Rotorua speedster Megan Williams claimed third place in the 15-year girls' Challenge class in the longest day in memory at the BMX World Championships at Zolder in Belgium.
By the time the New Zealand riders completed their finals, they had been in competition mode for more than 12 hours in a day dominated by blazing heat, a major delay and also some upsets for the Kiwis.
Williams claimed the only medal while other finalists included Toni James (Waitakere), who was fourth in the 25-and-over women, Amy Martin (Hawke's Bay), who finished fifth in the 17-to-24-year class, and Leila Walker (Cambridge), who was eighth in the 14-year girls'.
Racing started at 8.30am and did not finish until 9.15pm. When the temperature reached 41C degrees, in the mid-afternoon, racing was suspended for three hours for the safety of the riders and to give the overstretched medical services a breather, as a number of riders fainted and crashed while racing.
None of the Kiwis were involved, but the long breaks between races - it took seven hours just to get through the three qualifying motos - and then the need to refocus took its toll.