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“Were going to Fran ce baby.”
Kiama rider races to World No. 5 Lleyton Hughes
K
iama BMX rider Ace Cohen has returned from the world stage with a World No. 5 plate after an impressive performance at the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Brisbane. The eight-year-old qualified for the World Championships after finishing second in Australia before going on to race against 71 riders from around the world in the 8 Boys class.
By the end of a gruelling day of racing at the Brisbane SX International BMX Centre, Cohen had secured fifth place in the World Final and his first W plate. For Ace, the highlight came before the final even began. “Probably getting on the gate for the final,” he said. “I was feeling a bit nervous for it and then as soon as they called out the names, I was just getting even more excited to do it. “I just loved the feeling knowing I was going to be
racing against the whole world and I’m just proud of how I did on the day.” With the crowd behind him and his name being called out, the nerves quickly turned into excitement. “Definitely,” Ace said when asked if hearing everyone cheering his name was his favourite part. His result was the culmination of a remarkable day. Ace won his first qualifying round, finished second in the next and then was narrowly beaten into second in his
third after a photo finish. He progressed through the 1/8 final in second place before finishing fourth in his quarter-final and fourth again in the semi-final to earn his place in the World Final. With the pressure at its highest, Ace produced his fastest ride of the day, recording 48.412 seconds to finish fifth in the world. His father Daniel Cohen said it was the way Ace handled the pressure that made the result particularly special.
“He didn’t let anyone rattle him. He stayed focused and just kept doing what he needed to do,” Daniel said. “Ace raced seven times that day. Then, in the UCI BMX World Final for eight-yearold boys, Ace finished fifth in the world, recording his fastest time of the entire day, 48.412 seconds. That’s what I’m most proud of. As the pressure increased, Ace got stronger. “He produced his fastest ride when it mattered most, in a World Championship final. For an eight-year-old
to handle himself like that on such a big stage was incredible to watch.” For Ace, the result also means a return to the world championships next year, with the 2027 event to be held in France. “I felt amazed and like I can do even better, and now I got a W plate so I’m going to France next year and it’s just going to be a great achievement to race in another worlds too.” Continued on pg 24
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