Callisto and Bailey Make BMX Semis

West Australian BMX stars Tanya Bailey and Nicole Callisto have both made it through to the semi-finals of the women’s Olympic BMX competition in its first ever appearance at an Olympiad.

Tanya Bailey clocked a first run time of 38.621sec in the seeding classification and backed up that time with a quicker 38.285sec in the second run. Nicole Callisto entered a first run of 38.260sec and managed to break the 38 second barrier in her second trial with a fast 37.717sec.

The amazing Laoshan BMX venue provided all of the thrills and spills expected with some stunning jumps and nasty crashes. Great Britain rider Shanaze Reade suffered a tumble in her first run but returned the second fastest time in her second run of 36.882sec to prove her medal credentials.

Thursday’s women’s semi-finals are held over three runs, with the top four riders from each eight-strong group going through to the final later in the day. Qualification for the final is based on points accrued over three runs, with the least number of points the objective for qualification.