St. Cloud Native Alise Willoughby Finishes Out of Medal Contention

(KNSI) – St. Cloud native Alise Willoughby finished out of medal contention in women’s BMX semifinals in Tokyo Thursday following a crash-filled day.

Willoughby dominated the qualifying rounds Wednesday, finishing first in her first two races and first in overall time. She only needed to cross the finish line to move on, which she did, in third place. Thursday was a different story.

Willoughby, cruising down the first big ramp, clipped handlebars with a rider from Sweden, sending her and her bike flying. Falling to the track, Willoughby was unable to finish the first qualifying heat. Rebounding in the second heat after a chat from husband and coach Sam Willoughby, she finished third. In the final heat, she was in second place. She was still very much in position to move on to the finals when she and another racer from Australia clipped handlebars, again sending Willoughby and her bike crashing to the track. Still, she got up and passed the finish line seventh out of eight riders.

In a post-race interview, Willoughby said she was disappointed she was not able to show what she is capable of but proud of the effort put forth.

We’re all proud of you too, Alise.

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