Tory Nyhaug, Canadian BMX racer, has announced his retirement.The 27-year-old two-time Olympian has struggled with post-concussion symptoms since a crash last year at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and cites this as a major factor in his decision to retire.
Nyhaug, originally from Port Coquitlam, B.C., represented Canada at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he finished in fifth place, the best ever Canadian BMX Olympic result. Other career highlights include a 2015 Pan Am Games gold medal and a second place finish at the 2014 UCI BMX World Championships.
Although he has recovered from his concussion, the persistence of post-concussion symptoms for a year and a half after the crash point to the severity of his injury. Rather than put himself in a situation where he could be at risk of another concussion, Nyhaug has made the decision to retire for his health.
Nyhaug will be keeping busy in his retirement. He plans to be heavily involved in the sport, you’ll be able to find him working as a member of the TV crew at the UCI BMX SX World Cups, on his podcast, Coffee Chatter, coaching at camps and riding for the fun of it. “I don’t feel like BMX Racing owes me a single thing,” he said, “I went all in in this sport, and was rewarded more than I thought I ever would be. I poured my heart, soul and every amount of effort I had into training/racing/ being a better athlete.I don’t regret a thing. If I could do it all again I would 1,000 times over. The friendships I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the personal growth I challenged myself with I’ll have forever. I’ve absolutely loved it.”
