Young BMX champion takes on Australia

A young BMX rider has taken Australia by storm winning the 2024 Freestyle BMX National Championships.

Clontarf Beach State School Year 6 pupil Evie Simpson took home gold after competing in the National Championships in February.

The 11-year-old first started riding BMX bikes when she was seven after her dad introduced her to the sport.

“My dad rode BMX when he was younger, and he introduced me to a pump track and the rest is history,” Evie says.

The youngster says she feels “very happy” about winning the championship for under 15s with a score of 85. It was a welcome reward for her hard work.

“I did three practice sessions on a track per week, each session lasting two hours,” she says.

“I have a 'tramp' bike at home - it has no wheels, (but) I use that to build stamina. I also have a healthy diet, sometimes.”

While winning the National Championships is one of the biggest achievements in Evie’s BMX career so far, she’s not slowing down any time soon.

When asked what her favourite part of the sport is, Evie says: “pushing my limits and boundaries - getting better results and times than the previous ride”.

In fact, when we spoke to Evie, she was preparing for the Oceania BMX Championships due to be held in late March.

Evie was expected to again compete in the under-15s group because there were no other female competitors in the under-13 category.

She hopes to one day compete at the Olympics and is inspired by her coach and current Olympian, Natalya Diehm.

Stay up to date with Evie’s BMX journey, here.