Saya Sakakibara (born 23 August 1999)[1] is an Australian cyclist competing in BMX racing events.
Personal and early life
Sakakibara was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, to a mother of Japanese heritage and a father of British citizenship.[2] She started BMX racing at the age of four after watching her older brother Kai competing.[3][4] The family moved to Sydney in 2007 and Sakakibara joined the South Illawarra BMX Club where her brother Kai was a member. She then began competing on the junior circuits and quickly rose through the ranks winning state and national titles.[5]
As of 2019, Sakakibara is dating fellow BMX racer, Romain Mahieu.[6]
Career
Sakakibara has represented Australia at World Championship level. She won a silver medal in the Junior Elite BMX Supercross at the 2017 World Championships. She was awarded AusCycling's Female BMX Racing Rider of the Year in 2020.[7] She was selected for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the Australian team.[8][9] She crashed in the semi-finals of the Olympics and did not qualify for the final.[10]