BMX racer Molly Simpson is still riding the high of a fifth-place finish at the Paris Olympics. But the 22-year-old from Red Deer, Alta., has plenty more to do.
And as evidenced by a pair of recent first-place finishes at the USA BMX Grands in Tulsa, Okla., Simpson is still on the move.
Simpson's excitement at being in the Aug. 2 Olympic final was plain to see. Shaking a leg to stay loose, Simpson's helmet-encased head bopped up and down to the music at raucous Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium, still rocking from a 1-2-3 French finish in the men's final, as she waited for the start.
"The building was just so loud that they couldn't quiet down the fans," recalled Simpson, who celebrated her birthday Wednesday. "So we're were kind of just sitting up there waiting … Your heart's pumping. I honestly was just trying to soak up as much of that energy as I could, to fuel me in that moment."
"It was cool," she added.
During her introduction, she made a heart symbol and tapped the Maple Leaf on her chest.
"I was just happy to be there," she said. "It felt like Disney World, like a little kid at Disney World. The emotions were high and it was just so exciting for me. It was amazing."
Thirty-five seconds later, it was over. But the Olympic memories remain.
"Away from competition it was truly amazing," she said. "My goal going into the games was to kind of have no expectations and to really just soak up the experience and be in the moment. I think I did a good job of doing that."
Simpson's fifth-place finish was the best ever by a Canadian woman in the discipline and tied Tory Nyhaug, who came fifth in the 2016 Rio Olympic men’s final.
Simpson took a break after Paris before returning to the USA BMX racing circuit, where she has continued to excel. The UCI BMX calendar restarts in March.
In the meantime, she is spending plenty of time in the gym.
"We are an explosive sport, so it's a lot of Olympic lifts and plyos (plyometrics) and jumping. And just making sure our CNS (central nervous) system is sharp and ready to go."
Simpson spends the winters in Abbotsford, B.C., home to better weather as well as her national team coach and her gym coach.
"So I have the luxury of seeing them pretty much every day. It has, for sure, helped my success," she said.
Simpson grew up playing hockey but first tried BMX at 10 out of curiosity after passing by the local track on her daily commute to school. She continued with hockey until 15 when she switched focus to the bike.
While BMX racing can take a toll on the body, Simpson's biggest challenge was unrelated to the sport.
In November 2022, Simpson was taken ill after having her wisdom teeth removed. Battling a massive infection, she ended up in intensive care. Photos at the time show Simpson attached to a myriad of tubes
"Not a fun time but we got through it," she said.
She lost 15 pounds but was back feeling like herself after two months of recovery.
"It makes you think how important family is," said Simpson, who has a younger brother and older sister. "I'm a huge family person and they're my biggest support. Just going through something like that, I guess it brings your whole family closer together and makes you realize that anything can happen. So you've just got to live your life right now."
Sometimes easier said than done, however.
She returned to competition in late August in Louisville, Ky., where she had to deal with a bout of food poisoning. She missed a day of competition but ended up winning the next day. And she posted two more victories in Oklahoma and another win in Texas.
Simpson typically travels with one bike, with a selection of parts. For major events, she takes two bikes. The good news is a BMX bike, once disassembled, fits into a golf bag.
"And then I get the classic question if I'm a golfer," she said. "And sometimes I say 'Yeah, yeah.' Other times I explain there's a bike in there."
A high-end BMX bike goes for about $7,000. Simpson has been sponsored by California-based Daylight Cycles since she was 14.
Asked how many BMX bikes are in the Simpson family garage, the reply "Too many" comes with a laugh.
Her success has earned her interest from other sponsors, with local auto dealer Red Deer Motors signing up through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles — and providing a vehicle. She also got to speak at her old high school.
Simpson also won silver at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and bronze in the under-23 division of the 2022 UCI BMX Racing World Championships.
A world title remains her ultimate goal. The 2025 worlds are scheduled for the end of July in Copenhagen.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
