Walker Makes Podium

Whakatane-born Sarah Walker, 22, has won silver at the UCI BMX World Championship in Peitermaritzburg, South Africa. Racing in the elite women’s category, Walker, the 29 world champion, took second place after a hard fight with American Alise Post who took the bronze. “You know the guys over are psyched with Walker and Post on the podium holding them up,” ESPN blogger Pat Nugent writes. “Overall I am pleased with today,” Walker said. “We came here to find they had made the track a lot longer than in their plan and therefore I hadn’t really prepared for that. It made for a really long and tiring day.” Three New Zealanders qualified for the elite juniors: Trent Woodcock (Pukekohe), Daniel Franks (Christchurch) and Nic Fox (Gisborne) — all first year in the junior ranks.