2024 BMX Freestyle South African Champions crowned

Murray Loubser, winner of the Pro Men category at the 2024 BMX Freestyle South African Championship. Image by Eric Palmer

Fifty riders competed in the Amateur and Pro divisions as judges took use-of-park, amplitude, execution, trick variety and difficulty into account when scoring the riders’ runs.

The Pro riders not only competed for South African rankings but also their share of the R37,500 prize money and Garmin Instinct Smartwatches.

The winner of Amateur devision took home a new Mongoose BMX with the other podium finishers winning Garmin Instinct Smartwatches and prizes from Leatt.

A DJI product voucher to the value of R10,000 was up for grabs for the Best Trick award.

Pro Divisions Results

The only competing female rider in the Pro Women category, Jenna Byrnes scored 46.83 Points by displaying her talent by making use of the whole park while including a Backflip, 360, Barspin, Tuck No-Hander, a No-Footer and Can Can over the big box into her run to be crowned South African Champion yet again. Byrnes is still the only female rider to land a Backflip on a BMX in South Africa.

A competitive field of top riders from all over the country competed in the Pro Men category and with the chance of earning valuable UCI points and official SA ranking by qualifying into the 12 rider final.

Cape Town’s Murray Loubser is a podium threat in any competition he competes in. Loubser’s execution and use-of-park was unmatched as he tricked everything possible during his runs. His trick filled runs included a Opposite 360 Lookback and a Cannonball over the big box, Suicide No-Handers over the box, big Flairs on the quarter, a 360 and off axis Backflip over the spine, a Tailwhip transfer between the boxes, a Barspin to Fakie over the spine, and a G-Turn over the box. Loubser’s score of 85.20 was enough to be crowned the 2024 South African BMX Freestyle champion.

1st: Murray Loubser – 85.20 Points
2nd: Vincent Leygonie – 83.38 Points
3rd: Malcolm Peters – 82.16 Points
4th: Doran Mathewson – 65.50 Points
5th: Nkosinathi Nkosi – 59.58 Points
6th: Dylan Lamb – 56.83 Points
7th: Francois Bodenstein – 56.66 Points
8th: Morgan O’Kennedy – 53.16 Points
9th: Victor Sawkins – 53.08 Points
10th: JD Baird – 50.33 Points

Amateur Division Results

The biggest division of the day saw eight riders qualify into the finals. The development and growth of the sport was showcased through this division as riders stepped up their riding in comparison to the 2023 Park Lines event.

14 year old Patrick Wodrich impressed the judges with his progression and consistent riding, landing his first Backflip in competition and making use of the entire park to slot himself into 3rd place.
The event, sanctioned by Cycling South Africa and UCI, was presented by LW Mag and Dragon Energy in association with Garmin, Balwin Sport and DJI and saw Murray Loubser and Jenna Byrnes crowned the champions in the Pro Men and Women categories respectively.

First time Park Lines competitor, Jabsi Louw, made his name known by putting down an impressive run kicking off with a Caveman into the quarter straight into a 360 over the box. A big Backflip Can Can over the big box scored Louw the points to earn 2nd place.

Last year’s 3rd place finisher Duan Stapelberg stepped it up to claim his first Park Lines win. Stapelberg’s run saw him trick most of the obstacles with a solid run that included a 360, Suicide No-Handers over both boxes, a Toboggan and a Tyre Grab over the spine to earn him 1st place. The win will see Stapelberg advance to the Pro Men category next year.

1st: Duan Stapelberg – 58.33 Points
2nd: Jabsi Louw – 54.66 Points
3rd: Patrick Wodrich – 53.25 Points
4th: Chad Randall – 50.83 Points
5th: Mathys Putter – 50.33 Points

Park Lines organiser, Ryan van der Spuy had this to say in conclusion of the event “We are proud to have hosted another incredible Park Lines BMX tournament and at such an amazing venue, bringing the sport of BMX Freestyle to the people enabling them to witness this action packed sport.

With BMX Freestyle an official Olympic sport it is important for us to host events like this, especially a South African championship round where riders are able to earn UCI points that will enable them to qualify for the likes of the World Championships and the Olympic Games."