BMX - Olympian makes it 10 NZ crowns

New Zealand Olympian Sarah Walker reckons so much of BMX racing comes down to luck.
"There is an infinity of things that can go wrong," she said, referring to her performance at the Beijing Olympics where she narrowly missed out on bronze.
However, that was all in the past for Walker, who was back in action after a break from competition, at the weekend's national championships, hosted by Whangarei BMX Club.
There was no doubt luck was on Walker's side when she claimed her 10th New Zealand title from 10 national championships. The 20-year-old comfortably defended the women's elite division in the UCI (International Cycling Union) points round, while fellow Olympian Marc Willers from Cambridge took the men's elite class title.
UCI points count towards qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.
Walker backed up yesterday to win the NZ superclass title, while Kurt Pickard of Tauranga fended off hot competition in the men's superclass to go with his junior elite title he won on Saturday.
Walker, who races for Rotorua BMX Club, leaves on Wednesday for a month-long campaign in Europe culminating in the World Cup at Copenhagen, joined by Willers, Pickard and Christchurch rider Matthew Davies.
"I'm nervous as I haven't had as big as preparation as I did last year before competing," Walker said about her up-and-coming trip.
"I'm not expecting much results-wise but I'm just going to see how I'm going against the European girls, and see where my strengths and weaknesses are."
With her sights set on London 2012, Walker said this year was more about enjoying her time on the bike and using the next three years to build for the Olympics.
"I'll only be 24 and I'll have a bit more experience and a bit more strength."
Meanwhile, there was huge talent and skill on display at the nationals, with promising riders emerging from around the country.
Whangarei BMX Club's Bayleigh Rees had a huge outing, claiming the 11-year boys national title, while Trent Jones cleaned up in the 15-year boys. Danelle Knight was crowned NZ No1 in the 30 to 39-year-old women's cruiser division.
President Stuart Bell said it was the first time the Whangarei club had hosted the nationals since 2001, and the new track was a hit among the 835 competitors.
Papakura's Michael Williams, fourth in the elite men's division on Saturday, said the Pohe Island track was one of the best around and had been fun to ride on.
Williams was among the large Kiwi contingent using the nationals as a warm-up to the Adelaide World Championships in July.
The nationals got under way on Friday with trials for the Mighty 11 team who will compete in Australia in June, followed by qualifying motos and the UCI ranking round on Saturday and finished with senior superclass and age-group finals yesterday.