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Tokyo gold medallist Beth Shriever is hoping for a “whole new Olympic experience” when she defends her BMX title in Paris next year.
Shriever beat Colombia’s Mariana Pajon by 0.090 seconds in the women’s final in 2021, but crowd sizes were strictly limited in Japan because of Covid.
She also won gold at a BMX World Cup event in the Netherlands last month.
“Having a crowd there is going to change the whole atmosphere and experience for me,” she told BBC Essex.
The Games starts on 26 July next year and Shriever – who was awarded an MBE in 2022 – still has to earn her place in the GB team.
“We are racing all round the world this year and next year to get points to qualify, but we’re in a lot better place than we were leading into Tokyo.
“Confidence is high, motivation is high.
“Paris is going to be completely different to Tokyo, there’s going to be crowds there, we can actually mingle with other athletes, so I’m looking forward to a whole new Olympic experience really.
“I’m going to go with an open mind and just enjoy every second, like I did in Tokyo.”
‘I want to be a role model’
Shriever, from Finchingfield in Essex, followed her success in Tokyo by winning the BMX World Championships title in Arnhem in August 2021.
Her next major assignment is August’s UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow in August.
But apart from the competitive element of the sport, she is also active in encouraging girls to take it up.
“I never really thought about it properly until doing so well at the (Tokyo) Games and I’m just taking it in my stride now,” she added.
“I want to be a role model for these young girls. I feel like I never really had that when I was just starting in my career.
“I’ll always have time for people, I’ll always give advice or put an arm round someone to cheer them up. I definitely want to keep that ball rolling and be a role model for everyone, not just the British BMX community but hopefully round the world as well.”