JUST over three years ago, there was a moment when Adam Carey looked like he would never rider a bike again after a horror crash.
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But now Carey is about to compete in the highest-level BMX event in Asia and has a spot on Australia’s team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in mind.
It was in July, 2015, when Carey was hospitalised after a heavy crash. It was initially feared he had broken his neck and had brain bleeding, but he was soon cleared.
Though he still feels the effects of the heavy impact, saying “nowadays whenever I go down the effects are always longer”, Carey is in career best form.
While Carey rides for the Blue Mountains club, he is CSU graduate, is based in Bathurst and works at Dedicated 2 Fitness.
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He also frequently runs training clinics at the Bathurst BMX track while at the same time, works hard to achieve his goals.
The BMX talent will this weekend compete at the 2018 Qiansen Trophy in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, China.
It offers the biggest pay-out for a single event in recent history – a grand total of US$62,000 is on offer.
Alongside the prize money comes the lure of Olympic qualification points at the first major event since the 2020 qualification period began on September 1.
Carey will be the oldest member of the Australian contingent riding in China and he will face a tough competitive field.
However, he is in good touch after competing on the World Cup stage at Papendal, The Netherlands and finding podiums on Australian soil.
“I’ve had my best ever year as BMX rider,” Carey said.
“The experience I gained riding in Papendal was insane and it’s something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. I’ve also made a whole heap of podiums this year and it’s been a really consistent year for me.”
The Olympic dream is in every professional BMX rider, and this event is the start of a long expedition. At the end of the journey, the biggest sporting event on the international stage.
“I’m 30 now,” Carey continued.
“The Olympics is two years away and there’s a whole bunch of different other guys who can make it. A lot of other things are happening and I’m excited for the experience.
“If I can contribute any points for the Olympics for Australia that’d be great, but I’ve got a couple more years left as an elite and starting to settle into more of a coaching role.”
The Qiansen Trophy is just one of many opportunities for Australian BMX riders to earn valuable UCI points for their country, which in turn gives them a better chance to earn an Olympic berth.
The qualifying process for the Olympics runs right through 2019.
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