INNISFAIL – Speed, ability and skill have taken one Innisfail teen to the top of BMX racing.
Carson Kowaski, 13, recently participated in the Union Cycle International (UCI) BMX World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The event took place June 5 to 9.
Kowaski finished in fourth place overall in the 13-year-old boys category.
He belongs to a BMX club in Red Deer where he practises several times a month and also participates in CrossFit workouts to stay in shape.
“Last summer there were national championships in Calgary. I won (that competition) and qualified to go to the world championships. The top 16 from (nationals) can go to worlds,” said Kowaski.
He trained for the event for several weeks, hoping to redeem himself in his second consecutive appearance at the BMX World Championships.
“I went last year but I crashed,” he said, noting he finished in 33rd place in the world in 2017.
“I trained this year to try to not be nervous,” he added. “Last year at world’s I got into the gate and my adrenalin was so high, but I just tried to keep it down this year and stay calm and it worked.”
Kowaski has been riding BMX bikes for eight years, since he was about five years old. He noted his excitement at returning to the world stage and finishing in the top five this year.
“I like the adrenalin. The rush of getting in the gate and once you get on the track it’s all eight of you (racing) together to see who wins,” said Kowaski.
The sport, a type of off-road bicycle racing, sees competitors ride bikes over hills and moguls in a timed run on a racetrack.
A total of 24 countries were represented in Kowaski's 13-year-old boys category and he raced against 61 other competitors at the competition. In the final, there were racers from Australia, France, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Canada.
Kowaski was the only 13-year-old BMX racer from North America to make the final in his category.
Although he’s still quite young, Kowaski wants to pursue BMX racing and take it to the highest level he can.
“I want to keep doing it, get better next year and keep accomplishing (in the sport),” said Kowaski. “My future dreams are to go to the Olympics one day and hopefully get a medal.”
