The BMX freestyle discipline made its debut in Tokyo and will return to action on Tuesday with Hannah Roberts and Perris Benegas hitting the course first in the women’s qualification. The men’s qualifying event will follow the women. This is the second time BMX freestyle will be contested at the Olympics after its debut in Tokyo. 

Twenty two-year-old Roberts looks to add to her silver medal from Tokyo. She is a five-time world champion and at the conclusion of the Olympic Qualifier Series she was ranked No. 1 in the global standings. She is coming to the Olympics on a high note, having just won the first-ever women’s BMX freestyle competition at the X Games. 

Roberts is the clear favorite and will be on a mission to level up her silver medal from Tokyo. Roberts believes she could’ve done better at the 2020 Games. 

"I sit here and talk like it's not that big of a deal [but] it's an amazing feat," Roberts said. "It's an amazing accomplishment and I'm grateful for it. I think in my head, I just knew that I could have done better. And you know, I don't ever look back and regret it, but I know... looking back and being a little bit more grown, there's things that I am excited to do differently.”

Benegas finished just off the podium in Tokyo and is headed to Paris after recovering from a leg injury. She finished behind Roberts at the X Games with a silver medal and looks to ride the momentum. 

Reigning Olympic champion Charlotte Worthington will be back in Paris, however, she is considered an outside threat for a medal. Chinese riders Deng Yawen and Sun Jiaqi also pose a threat in the event.     

On the men’s side Americans Marcus Christopher and Justin Dowell look to challenge for a medal. Christopher enters as the 2024 X Games champion, while Dowell was the 2023 world bronze medalist. 

Defending Olympic champion and 2023 world silver medalist Logan Martin and reigning world champion Kieran Reilly will be returning in Paris. France’s Anthony Jeanjean will look to win gold at home, he has finished on the podium in the last four World Cup events and topped the rankings in the Olympic Qualifier Series.

In Olympic competition, each rider will run two 60-second qualifying rides. In the qualification round, there are two heats. The nine riders with the highest average score of their two runs move on to the final where they will be seeded based on their scores. In the final, only the highest score is used to determine the results.