A total of 52 men from 21 different countries participated in this year’s Simple Session BMX qualification round. The highest score of 84.25 was achieved by British freestyle rider Jordan Clark, who secured his place in the final. Among the competitors were also four Estonians: Siim Savik, Tauno Krüüts, Kristen Põder, and Roomet Säälik.
Among the Estonians, 25-year-old Roomet Säälik achieved the highest position, scoring 62.25 points and placing 21st among 52 competitors. Krüüts finished in 42nd place (score 26.50), the oldest participant of the competition, 33-year-old Kristen Põder, ranked 46th (20.25), and Savik took 47th place (20.00). The youngest participant, 10-year-old Minxu Hu from China, placed 44th.
The most outstanding rider of the BMX qualification round was five-time world champion in scooter freestyle, Jordan Clark. The Brit scored an impressive 84.25 points. He was followed by Japanese rider Rim Nakamura (83.00 points) and British competitor Dylan Hessey (77.50 points). A total of 15 riders advanced to Sunday’s final.
Judges evaluate each rider’s two one-minute runs, considering the overall performance, creativity, and difficulty of both runs when assigning scores. In the qualification round, riders are encouraged to perform two distinct runs to make the most of the competition course. The BMX judges this year are David Cleworth (UK), Bart de Jong (NED), Markus Wilke (GER), and Van Homan (USA).
According to David Cleworth, the competition course is truly unique, as there is no other like it, making it fascinating to watch how riders combine long wall rides and curves with big jumps, technical ramps, and tricks. “As a judge, it is even slightly challenging to score, as normally street riding—technical elements—and park riding—big jumps and speed—are separate disciplines. Here, however, the rider chooses which elements to use, and with different competitors, we must compare the overall impression. It was great to see athletes utilizing both sides of the course, which certainly helped boost their scores,” Cleworth said.
“For example, Rim Nakamura, who placed second in the final, performed high jumps but also grinded rails, or Jordan Clark, who achieved the highest score by incorporating his park-style tricks on the street section,” he added.
Cleworth hinted that the final will be even more exciting: “In the qualification round, where both runs’ scores matter, athletes try to stay on their bikes and perform as many different tricks as possible. However, in the final, they can give their all—perform bigger jumps, flashier tricks, and utilize different riding lines.”
Roomet Säälik stated that the Simple Session course is always unique and presents a big challenge every year in terms of putting together a good run. “At the same time, it’s exciting because no other competition has so many different lines to ride. It’s a one-of-a-kind park,” commented the athlete, who is also a professional scooter rider. Speaking about his own performance, Säälik said he was very satisfied with his ride. “I managed to complete two runs without falls, something I hadn’t achieved in this competition before,” Säälik said contentedly.
Jordan Clark was also pleased with both of his runs. “The competition venue is very special, and I’m not used to a course like this, but I hope I can perform even better tomorrow. I like that the park section is really big, and transitioning from the park to street elements is quite tricky to figure out, but it works,” he described his experience. Similar to Säälik, he noted that there are so many different lines to ride, and riders must decide what they can fit into a single minute. “I think I got the highest score thanks to my scooter-style trick, which is rarely seen in BMX, and I managed to impress the judges with it,” Clark speculated.
The BMX finals will take place on Sunday, March 9th, at 18:00. The finalists are:
1. Jordan Clark, GBR, 84.25
2. Rim Nakamura, JPN, 83.00
3. Dylan Hessey, GBR, 77.50
4. Jose Cedano, CHI, 73.00
5. Matt Ray, USA, 72.50
6. Santiago Laverde, COL, 72.37
7. Levi Weidmann, NED, 71.25
8. Joji Mizogaki, JPN, 69.45
9. Jack Clark, GBR, 69.12
10. Ernests Zebolds, LAT, 69.05
11. Kaede Ozawa, JPN, 68.12
12. Miller Temple, GBR, 68.00
13. Boyd Hilder, AUS, 67.15
14. Jordan Godwin, GBR, 65.00
15. Stuart Chisholm, GBR, 64.75