The undoubted queen of Olympic Cycling BMX Freestyle

Posted by Xchange Tickets on January 17th, 2023

BMX racer certain queen, Mariana Pajon, has accomplished all that needs to be done in her sport. But the lure of more triumph drives the Colombian athlete forwards. When it comes to BMX racing, you cannot overlook Mariana Pajon. The 31-year-old Colombian rider is a two-time Olympic champion, an 18-time world victor and a double World Cup global champ. No wonder she's been named the 'Queen of BMX' by the media.

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There's a been lot of hard work along the way to attaining those remarkable lists of titles. The golden girl from Medellin isn't quite ended yet either. Paris 2024 is just a year and a half away and it's full mist ahead as she looks to claim a third Olympic Games title. Learn more below about Pajon as we take a look at her profession to date. While also giving an insight into her character on and off the bike.

Early stages of an undoubted queen of Cycling BMX

Born in 1991, Pajon grew up in Medellin a city that like most of Colombia was absorbed. By the violence used by the company of organised crime in the nation. Refuge for her parents from the truths of life came through sport. Her mother, Claudia, was a good rider and swimmer, while her dad Carlos participated in amateur motorsport events and on bikes. With such an athletic background, it was only natural that Mariana would also pick up an affection for the sport.

What perhaps made Pajon focus her mind on racing BMX?  It was that achievement on the race track that was happening regularly in the world phase. In 2008, aged 16, Pajon won the UCI world championship in the Junior class in Taiyuan, China. A year later she protected that Junior cruiser title in Adelaide, Australia. She also won the junior world contest in the more regular 20-inch wheel class.

That would become the only wheel session for BMX racing post-2010. A first senior title would follow in 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark. With the Summer Games proceeding the very next year in London. Mariana Pajon had a very real gamble of taking a medal.

National pride in London Olympic Cycling BMX Freestyle

Pajon's profile in her home nation was building on the back of her achievements at the world contests. For London Olympics in 2012, she was selected as the flag bearer for her nation in the opening ceremony. A huge admiration. The burden was now on to perform, however. Her form going into London wasn't the finest, due to a sequence of injuries earlier in the year.

But on the day of the final, she accomplished putting that all aside. She took the lead on the first corner of the London race route. She didn't surrender it to take gold only the second gold medal in Colombia's Olympic Games history. Pajon was now a celebrity in Colombia. XchangeTickets.com offers Olympic Games 2024 Tickets at the best prices. Olympic fanatics can buy Paris Olympic Tickets at exclusively discounted prices.

Nicknames plentiful

Pajon may have gotten the name the 'Queen of BMX' for being the most positive women's BMX racer ever. But among the Olympic Cycling BMX Freestyle public itself, she is known as the 'Atomic ant'. The nickname was born from a race in the Netherlands in 2003. Once the New Zealand BMX racer Sarah Walker was so astonished at the inspiring skill and speed of Pajon. Then only 11 years old.

Pajon has a very volatile drive and is known to violently attack courses. She used a good outcome when beating Walker to the gold medal in London Olympics in 2012. Pajon is just 5' 2" [1.57m] as well, so for her physique, she packs a lot of power. In Colombia, Pajon’s frequently called 'Tata' comes from her older brother. He was three years old it was really hard for him to say, Mariana, so just called her ‘Tata’ in its place.

Becoming world champion at home and another Olympic Game title

The years that trailed London continued to be filled with triumph. She became an elite world champion again, not just once, but four times. These comprised two-time trial titles the fastest time over the course and two regular BMX race titles. The latter of which was on her home circuit in Medellin in 2016, a facility which is called after her. Then came the Olympics in 2016. The World Champs in Medellin had occurred just before Rio.

So Pajon knew she was in good fitness and form.  The added burden here however was a hopeful Colombian nation. She was also being sponsored at the Rio site by a crowd that was overwhelmingly Colombian. Just like in London, she accomplished leading into first place and kept her nerve to cross the finish line first and become an Olympic Cycling BMX Freestyle gold medal winner for the second time.

Superstitious Mariana and injuries

Talent may win participant's competitions, but try and tell contestants, many of whom believe in superstitions, that. Pajon has an odd superstition she has to wear dissimilar coloured gloves and socks One day I took the mistaken socks and I became world champion, so I supposed, this could be the reason. Since then, every race I run with dissimilar socks, she clarifies. It was with this plan that Pajon won that first Olympic gold in 2012.

At the Olympic Cycling BMX Freestyle race in London. She raced with a white glove on her right hand and a black glove on her left. One black sock and the other purple. Despite her long run of victory, not everything has run smoothly for Pajon. Staying hard and overcoming obstacles have always been part of her story. Injuries are an expected part of being an athlete and Pajon has had her fair share.

She's had as many 18 fractures during her profession. As well as nine screws and two plates inserted in her left wrist. After tearing knee muscles in 2018 at a World Cup race in the Netherlands. She had to stop contending for nine months, putting her sharing in the 2020 Olympic Games at risk. She returned to racing in 2019, with the plague giving her an extra year to recover her strength and defend her two titles in Tokyo in 2021.

It all goes off the motorbike as well

She was one of the few sportspersons who wanted the Games to be postponed. Because it gave me time to prepare and be fully improved. Sadly, there was no third gold. Pajon came second to Great Britain's Bethany Shriever. There was still great happiness for her, however, with her silver medal. A just prize for the hard work she put in since that 2018 injury. The special element in the success of any athlete is not so secret.

A huge dose of exercise, devotion and discipline, seasoned with a happy life full of journeys. Pajon positively does that. When not training or challenging, she's travelling the world together with her husband. And fellow BMX race pro Vincent Pelluard, enjoying hobbies and other sports. She loves to dive, surf and ski.

All eyes are on Paris Olympics 2024

Now 31, Pajon remains to put the hard work in. The inspiration is to keep on winning, to be better the next day and maybe win a third Olympic title. She was once mentioned as saying, the future belongs to those who have faith in their dreams. The present method of her sport underlies that. She now varies her training with gym work and technical struggles on BMX race courses.

She has also added track cycling drills to her administration. And she keeps on winning. At the final round of the UCI BMX World Cup in Bogota in October 2022, Pajon took the 13th UCI World Cup win of her profession. If she stays injured free there could yet be more gold at Paris 2024.

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