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the Yang Pu district of Shanghai.

BMX Street
The day began with a first-ever KWEG medal for 20 year old Kevin Peraza with some impressive tail whips, tooth picks and bar spins to give him the best two combined scores of the five finalists.

He said, “It’s amazing to come out on top of all my friends. This is so much fun for me, just taking care of myself; stay healthy, no injuries and its all good.”

When asked about the level of local talent he thinks it won’t be long until they are taking his spot on the podium saying, “There is an amazing park here and there is a tonne of talent here in China. It’s a worldwide sport and they are definitely going to be here on top in the next few years. They’ve all got motivation and they all love the sport like we do and I can definitely see an Asian, Chinese rider winning this event in the future for sure.”

Silver went to America’s Mykel Larrin, who felt the athletes performed at their best out there today. He explained, “I am excited. I woke up this morning with some good vibes. Everybody rode super hard today and the level of competition kept going up every single round so to finish with a medal, I am honoured and thankful.”

Another KWEG rookie was England’s Alex Kennedy who was “stoked” to do so well on his maiden outing here. “This is my first Extreme Games medal, it’s absolutely amazing, can’t believe it. I managed to get my whole run together and I combined my tricks. Being in China is so much fun, always something to look at, I love it,” he said.

BMX Mini-Mega
Pedal power took a second step into the limelight today for the spectacular Mini-Mega competition for the BMX boys. Vince Byron – who collected Gold on Thursday on the Vert - scored a 94 on his third round run on the Mini-Mega with a 360 down-whip superman sea crab on the gap followed by a 540 double tail whip on the quarter pipe, to secure a double-gold victory for the second year running and the crown of the Games’ most successful athlete this year.

“I knew Chad and Colton had more stuff in their bag so I was lucky enough to pull it and I was ecstatic. It’s great to get something on my first contest of the year. I’ll be competing against a lot of the guys that are here next month and it’s also given me insight into what I need to work on for the next competition.”

Chad Kagy of the US came in second, landing his third round run too, as did Colton Satterfield, who needed a bit of help from his buddy Peraza to keep him in the competition after he damaged his seat.

He explained, “I wrecked today on tricks I have already done in practice – he (Kevin) is a good friend of mine, he grabbed another seat for me and helped me out. That’s what BMX is about, you help each other.”

Looking at his medal he added, “It means a lot. The first time I came here I got fourth so it definitely feels better to be on the podium – that is where you get recognition for doing well. Every time I come here the people here are so awesome. I didn’t grow up knowing that China has such a following and every time we come here they are the nicest people ever.”

Mat Hoffman, event ambassador and chief judge for the BMX competition summed up the week for the riders saying, “Everyone loves this event. It is really friendly and the athletes get well looked after so they can focus on their performance. It is their favourite event all year. It’s all about the flow and competing to your best ability.”