Active.com 2008 Olympics : Tags : bmx

BMX makes its Olympic debut this week in Beijing. Here are the four U.S. riders who hope to make history by winning the first BMX Olympic gold medal.

Mike Day Day earned his nomination to the Olympics at the Olympic Trials event in Chula Vista, California. He took first place in three out of the four events and second place in the remaining race.

Because he is so tall (6'3") Day uses a unique handlebar style with an upsweep on it. The handlebar, named after Day, is called The Fly Racing Mike Day BMX Handlbar.

Read more about Mike Day

Donny Robinson Currently ranked number one in world ranking points, Robinson “credits his drive and determination for his success on the dirt.”

Aside from dreaming about Olympic gold, Robinson is a singer/performer and hopes to one day star on Broadway.

Read more about Donny Robinson

Kyle Bennett Bennet was the first American to secure a spot on the Olympic BMX team. He has two second place finishes at the X Games and he won the 2007 world championship in Vancouver after recovering from ACL surgery and only having three and a half months to prepare. He is often referred to as “butter” because of his smooth riding style.

Read more about Kyle Bennett

Jill Kintner Kintner started her career in BMX at only 8 years old then jumped between successful runs in both BMX and mountain biking. She finally shifted her full attention to BMX when she decided to push for the Olympics.

In a journey that came down to the final race, Kintner out-biked friend, roommate and teammate Arielle Martin for the sole spot on the women’s U.S. BMX team. Martin returned home to Utah after loosing to Kintner only to return to the Chula Vista training center four days later on a decision to help Kintner get ready for the games.

Read more about Jill Kintner

The Track
The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Cycling built a replica of the Beijing course in Chula Vista, California at the Olympic Training center where the U.S. athletes have been riding for the last several months. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

The Event
Seeding starts on Wednesday August 20 with both men’s and women’s semifinals and finals taking place on Thursday August 21 in Beijing. Event coverage will be on NBC from 6 to 9 pm on Wednesday the 20th East Coast Time.

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Mike Day dominated the Olympic Trials held in Chula Vista June 14. Day won three out of four events and secured a nomination to the first U.S. Olympic BMX team.

Kyle Bennett and Jill Kintner automatically qualified when they ended the 2008 season as the top-ranked athletes in USA Cycling's BMX Rankings.

http://www.active.com/Assets/Action+Sports/MikeDay2.jpg

Mike Day practices at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.
AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi

Final Scores From the Olympic Trials
1. Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) 32
2. Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) 21
3. David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) 13
4. Kristopher Fox (Phelan, Calif.) 7
5. Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) 6
6. Danny Caluag (Chino, Calif.) 5
7.Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.) 0

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