Olympic BMX silver medallist Kye Whyte feels grassroots clubs can continue to help guide youngsters on a safe pathway through any socio-economic challenges within their communities.
Whyte, 23, grew up in south London where his father Nigel was a co-founder of the Peckham BMX Club in Burgess Park, which aims to steer young people away from gang culture and crime.
The youngest of three brothers, Whyte also went on to represent Great Britain, winning silver at the 2018 European Championship in Glasgow before finishing second in the BMX final at the Tokyo Olympics.
Whyte – who has since taken silver in the 2022 UCI BMX World Championships as well claiming the European title in Belgium last summer – recently returned to his Peckham roots to help launch the ‘Play Their Way’ campaign by the Children’s Coaching Collaborative which is funded through Sport England and the National Lottery.
Having seen first hand how such projects have helped young people develop, Whyte is in no doubt of the important impact they can have – both on and off the track.
“We have had kids and teenagers come here who are on a troubled path, but want to go on to a different path,” Whyte told the PA news agency.
“They have then become volunteer coaches, helping clean the bikes and pack them away. It is a great way to keep kids off the streets and doing something fun.”
Whyte added: “Getting kids into racing is no problem, but if they want their own bike it can be hard to finance that.
“If they can’t afford it (to buy), we can help them by lending bikes and providing helmets for training or even if they need them for racing events as well.”
In Tokyo, Whyte won Britain’s first BMX medal since the event’s introduction to the Olympic programme in 2008.
There was more success shortly afterwards at the Ariake Urban Sports Park when Beth Shriever claimed gold in the women’s race.
As Shriever collapsed in tears following her victory, a jubilant Whyte scooped his team-mate up and held her aloft in what was one of the most memorable moments of the delayed 2020 Games.
“All we want for the sport is for it to be more enjoyable and better for the future,” said Whyte.
“While we are in it, that is all we can do – to push it as much as we can.
“Having gone to the Olympics to get a medal, we have put the sport onto the map and at a bigger level.”
Whyte is working his way back to full fitness after suffering a broken shoulder blade during a BMX European Cup event in Latvia last month.
The 23-year-old is firmly focused on a return to form ahead of the World Championships in Glasgow during August.
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“I am on the mend, keeping the physio up. We will push through and get there in the end,” he said.
“If you are thinking about it (injuries), then it will probably happen, just because you are riding more wary or cautious.”
Whyte added: “When we were in Glasgow in 2018 (for the European Championships), they had grandstands up and I am pretty sure that nobody there had a clue what BMX was.
“But the crowd was absolutely mental, so I think it will be a great event again.”
On this day 2013: Six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy announces retirement
Six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy announced his retirement from competitive cycling 11 years ago, admitting: “I know it is the right decision.”
The 37-year-old Scot had been contemplating continuing until the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but revealed he was quitting the sport at a press conference in Edinburgh on April 18, 2013.
Hoy was Britain’s most decorated Olympian after his haul of two gold medals at London 2012 saw him surpass rower Sir Steve Redgrave’s record of five, although he was overtaken by former team-mate Sir Jason Kenny in 2021.
In explaining his decision, Hoy said: “I think in sport at the highest level you’re dealing in such small margins and you can tell when you’re good but not good enough.
“It was very emotional coming in there (to the press conference) and I was trying not to watch the video montage with the sad music.
“I don’t want it to be a sad moment.
“I want to celebrate it and be happy because I know it is the right decision.
“It’s a decision that I didn’t take lightly and I thought about it very hard.”
As well as six Olympic titles, Hoy’s 13-year career featured 11 world titles and two Commonwealth crowns.
Hoy’s final race was the Olympic Keirin final on August 7, 2012 – on the final day of the London 2012 track programme.
Following retirement, Hoy pursued his passion for motorsport, including competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours, while he has also written children’s books.
In February 2024, the 48-year-old announced he was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Paul extends rich form with double gold; Browne, Campbell also among T&T's medals at PanAm Track Cycling Champs
Trinidad and Tobago’s ace cyclist Nicholas Paul continued his rich early season form as he wrapped up another double gold medal-winning outing at the just-concluded Pan American Track Cycling Championships in Los Angeles, California.
Paul’s medals were won in his customary events, the men's Keirin and Sprint, and followed his fairly successful outing at the UCI Championships in Hong Kong where he recovered from a two-cycle collision in the Keirin to win the Sprint.
The 23-year-old again expressed gratitude for the continued support as he represents the twin island republic with much gusto.
“It is always an honour to represent my country and the Pan American region. Thank you to everyone for all the love and continued support. The Journey continues and the next stop will be the Nations Cup in Milton, Canada. So, I just want to continue putting in the hard work and let it show in my performances,” Paul said.
In the Keirin, Paul topped Colombia’s Kevin Quintero, while another Trinidad and Tobago cyclist Kwesi Browne copped bronze.
However, it took a photo-finish to separate Paul and another Colombian Cristian Ortega for the Sprint crown. Paul bettered his South American rival in the first ride before edging ahead in the second ride on the line by millimeters to retain his title.
Meanwhile, Akil Campbell was also among the medals, as he won a bronze medal in the men's scratch race.
In other results at the meet, Alexi Ramirez finished eighth in the women's elimination race and in the women's scratch race, while Makaira Wallace and Phoebe Sandy placed 13th and 17th in the women's sprint qualification, respectively.
On this day in 2018: Scotland’s Katie Archibald wins Commonwealth Games gold
Scotland’s Katie Archibald added Commonwealth champion to her long list of accolades on this day in 2018.
Archibald, an Olympic, world and European champion in various disciplines, took gold in the women’s individual pursuit in Brisbane, having broken the Games record in a blistering qualifying session.
Her only previous Commonwealth medal was the bronze she won on home soil in the points race in Glasgow four years earlier.
Archibald, then aged 24, said before racing began gold was the only colour she wanted and swiftly delivered, covering the 3,000m distance in three minutes 26.088 seconds to beat Australian Rebecca Wiasak.
She had set the record at 3:24.119 in a qualifying session which saw three riders go under the previous record set by England’s Joanna Rowsell Shand in Glasgow.
“It means a lot, especially in the individual pursuit because it’s not an Olympic event,” said Archibald. “2014 always stands out as a big year for Joanna Rowsell to kind of echo, because she had the title and the Games record.
“You look at the success she carried from that point in her career. I’d be very proud.”
Fired up by his sister’s performance, Archibald’s brother John then added another medal to Scotland’s tally with silver in the men’s 4,000m individual pursuit as England’s Charlie Tanfield clinched gold.
“I watched her heat run and the pressure was on her,” said John Archibald.
“The Commonwealth Games record went and they all went better than her personal best so she had her back against the wall but she pulled out and delivered on the day and that got me going.”
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