GB’s Reilly into BMX freestyle final, Worthington out

Great Britain’s Kieran Reilly qualified in top spot for the men’s BMX freestyle final but Charlotte Worthington missed out on the chance to defend her women’s title after failing to progress in Paris.

World champion Reilly scored 91.68 on his opening run then 90.75 on his second to give an average of 91.21 and qualify in top spot.

Competing at his maiden Olympics, the 23-year-old laid down a marker and a warning to his competition on a scorching hot day in the French capital.

Qualifying top of the standings means he will go last in the final and, as is often the case in BMX freestyle, there is a sense he is holding back something spectacular.

Riders needed to finish in the top nine of 12 to qualify for Wednesday’s showpiece at Place de la Concorde.

Worthington did not make the cut after scoring 79.20 then 78.82 in her two runs for an average of 79.01 to finish 11th.

“It was super tough,” she told BBC Sport.”I was trying to ride it with the strengths that I have right now and that was a little bit out of my reach.”

The 28-year-old shot into the spotlight when she became the first woman to win BMX freestyle gold in Tokyo three years ago, when the sport made its Olympic debut.

The former chef landed a 360 backflip in her winning run – the first woman to do so in competition – but the stresses and strains of being an Olympic champion took their toll.

Worthington has since opened up about her mental health issues and admitted she “lost sight” of what she loved about BMX in the years following her victory.

Back on the stage where she made history, Worthington produced two smooth runs in front of a packed crowd but failed to wow the judges in the way she did in Japan.

“My main goal was to be a two-time Olympian, get here and after the journey that I’ve had – to be able to stand up there and perform a run and get to the finish line – the only fight I was fighting out there was me against me,” Worthington said.

“It’s not what you want but I know I’ve achieved my goal.”