Saya Sakakibara leads Australia’s charge at 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships

Olympic champion and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Saya Sakakibara will lead Australia’s campaign at the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships alongside fellow Olympians Izaac Kennedy and Lauren Reynolds at Brisbane SX International BMX Centre this weekend. 

Brisbane is set to take centre stage with the world’s best riders including reigning UCI World Champion Bethany Shriever (Great Britain) and powerhouse nations including France, the Netherlands and the United States.

The UCI World Championships shapes as the the biggest BMX Racing event ever held in Australia and the final frontier for Sakakibara, who is looking to add an elusive rainbow jersey to her iconic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

The opportunity to compete at home gives her extra incentive to claim a maiden UCI World Championship. 

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to compete at a home UCI World Championship here in Australia, this event is so special to me and something I have wanted to win for a very long time!’ 

‘I cannot wait to have a full grandstand there to cheer us on as we compete for Australia and chase the rainbow jersey.”

For Gold Coast’s Izaac Kennedy, Brisbane represents a chance for redemption. 

After crashing out of the Olympic final in Paris and settling for UCI World Championship silver in Copenhagen, Kennedy now has the chance to win the biggest race of his career at home in Brisbane.

“Getting silver was great, but it stings still to come up short and get so close. It’s extra motivation to go again,” he said. 

“A big goal for me right now is to be UCI World Champion, and ticking that off in my career, and there is no better time for me than this year.

“It’s going to be super exciting, it’s really special for me, I grew up riding at that track, it’s going to be pretty sick having a home crowd.”

From 17-25 July, thousands of athletes, officials and supporters from around the world will descend on the Brisbane SX International BMX Centre for nine days of world-class competition, showcasing the city as it builds towards hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.

The Elite competition will be contested from 17-19 July, before the Challenge and Masters competitions takes centre stage from 22-25 July, bringing together more than 2,500 riders of all ages from across the globe.

The event represents one of the largest international cycling championships ever staged in Queensland and provides a significant opportunity to showcase Brisbane’s world-class sporting infrastructure and event-hosting capabilities ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.