The ARA Australian Cycling Team has finished Round 5 of the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Cup with two bronze medals, won by Josh Jolly and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Sienna Pal.

Jolly showed why his highly anticipated elite debut was worth the wait as he battled through the pack from a sixth place start to finish third in Mentougou, China.

The current under-23 world champion and former junior world champion slotted in seamlessly among the heavy hitters throughout the day after winning his first round moto.

The 20-year-old said reaching the podium in his first elite appearance was “awesome”.

“I had high expectations of myself coming into the elite class and I’m happy that I proved to myself that I’m good enough and my expectations were correct,” Jolly said.

“⁠I’ve been waiting for the day I move to elite on the World Cup series. I’ve just been trying not to make a big deal of it, so I don’t worry myself about being with the fastest guys in the world, and I’ve proved to myself that I’m one of the fastest in the world now too.

“In the final, I knew I had the speed around the track to pass anyone I needed too so I was confident in making moves.”

Jolly’s brilliant result was followed by a determined Pal scoring her second elite World Cup podium.

The 21-year-old dived down the inside of Switzerland’s Zoé Claessens in the second corner and held the Olympic bronze medallist at bay down the third and fourth straights.

Only 0.036 seconds separated Pal and Claessens at the finish line, but it was enough for the Australian to clinch third behind Laura Smulders (Netherlands) and world champion Bethany Shriever (Great Britain).

“I feel so stoked. I was already happy and enjoying myself before finishing on the podium. This third is just a cherry on top and only good information to just keep doing what I’m doing,” Pal said.

“In the final, I chose gate eight to just execute my process with less interruption. I felt most comfortable there so the plan was to execute and after that first jump just get to the inside as fast as I can.

“The last two years have been a bit of a rollercoaster since last being on the podium in 2024.

“Initially, I realised the potential but then started feeling the pressure. I’ve changed a lot with all my experiences since then, now knowing I belong here at the top level of this sport and keep that smile, follow your process and the good blessings will come when they come.

“Today was one of those good blessing days!”

Jesse Asmus narrowly missed the podium in his first outing sporting the world champion rainbow jersey, finishing fourth behind Jolly.

For Teya Rufus, a touch of wheels in the first corner of her quarterfinal that nearly brought the 20-year-old down ended her day despite a late charge back to fifth.

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