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FACTBOX:
Kaitangata Black Gold BMX Club turnout for 2026 Brisbane World Championships.
8 Girls: Lottie Kahukura — 40th out of 44
11 Boys: Fletcher Kahukura — 36th out of 92
12 Boys: Ardie Kahukura — 18th out of 98
15 Boys: Blake Glover — 90th out of 93
16 Girls: Aida Begg — 37th out of 48
Men’s Masters 30 & over: Shaun McKinlay — 21 out of 26
Riders from the Kaitangata Black Gold BMX Club have returned from the BMX World Championships in Brisbane with experience of racing alongside competitors from around the world.
For country riders more accustomed to Southern dirt-tracks, the scale of the event provided a different benchmark.
The championship attracted about 2500 riders, with Kaitangata and the South contributing generously to a strong New Zealand contingent competing against large fields in their age groups.
Between racing, Aida Begg said she valued meeting riders from countries including Zimbabwe, Belgium and Japan, while club-mate Fletcher Kahukura said he particularly enjoyed watching the elite men compete.
The smooth, resin-cement Brisbane track was considerably bigger and faster than the dirt tracks his countrymen usually raced on, he said,
“Now I know what it feels like … So now I get to train to that level.”