The Olympic silver medallist on success in Tokyo, coming back from a coma and the joy of Japanese ice-cream
One of the defining images of Tokyo 2020 was 21-year-old Kye Whyte holding his team-mate Bethany Shriever in his arms on the BMX track. Minutes earlier, Whyte had become the first
British rider to win a medal in BMX racing, charging through to claim silver in the men’s event. Shriever then followed him home, claiming a thrilling gold. Their embrace was tender, but spoke only of a decade-long shared history of overcoming adversity – injuries, lack of funding, near-misses – on the road to a very strange Olympics. There’s no rest for Whyte, the “Prince of Peckham” - he competes in the BMX world championships next weekend.
What was going on in your mind when you picked up Beth Shriever? It was just that we had kind of made history and she was too tired to celebrate, so I had to pick her up and help her celebrate her win. Because she gave it her all out on the track and she didn’t have the legs to even walk. It’s been a rocky ride for both of us, but we both made it.