- Nikita Ducalos wins bronze medal in BMX freestyle at Tokyo Games
- She started BMX as a teenager and believes it helped her mental health.
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There are only 16 weeks left until the Olympics. Mail Sport looks ahead to the Paris Olympics with a series of interviews, flashbacks and in-depth investigations.
To be an Olympian, sports must be part of your life, but for Nikita Ducaros, BMX is more than just a competition; it's everything.
Ducalos, a bronze medalist in BMX freestyle at the Tokyo Games, isn't shy about talking about the importance of BMX in his life.
The Swiss-American rider was unable to go outside as a teenager, crippled by anxiety. Her BMX provided her with a lifeline when she was forced to quit her soccer because she was confined to the walls of her home and couldn't bear to go to school. Ducalos cycled his way to freedom.
The 27-year-old openly admits that the sport helped pull her out of the darkest moments of her life and onto the Olympic stage.
“It was definitely an escape at the time,” Ducaros told MailSport from Red Bull's New York office.
“That's the only reason I was able to leave the house. I made an effort to leave the house because I wanted to go to a skate park. And I wanted to go to a skate park further away. And then… I wanted to get on a plane to go to the tournament.
“I always wanted to try it so badly that I could justify the panic and fear I would feel by the time I got there. I used my bike to do these things. I used fear as a bribe. And I still do it. It's ongoing. For me, riding is everything.”
Ducalos found a passion for overcoming fear in BMX. The fear began when she was just 11 years old.
Raised in California, she played soccer as a teenager until she was around 13 years old, but she reveals that anxiety and panic kept her stuck at home and forced her to quit soccer. Her mother, who could no longer compete on the soccer field, encouraged her to take up another sport to keep her active.
Already owning a bike, mountain biking seemed like a logical choice for her, until the thrill of BMX proved too tempting.
“I told her I was going to go mountain biking because I had a bike and there were a lot of hills nearby,” the Red Bull athlete explains.
“That was kind of my way of saying, she'll see that I'm actively working on something, but I don't have a team to lean on. I don't have a team that's there at a certain time. You don't have to be there. You can do it only when you want to.
“Then I was watching more bike videos through YouTube and discovered BMX. I had just started riding in my driveway and wanted to try a skate park, so I started from there.
“At first, it seemed really cool. Once I tried it, it was a constant drive. You're always learning something. I get bored very easily, but I never get bored. I did. There's always new tricks you can learn and there's always things you can improve on. I think that's been good for my brain because it's always changing.”
Ducalos has worked with a psychologist to develop tools such as meditation, visualization and breathing techniques, but BMX remains her best therapy.
“BMX taught me a lot about not quitting,” she claims. “You have to try the trick over and over again. It's not something you can try without risk. Every time you try, you risk crashing. “This is going to hurt, but I have to do it anyway.” It's like that.
“And I was able to carry it over when I got anxious. Even though I know this isn't fun, I have to do it to get to the other end.” BMX and Anxiety I feel like they both taught me different things that apply to each other. ”
Ducalos isn't defined by her mental health – whether her Olympic bronze medal and two World Championship silver medals mean anything – but she hopes that by speaking out she will help others I believe I can help you cope.
She first opened up about her battle with mental health in eighth grade, posting a video on YouTube as part of a school project. She says it drove her on because her overwhelming reaction was such an “eye-opener” for her.
“If it became more common to talk about mental health when athletes are on a bigger stage, it could have a huge impact,” she argues.
I feel like this is becoming more and more the case especially after Tokyo. As sports psychologists and support become more readily available, it becomes more commonplace. Everyone has a strength and conditioning coach, and I think it should be the same for psychologists. ”
In 2021, she launched Mind Tricks, a platform for athletes that fosters open discussion about mental health.
But Ducalos isn't the first Olympian to speak out about his mental health struggles. American gymnastics legend Simone Biles made headlines when she withdrew from the team final during the Tokyo Olympics.
In 2021, Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time, suffered from a severe condition called “twisty,” a phenomenon in which gymnasts feel lost in midair.
Ducalos explains that although the BMX community doesn't have a name like “Twistys,” it's a phenomenon that resonates within the BMX community as well.
“It's true, and I've heard this from other athletes, that you can do this trick for years and then suddenly it just doesn't work,” she explains.
Risk is an inevitable part of BMX riding, and Ducalos reveals that he has “injured his knee twice, torn a ligament, and broken his leg.” But apparently it's not that weird. Not for BMX riders anyway.
“We fall down every day,” she says. “So what normal people think is not normal is just part of our everyday life. We learn how to fall and roll. We still get hurt here and there, but we're getting used to it. I’m coming.”
Like Biles, Ducalos was in Tokyo, where BMX made its Olympic debut.
“It was especially big on the women's side,” she says of the impact of the Olympics.
“There's a lot more opportunity to compete and get sponsorship and make a living doing it. It's great to see it growing in that sense.
“Although there were no spectators in Tokyo, I think many people still managed to see it and learn about it. In Switzerland, it was the first time to see BMX or the first time to discover BMX. It's a very special sport to us, so it's always encouraging to share it with more people and get more people interested in it. Masu.”
Ducaros has not yet officially qualified for Paris, but her second place finish at the 2022 World Championships all but seals her spot.
But she fears it will be a tougher challenge in Paris to replicate her success at the pandemic-postponed Games.
“I would like to win another medal, but I know it will be more difficult this time,” admits Ducalos.
“Since the last Olympics, there have been a lot of new, young riders coming up who hadn't competed before. Every year the level is rising at a pretty fast pace. So trick-wise they have to step up.
“At the end of the day, my goal is always just to land whatever run I want to do, whatever I plan on doing. The best part is actually being able to finish it. Clean from start to finish. Make the best runs. After all, it's a measured sport, which means there's only so much you can control, all you can do is control your actions and do your best.”
When Ducaros returns to the podium in Paris, it won't be with the American flag on his jersey.
Born to a Swiss-French father and an American mother, she chose to represent Switzerland over Team USA. Not necessarily because she felt the Swiss federation could offer her more than the United States, but because she thought about what she could offer the federation and its future generations of riders. .
“When BMX was announced as an Olympic sport, it was a very new concept for the federation, and the United States was also putting something together, but there were already quite a few riders. There was absolutely nothing on the Swiss side. There were no male riders.
“I have always felt very close to Switzerland and the aspects of my family. So I thought it would be very special to express that. It also gave us the opportunity to build something.”
“I already had my own coach and setup. So I was able to bring them in and build my own team around me. At the same time, we were able to introduce BMX to the federation. The federation became more interested and created different types of standards and paths.
“We've got some junior riders coming in now and they're getting some support from the federation. So it's great to see that foundation being built. I don't think there are a lot of riders out there, but for the ones that are out there, it's great that there's a path they can actually take to get to that level.”
