August 6/11 21:57 pm - BMX National Championships: Day 2

Posted by Editoress on 08/6/11
 

Nyhaug and Millman Show Winning Performances at 2011 Canadian BMX Championships

Both winners show strength at Canadian BMX Championships

The 2011 Canadian BMX Championships presented by Leclerc, held in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures near Québec City, ended Saturday with the  BMX races for all categories. Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC and Sabrina Millman of Cochrane, Alberta, both racing for the first time as Elite at Canadian Championships, made gold medal performances on a hot and bright sunny day.

Tory Nyhaug, the fastest in Friday’s Time Trials, won the title in his first race as an Elite at a Canadian Championship. Nyhaug, ninth at the UCI World Championships in Supercross just last week, easily advanced to the Superfinals by winning all three races in the preliminary rounds.

“I am really happy. I didn’t have an Elite title yet, so I really wanted to win this weekend. I’m pumped to have won both titles this weekend, the Time Trials and the BMX,” said Nyhaug, 19 years of age and one of Canada’s hopefuls for the 2012 Olympic Games. “We have three guys that are world class here. I knew I had to get a good start and get out. I had a good race against them, and really excited to be on the box again. I made two semis and a fourth this season, as well as a podium in the time trials. I want to get back on the box again, and run some good races again.”

“I’d like to thank my sponsors – Redline, Oakley, Tioga, as well as my buddies Connor and Jim with whom I spent the last five weeks with,” continued the young BMX sensation.

Jim Brown of Airdrie, Alberta, came second right behind Nyhaug, followed by Connor McCormack of Kelowna, British Columbia in third. Brown and McCormack fought it out throughout the day during the three qualification races, and Brown took the win in all of his heats leading up to the finals.

On the women’s side, Sabrina Millman of Cochrane, Alberta won her second title in as many days. Millman, who turned Elite as of August 1, continued her domination despite suffering from a broken wrist.

“I feel amazing. I hoped to win, but you never know when you are in a full gate with girls. In a Time Trials, you are all by yourself. In a BMX race, there are people all around you. I just prayed to myself and hoped for the best. I wanted to win so badly, so I needed a good start, which I got, and just gave it my all,” said Millman. “I am going to have to train a lot harder to defend. I know with more training I can do even better.”

Millman trains in Las Vegas, Nevada, but when she’s home, she rides along with her brother on man-made dirt jumps, only metres away from her doorstep on family acreage in the Alberta foothills in Cochrane.

In second place came local favourite Sarah Biron of Québec and Anne Laplante also of Québec, a downhill specialist, took the third place. Both Biron and Laplante took advantage of a spill by Amelia Walsh and Makara Martin in the second stretch, and rode cleanly to the finish line trying to catch Millman.

In the junior ranks, Paige Zarazun of Vancouver, BC grabbed her second women’s junior title of the weekend, while Calvin McRea of St. Albert, Alberta, took the win in the men’s junior championship race.

A select group of the Canadian BMX team will now head to London, GBR for the presentation of the 2012 Olympic Test event.

Results

Report courtesy CCA