Where's New Zealand's Sarah Walker been?
17 February 2010
Sarah Walker, Elite Women's BMXer from New Zealand ended up a DOUBLE WORLD CHAMPION at the 2009 UCI BMX World Championships in Adelaide, Australia, and then due to bad injury to her hand at the South Africa round of the UCI SX World Cup missed the end of the UCI BMX Supercross season, in which she had a real chance to take home the overall season title.
Overall a big year, but obviously had to be a little disappointing ending for Sarah.
Sarah's been rehabbing her hand and according to Sarah, my "hand is 99% which is cool, shouldn't be much longer before it's 110% again"!
Well, Sarah's hand must be feeling a little better, because this past weekend, the UCI Oceania Ranking Rounds 4&5 took place and it was Sarah's first time back on the track.
99% was good enough for a BIG double for Sarah as she took First Place in Elite Women's racing on the weekend with good world class racers from Australia in the mix.
Oceania Ranking Round 4/Feb. 13 - 1 Sarah Walker/NZL 2 Rachel Walker/AUS 3 Caroline Buchanan/AUS
4 Nicole Callisto/AUS 5 Victoria Hill/NZL 6 Melinda McLeod/AUS 7 Lauren Reynolds/AUS
Oceania Ranking Round 5/Feb. 14 - 1 Sarah Walker/NZL 2 Lauren Reynolds/AUS 3 Caroline Buchanan/AUS
4 Rachel Bracken/AUS 5 Nicole Bracken/AUS 6 Melinda McLeod/AUS 7 Elyse Imber/NZL
Sarah also had a pretty good time the week before as she was nominated as a finalist at the New Zealand Sports Awards, which was an amazing achievement for her.
Sarah said, "I was one of four finalists for Sportswoman of the Year for the whole of NZ in every sport which was a huge honor," which really is quite an honor.
She didn't get the award but the winner was an Olympic Gold Medalist for Shot Put and multi Track & Field World Champion over many years and probably pretty much unbeatable.
However, she did pick up some pretty good media exposure as in the nations biggest newspaper they said that she "Stole the show for the country's most glamorous sporting woman in elegant regal red" so that was a cool bonus for our Double BMX World Champ!
Sarah's going to be sitting out the upcoming Madrid BMX SX race to make sure her hand is "110%" and ready for a big season. The first international race back for Sarah will be UCI SX Copenhagen, and then don't be surprised if you see The Champ zip over to the U.S. for her first ever appearance at some U.S. national racing.
Then it's back on the International BMX Circuit defending her double world titles at the UCI Worlds in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and then making a run at the year end UCI BMX Supercross title.
Look out world, Sarah Walker is on her way back!
Back
