A teenager from Peckham has won a silver medal for Team GB at the men’s BMX final at the European Championships, writes Jessica Aszkenasy…
Eighteen-year-old Kye Whyte bagged the silver medal at the championships that took place in Glasgow over the weekend. The event was held for the first time in the Scottish city and Berlin, and will take place once every four years.
“It was crazy. In other races I’ve made semi-finals but this is the first time I’m making the final at an elite race,” Whyte told the News.
The former Peckham Academy pupil first got into BMX when he was three, but only started training full-time in September last year. He was the youngest competitor in the race.
“I went into the final thinking I’ve made it into the final, that was the best I can do, I’ll be happy with whatever happens.
“Even if you’re the fastest in the world, you can never tell. It’s BMX, anything can happen,” Whyte told the News.
Whyte trains at Peckham BMX Club in Burgess Park which has trained 70 per cent of the riders in the British Olympic programme. His older brother 24-year-old Tre White was world number three back in 2014. His coach CK Flash MBE has been in BMX for over 30 years.
“It inspires young people to try harder and to be disciplined. It’s a big deal because this little club that was started in Bird in Bush was a small track. It was a quarter of the size it is now and it’s become world-renowned,” Flash told the News.
“We’ve gone from nothing. We’ve had a rough time but now it’s onwards and upwards,” he said.
Whyte is staying focused and started training again just two days after the competition.
“I started training today because our Olympic points start on 1 September. Hopefully we’re going to China for a big race to get sponsorship. After, I go to Argentina with the team,” said Whyte.