Paris Olympics: Saya Sakakibara bursts into tears after dedicating emotional BMX gold medal ride to brother Kai after family tragedy: ‘I feel it’s a dream – it is real, right?’
- Suffered a serious concussion
- Brother seriously injured during sports
- Fear and doubt swept away for emotional gain
Australian BMX rider Saya Sakakibara won Australia’s 10th gold medal in emotional scenes on Saturday morning despite injuries and family trauma.
Sakakibara’s brother Kai suffered a traumatic brain injury while racing and Sakakibara suffered two serious concussions, nearly causing her to quit the sport.
During the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Australian athlete suffered a serious concussion after colliding with another runner, ending her Olympic debut.
Kai, also a talented BMX racer, was ranked 10th in the world in February 2020, while his sister was in the top five.
That same month, Kai fell during a World Cup event and was placed in an induced coma for two months due to a traumatic brain injury.
This injury left him unable to speak or move properly on the right side of his body, forcing him to relearn essential life skills.
She wore her brother’s number 77 during the ride and dominated the rest, achieving an emotional victory.
“I just saw the moment, I visualized myself standing on the podium, hearing the national anthem and having the gold medal around my neck. I saw that in my mind,” she said.
‘Every setback I’ve had since the moment it was my turn, I thought I’d try again, I just had that in mind. I wanted it, I wanted it.
“I knew it was only a split second and I just had to go.”
“She said so many times that she had to suppress the fear in her head when she came back from a concussion last year. The whole team, her coach, everyone believed so much in her performance,” said Australian two-time Olympian and former world champion Caroline Buchanan.
“She got back on the BMX board when everything told her she had a traumatic brain injury. She said, ‘I’m not going to let fear stop me.’ And now she’s an Olympic champion.”
Kai was there to witness the emotional victory his sister dedicated to him.
“I’m trembling,” he said.
“It’s crazy because three years ago she could have done it but she didn’t and now she’s doing it. It’s crazy. It’s really crazy.”
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