With two riders each, Switzerland is strongly represented at the BMX races in Paris and has justified ambitions of winning medals. There are good reasons for this success.
01.08.2024, 09:19
SDA
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- The Swiss BMX racing delegation can hope to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
- Zoé Claessens is a three-time European champion and two-time world championship runner-up. Simon Marquart was world champion in 2022 and Cedric Butti finished on the podium in three out of six World Cup races this year.
- For national coach David Graf, once a two-time World Championship bronze medallist and Olympic participant himself, the secret to this astonishing success is continuity.
None of the Swiss really want to slip into the role of favorite. Even the three-time European champion and two-time World Championship silver medalist Zoé Claessens is not willing to be drawn on a ranking. "Sure, a medal would be super cool," says the Vaud native. "But I want to concentrate on my runs, then I'll get a good result."
It is not audacious to dream of the first Swiss medal in the sport, which has been an Olympic sport since 2008. Three years ago in Tokyo, Nikita Ducarroz won bronze in freestyle, but Switzerland is still waiting for a podium finish in racing. This is set to change in Paris. As a top 5 nation, Switzerland is sending a duo each in the men's and women's events. At least three of them have already excelled at the highest level, and they are all still young.
Pioneers at the top level
The veteran is 27-year-old Simon Marquart from Zurich, world champion in 2022. Cedric Butti from Thurgau, who is three years younger, has finished on the podium three times in six World Cup races this year and is in second place overall, while Marquart is in fifth place. At just 23 years old, Claessens has been an absolute great in her sport for some time now.
For national coach David Graf, once a two-time World Championship bronze medalist and Olympic participant himself, the secret to this astonishing success is continuity. New riders kept coming in and were able to benefit from the established ones. "Of course, it's great when you have two or three athletes who push each other," says Butti. "When you have trailblazers at this top level, it's a little easier."
However, Graf also emphasizes that although they are well positioned at the top, the base is pretty thin. Or as Cedric Butti aptly puts it: "There is more quality than quantity." An Olympic medal would of course provide a boost, but the Games are already hugely important. "They make our sport better known and more visible," says Graf. In some cases, however, the clubs also lack the capacity to accommodate the additional young people who join after the Olympics.
BMX as the ideal cycling school
Many of them don't stick around for long, unless they really discover BMX riding. "Then they don't want to leave," says David Graf with a laugh. For him, BMX is also an ideal introduction to cycling, from which you can then switch to other disciplines. "But it works better in other countries like the Netherlands than it does here."
The elite is currently working very well. "I think we've done relatively well in Switzerland in that the athletes have become very independent," says Simon Marquart, citing another reason for the positive development. "Everyone has found their own way a little bit."
The figurehead is Zoé Claessens from Vaud, whose father founded the BMX club in Echichens and where she is now trying to inspire the next generation. Like Marquart and Butti, who was a substitute rider three years ago, she believes she can now benefit from the experience she gained back then. They already know that everything is a bit bigger at the Olympics and can adjust accordingly.
Filib Steiner, who is only 20 years old, is taking part as a substitute this time. So that the baton in BMX can be passed on seamlessly in the future.
