Freestyle BMX star Hannah Roberts aims for the Olympic gold in Paris that eluded her in Tokyo

PARIS (AP) — Hannah Roberts looked perfectly at ease relaxing on a covered porch on a rainy July morning in Michigan, just weeks before she left for the Paris Olympics, content that she had put in the work necessary to win the gold medal that escaped her in Tokyo.

For the past three years, the best freestyle BMX rider of her generation has been driven by the silver she took home instead.

“If I’m being honest,” Roberts told The Associated Press, while keeping an eye on the rambunctious kids she was babysitting, “I don’t know whether silver or bronze would make too much difference for me. And maybe it’s better for me the first time not to win. I think if I would have walked away with gold, I wouldn’t have had the motivation to keep going forward.”

Now, the 22-year-old Roberts is coming off her fifth world title in a seven-year span, and again the heavy favorite to win Olympic gold. The competition begins Tuesday at the urban sports park built at Place de la Concorde in the heart of Paris.

“Hannah is truly setting the pace,” said Ryan Nyquist, the X Games legend who helped to pioneer freestyle BMX, and is now the coach of the American team. “Riders will say, ‘Whoa, I didn’t think that was possible.’ But that’s where she’s been for the longest time. She just has a natural affinity to do tricks that a lot of other women have a hard time with.

“When Hannah learns a trick,” Nyquist said, “there’s a very good chance it’s never been done by a female rider before.”

That’s a big reason why she was so heavily favored to win freestyle BMX’s debut in Tokyo. Roberts was coming off world titles in 2019 and 2021, and a sweep of the entire World Cup schedule, leveling her confidence at an all-time high.

She delivered in the seeding rounds, too, posting a score better than teammate Perris Benegas and all her rivals.

Then came the finals, where Roberts set the bar with an opening run that looked as if it would be golden. Her score of 96.10 was nearly seven points better than anyone else, and it put her in a comfortable position to watch second-round runs.

That’s when Britain’s Charlotte Worthington, whom Roberts had beaten for her two most recent world titles, laid down arguably the ride of her life. Highlighted by a 360 backflip, she scored 97.50 points to leave Roberts needing a big final run.

Instead, she crashed while trying to land an early jump, waved off the rest of the ride and accepted the silver medal.

“If I would have won Olympic gold,” Roberts said, “I would have coasted a bit. I would have had a decent ego. It really did suck not to win, but I’m kind of grateful I didn’t. I put way more time and effort into the gym and different riding places, and focused really hard on actually riding.”

A mature perspective from a rider who has been around BMX most of her life.

Roberts was born in South Bend, Indiana, but grew up in Buchanan, Michigan, where she began riding in an attempt to emulate her cousin, pro BMX rider Brett Banasiewicz. When he opened the Kitchen BMX and Skatepark back in South Bend, Roberts had the freedom to ride as much as she wanted, and soon she was competing with some of the world’s best.

More precisely, she was beating them.

Roberts was 17 when she won the first freestyle BMX world championships organized by the UCI, the global governing body for cycling. She was third the next year before winning again in 2019, when she became the first female rider to land a 360-tailwhip in competition. And she capped that season by winning every World Cup competition that took place.

The pandemic merely slowed down her march toward the Tokyo Olympics.

Then came Worthington’s ride and Roberts’ silver medal.

“We all kind of had Hannah as the favorite and when it didn’t end up that way, it was a bit of a shock to a lot of people, myself included,” Nyquist said, “just because she was so strong going into it. She has that motivation to draw off now.”

It hasn’t been a perfectly smooth ride the past few years, at least away from the bike. Roberts, who is an outspoken advocate for the LGTBQ+ community, went through a divorce that made it difficult for her to focus on BMX for a while.

But on the bike, she has continued to push boundaries, capturing three more world championships since the Tokyo Games. The most recent came last year in Glasgow, Scotland, where her parents and new girlfriend were there to support her.

“I’ve been way more focused on enjoying the journey rather than the results at the end,” said Roberts. “Don’t get me wrong: I’m not good at losing. But the last Olympics definitely changed the way I look at riding. And it helped me grow.”