10 May 2024
Hannah Roberts - Photo courtesy of Rob Darden
By Brian Tunney
Since the early ‘00s, X Games has been one of the few action sports competitions on a global level to feature women’s disciplines in snowboarding, skateboarding, and freeskiing. Pros such as Jamie Anderson, Leticia Bufoni, and Kelly Sildaru are household names thanks to winning medals at X Games over the years.
Though there’s been a solid foundation of women BMX riders over the past two decades, the field of competitors was often too small to hold medaled events at X Games. Instead, X Games invited women BMX riders to hold demos on the BMX Park course, in hopes that the exposure would turn the grassroots demo into a fully fledged medal event.
Elizaveta Posadskikh during the Women's BMX Park session at the 2018 X Games Minneapolis in Minneapolis, MN. ©Chris Tedesco/ESPN
X Games Expands To Women’s BMX Park
It’s taken some time, but the field of Women’s BMX Park has now expanded to the point that it’s surpassed demo days. This year, X Games Ventura 2024 will hold their first medaled Women’s BMX Park event.
In early April, X Games announced the addition with a cleverly-sourced video featuring IG comments asking for the addition. “You asked, we listened,” said the caption.
Hannah Roberts Gets The X Games Invite
And 22-year-old Hannah Roberts was part of the announcement process. A member of Team USA Cycling, Roberts competed in the inaugural Women’s BMX Park event at the Tokyo Olympics, and was a favorite to win. She was ultimately surpassed by the UK’s Charlotte Worthington, but Roberts walked away from Tokyo with a silver medal in the first Olympic Women’s BMX Park ever. And that’s a pretty cool claim.
In the time since, Roberts, who hails from South Bend, Indiana, has picked up some new sponsors, won gold at Stop 1 of the 2024 FISE World series, and spent more than her fair share of time riding Ryan Nyquist’s backyard ramp setup in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“I’ve always dreamed of competing in X Games and it was never a possibility until this year,” Roberts said. “ Women and girls are bringing so much progression, creativity and energy into action sports across the board and it is exciting to see X Games continue to grow these sports for the next generation.”
X Games Women’s BMX Park Invites
Joining Roberts on the Women’s BMX Park course at Ventura 2024 is a stacked invite list of riders, including Perris Benegas (DIG's 2023 RIDER OF THE YEAR), Natalya Diehm, Kim Lea Muleler, Lara Lessmann, Angie Marino, Nene Naito, and Macarena Perez.
And naturally, this all wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of BMX pioneer Nina Buitrago, who rode countless X Games demos to help spotlight the progression of Women’s BMX riding. Safe to say, Buitrago’s efforts are paying off in dividends this year.
“I remember riding the first Women’s Demo at X Games in 2004,” said Buitrago. Twenty years later, Nina’s efforts have come full circle, and Hannah Roberts is leading the charge.
X Games Ventura is back June 28-30! Returning to the California coast with more sports and more music. Tickets on sale HERE now!
ANGIE MARINO - 2016 X Games Austin Women's demo. Photo via Joshua Duplechian/ESPN
Let's all say thanks to Nina Buitrago. A true women's BMX freestyle pioneer of the modern era. Photo by Rob Dolecki / DIG BMX
