sweep the podium in the men’s race. If they pull off the difficult feat, it would be the country’s first Olympics sweep (summer) since 1924 — the last time the Games were in Paris. At the 2023 World Championship, France swept the podium, so there’s a high chance it could happen again on home soil. The French roster will consist of Daudet, Sylvain Andrew and Romain Mahieu. 

France’s chance to sweep increased when defending Olympic champion and 2024 world silver medalist Niek Kimmann of the Netherlands announced he would not compete in Paris due to an inflamed heart muscle. 

American’s Kamren Larsen and Cameron Wood have the potential to reach the Olympic podium but are not considered strong contenders to win a medal.

On the women’s side, American and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Willoughby will look to land on the podium in Paris. She will have to fend off Australia’s Saya Sakakibara, who won five World Cup races in a row before finishing with a pair of silver medals in February. Swiss ride Zoe Claessens is also expected to be a threat for a medal. 

Pajon, aka the Queen of BMX, is always a threat for a medal. If Pajon wins a medal in Paris, she would have four career Olympic medals, tying for the second most Olympic medals across all cycling disciplines. She is already Colombia’s most decorated athlete in any sport.

Daleny Vaughn and Felicia Stancil round out the American women. Vaughn surprised everyone by placing third at the most recent worlds. This will be Stancil’s second Olympics.