Zoé Claessens Explained

Zoe Claessens
Birth Date:2001 4, df=yes
Birth Place:Echichens, Switzerland
Show-Medals:yes

Zoe Claessens (born 28 April 2001) is a Swiss BMX racing cyclist.

Claessens started racing BMX at age seven. Her father founded the Echichens BMX Club in Switzerland, and two of her brothers were also BMX racers. In 2018 she received the Female Young Talent award from the Swiss Sports Aid Foundation. She was selected in the Swiss team for the Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's BMX racing.[1] Prior to that event in June 2021 she became the European Champion in Heusden-Zolder.[2] She is coached by former World Champion and British Olympian Liam Phillips.[3]

In 2022 she won silver at the UCI BMX World Championships. In October 2022 she finished runner-up at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup behind Laura Smulders and ahead of Olympic champion Beth Shriever.[4]

She was a silver medalist at the 2024 UCI BMX World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina in June 2024.[5]

Claessens won bronze at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, becoming the first Swiss BMX racer to achieve this at the Olympics.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cycling BMX Racing: CLAESSENS Zoe . Tokyo 2020 Olympics . . 2021-07-29 . 2021-07-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210729035009/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/hi/results/cycling-bmx-racing/athlete-profile-n1465512-claessens-zoe.htm . dead.
  2. Web site: BMX: la Vaudoise Zoé Claessens championne d'Europe! . July 10, 2021 . RTSSport.ch.
  3. Web site: Bory . Romain . 2021-07-19 . Liam Phillips: "When she performs well, Zoé Claessens is competitive" . 2021-07-29 . La Cote.
  4. News: BMX World Cup: Olympic champion Beth Shriever finishes third overall . BBC Sport . 2 October 2022 .
  5. Web site: 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships: Alise Willoughby and Joris Daudet claim third UCI World Title. uci.org. 11 July 2024. 19 May 2024.
  6. Web site: Zoé Claessens holt historische Bronzemedaille . Zoé Claessens wins historic bronze medal . 2 August 2024 . Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen . de.