(Ottawa, ON – May 31, 2016) Alex Tougas of Pitt Meadows, BC, posted the top Canadian results at the BMX World Championships, in Medellin, Colombia, on May 28-29, with a pair of fourth places in the Junior Men’s Time Trial and Races.
Tougas won his race heats in the preliminary rounds leading the Finals, and was first out of the gate in the Final, only to drop back to fourth after a mistake. Deven Kawa (Stoney Plain, AB) made it through to the quarter-finals. In the Time Trial, Tougas qualified with the fifth fastest time, and finished fourth in the Final, less then a quarter of a second off the podium.
“Rain delays aside, such a smooth and well executed event,” said Tougas. “Thanks to the support both in preparation and at the race, I’m overly thrilled with my performance throughout the whole trip.”
In the Junior Women’s competition, Megane Belanger of Oka, QC, made it into the Finals, finishing seventh. In the Time Trial, Belanger qualified 17th and did not make it into the Final.
In the Elite Women’s category, Amelia Walsh of Ayr, ON, did not make it past the Motos round for the women’s competition, finishing fifth in her heats. Walsh qualified 28th in the Time Trial and did not move on to the Final.
Tory Nyhaug and James Palmer both qualified in the Elite Men’s Motos, with Nyhaug not progressing past the one eighth-finals, and Palmer finishing just outside of qualifying in the quarterfinals. Nyhaug, the winner of three World Cup rounds in the Time Trial, crashed out of competition on his qualifying run, while Palmer finished 43rd and did not qualify for the Final.
“I’m really excited about Alex’s performance,” said Adam Muys, Canadian Team Manager. “He was very consistent and executed our plans. I’m looking forward to his results next year in Elite men. We had a great team environment, and several NextGen athletes were introduced to the high performance culture.”
ABOUT CYCLING CANADA
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High-Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers community programs to promote Cycling in Canada. For more information, please visit: www.cyclingcanada.ca.
