Whyte enduring injury struggles while quenching his thirst for business

The Peckham-born talent is a fast-rising star in the world of BMX, having earned a European Championship silver medal in 2018 before claiming his first World Cup win in 2019.

But his designs on becoming the first Brit to win BMX Olympic gold were not just hit by the coronavirus pandemic's effects on Tokyo 2020, but persistent knee troubles too.

A ripped muscle in his kneecap, which he didn't even know about as he trained during lockdown, has resulted in months of rehab work and now with training back on at the National Cycling Centre he still has more of a watching brief as he attempts to regain full fitness.

"I had been training that whole time and not known about my knee," Whyte said. "It got really bad and I had to have injections for it.

"It's been quite hard to go back to training at the centre. I'm going back and doing physio whereas everyone else is doing full training. I'm just sitting there watching.

"But, everyone is in the mindset of wanting to get as strong as possible for next year.

"For me, it's about getting back to my strength levels before or getting even stronger and then perfecting my skills on the bike.

"Gym work often comes first and the cycling side comes after, but now I can work on elements such as my starts."

BMX made its Olympic debut at Beijing in 2008 but Britain have arguably never had a stronger medal prospect than Whyte, who also added a World Cup second place in 2020 to his multiple British titles.

But Whyte doesn't just have big plans on the track - he has his sights set on creating a business too.

And although that was also delayed due to Covid-19, Whyte's long-term goals and thirst for success remain consistent.

He added: "I have a plan to set up a bar near where I live. There's not many places to go and drink with friends around where I live so I wanted to set up a little business.

"I want to start up something which I can say I own and which I can be proud of. Whether it works or not, that's the risk you have to take.

"It's something I still want to have alongside my sport in the future. I've never had anything else besides BMX in my life.

"If BMX doesn't work out then I don't have anything to fall back on. I want to be in the position where I'm doing great in BMX and I can also invest in my future with a business."

Sportsbeat 2020