A carpentry apprenticeship wasn’t quite cutting it for Kieran Reilly, who chose instead to chase the Olympic dream.
Ever since being one of few kids in the north-east to walk past the football pitch and head for the skate park, the Gateshead native has chosen a life less ordinary. He has been glued to a BMX bike since receiving one as a Christmas present, aged eight.
“I was taken under the wing of the older kids at the park,” he said. “I was jealous of all these tricks they would do, and I was persistent on trying to learn them. I just fell in love with the adrenaline rush, and I’ve been glued to a bike ever since.”
Now he’s a full-time athlete in BMX freestyle, a high roller in the game of doing triple flips on two wheels, making him favourite for Olympic gold at Paris 2024.
“I left school and did carpentry for three years,” he says. “I didn’t fall in love with that like I did BMX. It’s always been a hobby to me and now I can do this full-time. I pretty much feel like every day I’m living the dream. It’s far from work for me. Going to the skate park and putting in the work, it’s all a good time.”
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It’s that mentality that means Reilly is less scared than any of his rivals of going ‘all in’ when it comes to attempting the most difficult and perilous tricks.
Reilly, the first ever to land a ‘triple flair’, is one of few riders with enough daring to attempt such complex moves in high stakes environments at World and European Championships.
“What drives me now is the same thing that was driving me when I was kid, it’s that adrenalin rush,” he says. “I’m still addicted to it but it’s getting a little bit harder to find. That’s why my riding style is quite known for being high risk. I try to stand out, I try to make a moment to remember at each event and with the level of the sport now, it means you must go crazy.”
Reilly’s daredevil approach sometimes extends to the kitchen – he loves Mexican food and is often found experimenting with burrito and quesadilla combinations – except during the week of a big competition.
“During the Worlds in Glasgow, it was bolognese every night for a week,” said Reilly, who is supported by supermarket ALDI. “It clearly worked, so I’ll stick to it.”
Reilly is one of the hottest prospects on the BMX circuit (IMAGO/frontalvision.com)Reilly was handsomely rewarded for his commitment with gold in Glasgow, earning him the prestigious rainbow bands and a coveted qualification spot for next summer’s Olympics. The 22-year-old now believes the rest of the field are mimicking his mentality.
“I think my style has definitely influenced a lot of riders,” he says. “They’re all trying to replicate the double flair now because I feel like I pioneered this new age of competing. I’ve accidentally promoted it, and the style is now being taken on by others, so we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
To claim gold in Paris, Reilly will have to get past Australia ’s Logan Martin, who won the inaugural Olympic title and has five X Games crowns to his name.
“Logan is arguably the most dominant rider we’ve ever seen,” says Reilly. “I’m lucky in that I’m young and I have a lot more time ahead of me than him, so my aim is to catch him.
“He was seen as unbeatable for a long time; I beat him in Glasgow when we both put down our best runs and that gave me a lot of confidence. I don’t see why I can’t do that again in Paris and try to take his gold.”
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