Montpellier launches the 2025 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup

Winners from Japan, China and the USA

The 2025 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup started with a bang with the first round in Montpellier, France. The Park and Flatland events played out as part of the International Festival of Extreme Sports, a gathering that attracted an amazing 350,000 spectators.

Men Park: Christopher at the last gasp

The Men Park qualification round cut the field from 72 to 24 riders who then battled for a place in the 12-rider final.

The Americans and British looked dominant with four representatives each, but the finalists also included Olympic gold medalist Jose Torres Gil (ARG), former UCI World Champion Rimu Nakamura (JPN), multiple UCI World Champion Logan Martin (AUS) and hometown favourite and multiple UCI World Cup winner Anthony Jeanjean (FRA).

Britain’s Dylan Hessey set the bar very high in heat one with a run that scored in the 90s, starting with a big backflip triple barspin on the step-down spine followed by a 360-triple tailwhip. He then added a 540 flair, 720 barspin, backflip barspin tailwhip and a clean double flair to mention just a few of his tricks which put him at the top of the leaderboard.

But this final was packed with talent – and two riders managed to overtake Hessey, with Jeanjean being the first. The energy of his run, roared on by the French crowd, was amazing to witness. He achieved unique lines, adding double tailwhips and Superman Indian air.

But there was one more rider to go, the highest qualifier for the final: Marcus Christopher. The American really turned on the style with an Indian Air backflip, 360 quad downside whip, barspin-tailwhip backflip on the big box and an insane double tailwhip transfer, completing his 60-second run with a double backflip. When his score came up on the big screen, beating the Frenchman, even the local fans greeted his achievement with wild applause.

Women Park: Sun Sibei in the sunshine

China’s Sun Sibei continued where she left off after her victory at the last UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup in Shanghai, China. In the French sunshine, Sibei offered truckdrivers, 360s, cancans, flairs, no-handers, backflips and X-ups for the highest score in the Women Park event.

Team China had quite the delegation in Montpellier but other nations also showed they can compete. The youthful Miharu Ozawa (JPN) rode to second place with six-time UCI World Champion Hannah Roberts (USA) in third.

With Olympic gold medallist Yawen Deng (CHN) in 4th place, Germany’s Kim Lea Müller in 5th and Colombia’s Queen Villegas Serna in 6th, the Women Park class clearly has top contenders from every corner of the world.

Women Flatland: Japan dominates the top five

With a record number of entries in the Women Flatland class, the final featured eight riders for the first time ever. And with their riders filling the top five places, Japan’s domination was complete.

While 2024 UCI BMX Freestyle Flatland World Champion Ayuna Miyashima had to settle for 5th in Montpellier, it was Yui Kiyomune who grabbed the win, with silver going to Sona Yoshimura and bronze to Nina Suzuki.

Men Flatland: Shoji shines on the top step

The 2025 edition of the International Festival of Extreme Sports concluded with the men’s UCI BMX Freestyle Flatland contest.

The local crowd was delighted by the French rider Julien Baran, who claimed his first UCI World Cup podium spot, splitting the Japanese winner Yu Shoji from his compatriot, Yu Katagiri, who took bronze.

Full results