Coquitlam BMX racer Tory Nyhaug has given Canada another gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto this week.
The 23-year-old athlete finished his event with a 36.208, ahead of Alfredo Campo Vintimilla of Ecuador, who took silver, and Nicholas Long of the U.S., who finished with a bronze.
“It’s an amazing feeling to have a gold medal around my neck,” Nyhaug told The Tri-City News on Monday. “This is the first big win of my career and to do it in front of a Canadian crowd and my parents is something I’ll never forget. It is the highlight of my career so far.”
Nyhaug’s success in the time trial qualification races ensured a good starting position in the finals. He jumped out to an early lead, a position he managed to sustain throughout the race.
On the podium, Nyhaug held the gold medal in his teeth while embracing his fellow competitors.
“This moment right here makes everything worth it,” Nyhaug tweeted under a photo of himself crossing the finish line at the Centennial Park Pan Am BMX Centre on Saturday. “Gold medal at the Pan Am Games. Thank you Canada.”
Things went smoothly for the Canadian racer during the qualification races, where he topped the heat and bested the competition. That set him up nicely for the semifinals, which he won with a 36.405, ahead of Molina, who missed first place by 0.954 and Emilio Falla Bucheley of Ecuador, who finished 1.169 behind Nyhaug for third place.
In the final race, Carlos Alberto Ramirez Yepes had initially finished third, but he was disqualified for an on-track violation.
Nyhaug, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, has only been back on his bike since April after suffering a broken foot late last year.
Before Saturday, his best showing at an international race came in 2014 when he finished second at the UCI BMX World Championships.
He also qualified for the event in 2011 and 2013.
Nyhaug is not the only Tri-City athlete competing at the Pan Am Games this week.
Coquitlam boxer Sasan Haghighat-Joo will begin his competition next week, while Con Kudaba has been competing with the Canadian water polo squad. Rene Tosoni has joined Team Canada on the baseball field and cyclist Jasmine Glaesser will be competing later this week.
@gmckennaTC
