'I can't be down for too long' - Kye Whyte bidding to rediscover BMX 'mojo' ahead of Paris 2024
BySportsbeat
Published 01/06/2023 at 14:56 GMT
The Olympic silver medallist has broken both shoulders, knocked himself out and crashed four times in the space of nine months. Now he is looking to consign those injuries to the past, as he prepares for August's home World Championships in Glasgow. Whyte went back where it all started, Peckham BMX Club, for the launch of a groundbreaking new coaching campaign, 'Play Their Way'.
Whyte on why Olympic support was 'kind of bigger' than silver medal
Kye Whyte admits he's battling to recapture his BMX mojo after a hellish run of injuries left him at the lowest point of his career.
The Olympic silver medallist has broken both shoulders, knocked himself out and crashed four times in the space of nine months.
Injuries are part and parcel of BMX racing, but these setbacks have hit Whyte differently.
"I'm used to being injured but not used to feeling down about it," said the 23-year-old, speaking at Peckham BMX Club at the launch of the 'Play Their Way' campaign.
"To be honest, I'm still learning. I'm still learning how to be on the down side because I've never felt like this before. I've been feeling sorry for myself.
"These last two weeks, it's been trying to find the rhythm, the mojo, the hard work mindset and the determination to push on in the way I was before.
"It's still in there, it's about finding it again because I kind of lost it a bit."
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Kye Whyte and Bethany Shriever celebrate their silver and gold medals at Tokyo 2020.
Image credit: Getty Images
Whyte won European gold, World Championship silver and two World Cup medals last year in an emphatic return to racing post-Tokyo.
The Peckham star's shoulder blade is still broken and he will miss the first World Cup race of the season in Turkey, hoping to be back within a month.
Focus then turns to getting back on the bike for the rest of the World Cup circuit and cementing his strong position in the UCI Olympic rankings.
"BMX is a contact sport, you can easily crash on your own and there are plenty of ways to injure yourself," he said.
"At the same time, you still get in the gate and race. These are big setbacks, but you have to get on with it. It happens in sport, I can't be down for too long."
Pre-Paris Olympic year culminates at August's home World Championships in Glasgow, at the same track where Whyte took World Cup bronze last year.
"We had a little training camp there and I feel like I can do pretty well there," he said. "I'm decent around the track and it's a home crowd, that's the big thing.
"When you have a home crowd, you feel invincible. I can't wait."
Whyte continued: "The aim is to turn silver into gold in Paris. That's the only path I really want to take."
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Kye Whyte is part of the UK Coaching's Play Their Way campaign
Image credit: Getty Images
Whyte went back where it all started, Peckham BMX Club, for the launch of a groundbreaking new coaching campaign 'Play Their Way'.
The campaign champions a 'child-first' approach to sport, offering England's 2.6 million coaches resources to help kids enjoy being active in their own way and inspire them to stay active for life.
Whyte was coached by dad Nigel and Peckham BMX Club head coach CK Flash in his younger years.
"Play Their Way is taking things to the next level," said Whyte. "It's all about making sure kids are getting brilliant coaching.
"We haven't seen anything like this before. Coaches all have their own style of coaching, this is making sure the kids have the best experience possible."
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