Leila Walker Explained

Leila Walker
Birth Date:2005 3, df=yes
Discipline:BMX racing
Show-Medals:yes

Leila Walker (born 29 March 2005) is a BMX racer from New Zealand. She became New Zealand national champion in 2024 and was selected for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1]

Early life

She is from Cambridge, New Zealand. She started BMX, inspired by watching her cousins racing, when she was six years-old.[2] She attended Cambridge Middle School and was a prolific winner at age-group level.[3] She has won her sixth consecutive age-group world title in 2018 at the age of 13 years-old.[4]

Career

Walker won on her debut in the junior elite competition at the UCI BMX Racing World Cup round in Bogotá.[5] She won her first elite women’s New Zealand national title in 2024.[6]

Competing at the UCI BMX World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina, she finished seventh in the elite grand final, which earned a Paris Olympic Games qualification spot for New Zealand.[7] She was subsequently selected for the 2024 Summer Olympics in July 2024.[8]

Personal life

She is not related to compatriot rider Sarah Walker.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leila Walker. Eurosport. 1 August 2024.
  2. Web site: 7 December 2022. the bloombox. 1 August 2024. QUICK QUESTIONS WITH LEILA WALKER.
  3. Web site: Cambridge BMX rider wins 5th consecutive world title. 9 August 2017. Sophie. Iremonger. cambridgenews.nz. 1 August 2024.
  4. Web site: Just 13, and a six-time world champion. Suzanne. McFadden. 12 July 2018. 1 August 2024. newsroom.co.nz.
  5. Web site: Two rising kiwi stars named for BMX Racing at the Paris Olympic Games. cyclingnewzealand. 1 August 2024. 8 July 2024.
  6. Web site: NZ Herals. BMX New Zealand national championships 2024: Cambridge's Leila Walker claims big title. 19 March 2024. 1 August 2024.
  7. Web site: BMX rookies shine at world championships. nzsportswire. 1 August 2024. 23 May 2023.
  8. Web site: Olympics 2024: Day six New Zealand athletes and events in action, how to watch in NZ, livestreaming. NZ Herald. Cameron. McMillan. 1 August 2024. 1 August 2024.
  9. Web site: bmx.net.nz. Double World Champion – Leila Walker . 23 August 2014. 1 August 2024.