Dennis Enarson competes to a first-place finish in BMX park at the Vans BMX Pro Cup on Aug. 5, 2018 in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Team USA’s BMX future and present were on display Sunday in Chengdu, China, as 17-year-old Hannah Roberts and 10-time X Games medalist Dennis Enarson each finished second in the BMX park world cup competition.
Despite battling a foot injury, Roberts was the top qualifier after Saturday’s semifinal with an 89.80. But Germany’s Lara Lessman rose up from fifth place in the semis to take the top spot in the final, putting down an 83.80. Roberts scored 81.20, followed by Switzerland’s Nikita Ducarroz. Team USA’s Perris Benegas just barely missed the podium with a 77.20.
Roberts secured the overall gold medal for the 2018 world cup season.
Enarson was also the top qualifier after the semifinal with an 89.80. He actually improved on that in the final, putting down a 90.00, but it wasn’t enough as Australia’s Jake Wallwork narrowly edged him out with a 90.20. The United Kingdom’s Declan Brooks was third with 87.40.
The 2017 UCI BMX freestyle park world champion, Roberts has very quickly become one of the names to watch for her event’s debut at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Roberts, from Buchanan, Michigan, also won the opening world cup of the year in Hiroshima, Japan, in April.
Enarson, 27, from San Diego, has been one of the Team USA’s strongest riders since making his X Games debut in 2007. He has 10 X Games medals in his career, including gold in Austin in 2016.
Both Roberts and Enarson are on the U.S. roster for the 2018 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, which begin tomorrow and run through Nov. 11 in Chengdu.
Todd Kortemeier is a sportswriter, editor and children’s book author from Minneapolis. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.