Wheely giving it a go JEANETTE'S BMX SUCCESS

The Rotorua world champ is not slowing down in her pursuit of another title

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When Jeanette Davies took her daughters to the local BMX track, she didn’t expect to discover a passion that would take her around the globe and see her become a two-time world champion.

“I’ve always been competitive,” the Rotorua local tells. “I entered quite a few events when I did mountain biking and I made the New Zealand secondary school football team when I was younger. But I’m not competing against other people – it is all internally driven. I like to do my best.”

In 2013, after watching her daughters Jaime, now 16, and Sophie, 15, race for a season, the mum was tired of sitting on the sidelines and decided to give it a try.

She was a natural. A few months after her first ride, she applied for a wildcard entry to the UCI BMX World Championships in Auckland. When she was selected, she committed to an intense eight-week training programme to give herself a fighting chance. Her tenacity paid off – Jeanette placed third in her category, igniting a desire to claim the world title.