It is great for parents if their children choose the same sport as them as they grow up. It means the family is together weekends travelling to competitions and that their sons and daughters can share in the same fun. If it becomes a passion, it is likely that good results will follow suit.
Younger children will try and follow in their elder siblings’ footsteps, who are invariably stronger and faster. This relationship means there is a rivalry to be the best and that competitive edge can prove to be effective in developing skills and practicing the discipline. Who is the first one to jump a double? Who is the first at the bottom of the starting hill? Who gets the most holeshots during practice? The list goes on... Even playing simple games becomes a challenge, and sometimes it can take those siblings a long way.
Two Dutch families with siblings will go looking for top spot at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships coming up in Papendal, in the Netherlands on 22 August. In Men Elite category, Justin Kimman, will go up against his brother, newly crowned Olympic Champion Niek Kimmann. As for the the Women Elite category, Merel Smulders will face her sister Laura.
Although Justin (born in 1998) arguably has the better bike handling skills, his older brother Niek (born 1996) has collected better results. Niek has won back to back UCI World titles. He won the 2014 UCI BMX World Championships in Rotterdam (Netherlands) as a Junior, followed by an unexpected Elite title in stormy Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, in 2015. He added two second place finishes in 2016 (Medellin, Colombia) and 2019 (Heusden-Zolder) to his World Championship accomplishments.
The question remains: would Niek have reached his level without his little brother Justin pushing him for most of his life? The two have spent countless hours at their own indoor BMX spot and travelled to many international BMX races over the years. Justin is part of the Dutch National BMX Team, training in Papendal to follow in his brother's footsteps.
A similar battle can be found between sisters Laura and Merel Smulders. In this case, younger sister Merel has grown to become a serious threat to Laura once the gate drops.
Laura's list of wins and titles still outweighs Merel's with four consecutive overall UCI BMX Supercross World Cup titles from 2016 to 2019, an Elite UCI BMX World title in 2018 (Baku, Azerbaijan) and a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London, Great Britain. Laura was born in 1993 and Merel in 1998, so the age difference is greater than with the Kimmann brothers, but Merel is fast catching up – both in speed and results.
The bronze medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for Merel is proof of that, and the 2nd and 4th place finishes at the 2021 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup rounds in Verona, Italy, demonstrated that she has the potential to step on the podium at any race from now on. With father Frank Smulders running the team, it really is a family affair.
BMX is a family sport. Going on trips, winning, making sacrifices, and sharing experiences together creates an ever-growing bond. The drive to be the best always remains even if it is just beating your brother or your sister – and from what can be seen from these two pairs of successful siblings, it can be an important part of the winning formula when you are taking on the best in the world.