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CEDAR HILLS — Among the several Utah Olympians we'll be hanging with in London, BMX Supercross star Arielle Martin's right at the top of the list for energy, excitement, medal hopes and the… ‘she came back from what!!??' factor.
Arielle went to Lone Peak High School then graduated from BYU but admits she wasn't around for much of the Cougar campus experience. Too busy out winning BMX National Championships!
The 26-year-old has been on a bike since before she can really remember. 2 ½ years old is the standard line, racing almost all her life and almost lost her life in the process.
Let's see a lacerated liver? Nasty, painful and certainly career-threatening.
Arielle beat that.
Then there was the really scary broken back, most doctors said forget about racing bikes or you'll end up in a wheelchair but about a year later with the help of a visionary physical therapist Steve Orrock (partner with Buck Mendenhall at Professional Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine offices in Lehi, Orem and Alpine) Martin was back on her bike winning.
In the attached video feature I recount her heartbreak at not qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics even though she was one of the best in the world. Now @AMV15 is all ramped up, ready to rock the world and roll to the Gold in London. Training at the USA BMX track in Chula Vista California, where they've worked up an exact replica of the London Olympic Supercross Track right in the middle of London.
Related:
Women outnumber men on US Olympic team
During this, the summer of the 40th anniversary of Title IX, American women have reached another milestone in sports: For the first time, they outnumber men on the U.S. Olympic team.Arielle's Olympics starts August 8th with the BMX Supercross preliminaries, Finals on August 10th. You can follow her on her Twitter account @AMV15 and I will be at her races, with post-race interviews and with Team Martin (10-15 family and friends going over) at #KSLLIVE and here on ksl.com.
By the way, has there ever been a better name (Arielle, like Aerial) for a girl who rides a small bike but routinely gets big air on her way to winning championships?
You can follow me on Twitter @tksportsbeat or if you need more than 140 characters feel free to email me tom.kirkland@ksl.com
Good luck Arielle!
