Tory Nyhaug, Amelia Walsh prevail at the 2015 Canadian BMX Championships in Drummondville

For those expecting a strong performance from Amelia Walsh and Tory Nyhaug at this year’s Canadian BMX Championships, yesterday’s battle on the Drummondville, Que. track was a satisfying one — and an outcome that didn’t come as much of a surprise.

As the final countdown to the Toronto 2015 Pan-American Games ticks closer to zero hour, Nyhaug and Walsh, both riding for Canada at the Games, successfully defended their standing titles, entrenching themselves as the standard-bearers of the national BMX sene. For Walsh, it was her third straight Canadian title. For Nyhaug, yesterday’s win was his fifth consecutive victory in a career that’s seen a lot of high points, dominating the Elite men category in Drummondville.

Nyhaug took the main final with ease, having already won two of the three motos. While Nyhaug was comfortable in his lead, though, the battle for second place was one of much greater intensity, with Jimmy BRown of Airdrive BMX and North Vancouver’s James Palmer, riding for Cycling BC, vying for a second-place finish. In the last straight stretch of the course, Palmer came out ahead, putting Brown in the podium’s third spot.

The women, meanwhile, raced as a combined category of Junior and Elite, with Walsh taking first place in all three of the day’s races. Airdrie, Alta.’s Daina Tuchsherer, riding for Team Airdrie, took three consecutive second-place finishes just behind Walsh, while Chelsea King of Medicine Hat BX took third place as well as three third place finishes in the motos.

As the junior women rider of the event, Tuchsherer won that particulary category.

The junior men’s race, finally, pitted Drummondville, Que’s hometown favourite Gaby Malenfant, riding for Team Quebec, against two-time Challenge World Champion Alex Tougas of Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, riding for Team BC. Sweeping all three motos, Tougas took the win over Malenfant by a wide, comfortable margin, taking his career’s first BMX Canadian Championship title in the process. Malenfant placed second at the day’s competition, while Christopher White, riding for Novant Health BMX Supercross, won third.

The action continues today, with over 300 competitors registered to ride in the fifth race of the Canada Cup BMX series.

Elite Women
1. Walsh, Amelia (GT Bicycles)
2. Kingston, Chelsea (Medicine Hat BMX)
3. Kinnie, Erin (Team BC)

Elite Men
1. Nyhaug, Tory (Team BC)
3. Palmer, James (Team BC)
2. Brown, James (Airdrie BMX)

Junior Women
1. Tuchscherer, Daina (Alberta Bicycle)
2. Belanger, Mégane (Team Quebec)
3. Vanderkuip, Brianne (Alberta Bicycle)

Junior Men
1. Tougas, Alex (Team BC)
2. Malenfant, Gaby (BMX Drummond)
3. White, Christopher (Novant Health BMX Supercross)