BMX freestyler Vincent Leygonie on the importance of therapy when competing

Leygonie made his Olympic debut in France this year, finishing 12th. 

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Speaking to SABC Sport Leygonie says during the first round of qualifiers in China, he experienced intense anxiety but was able to overcome it through therapy.

''During the qualifiers, I think I did the most learning in terms of myself. In China, for the first time I suffered with nerves and anxiety, I was crashing beforeI  even competed. I had to have a good chat with my psychologist and they shared methods to cope with anxiety that comes with competing at that level,'' said Leygonie.

Despite finishing last at the Olympics, Leygonie reached his personal best with a score of 78 during the qualifiers. He says this achievement was one of his highlights for the year.

''One of my biggest highlights was the first time I went to China, going to the Olympics putting up a 78 score, which is my personal best for me. I did it my way, I didn't conform to what others were doing to get high scores, I was just doing my way. And that's my personal highlight,'' added Leygonie.

The 27-year-old says that participating in this year’s Olympics has inspired him to work hard to get a medal in 2028 in Los Angeles.

''During the Olympics, I just thought I was living the dream. I know that in 2028 I want to go back and compete, we will obviously be pushing to get medals,'' he expressed.

He adds that he’ll compete more in smaller events in 2025 to get experience and prepare for the upcoming Olympics. He's also working on building a facility for riders to introduce more women to cycling.