A Colombian female BMX competitor has advanced to the semifinals of the 2012 London Olympics this Wednesday.
Mariana Pajon, 20 years old, placed third out of 16 in the qualifiers for the female BMX semifinals. She finished with a time of 38.787 seconds, putting her behind an Australian athlete who took first and a New Zealand athlete that took second.
Both the semifinals and finals will take place this Friday and Pajon is said to be a favorite to win. She has been ranked 10th in the International Cycling Union and has won 13 world titles throughout her career, said El Tiempo.
“It was a very good round, I finished without any errors and this was important. Every jump has to be done very well, with a lot of heart, until the finish” said the Colombian after the competition in the Olympic Park.
Each competitor will do three rounds during the semifinals, and the best four will advance to the finals that same day. Pajon’s time on Wednesday earned her an internal track for the semifinals.
“This is very good for me, it will give me an advantage to earn a good lane in the first round,” said Pajon.
The Colombian cyclist insists that it is necessary to take the competition day by day, and that this coming Friday her only true opponent is herself.
If Pajon earns a medal for female BMX this Friday, she will be Colombia’s fifth Olympic medalist this year. She would be joining silver medalists Rigoberto Uran for cycling, Oscar Figueroa for weight lifting, Caterine Ibarguen for her triple jump, and bronze medalist Yuri Alvear for judo.
