Getty American Justin Dowell is a top contender for the gold.
BMX Freestyle makes its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, and will take place at Ariake Urban Sports Park.
In the United States, the women’s seeding runs (start time: Friday at 9:10 p.m. ET), men’s seeding runs (Friday, 10:20 p.m. ET), women’s finals (Saturday, 9:10 p.m. ET) and men’s finals (Saturday, 10:20 p.m. ET) will be televised across CNBC and USA, but it may not be complete coverage of every run, and it may not all be live.
Additionally, you can watch complete, dedicated, live coverage of both the men’s and women’s competitions via NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch through the NBC digital platforms, but if you don’t have cable or don’t have a cable log-in, here are some different ways you can still watch a live stream of the Olympics BMX freestyle events online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of USA, CNBC and all NBC digital content (everything on the NBC Olympics website or NBC Sports app) with a subscription to FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the televised Olympic BMX coverage live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch every run live or on-demand via the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can do that with your FuboTV credentials.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of USA, CNBC and all NBC digital content (everything on the NBC Olympics website or NBC Sports app) via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” plus “News Extra” bundle, This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with these channels, and you can get your first month (which will cover the entirety of the Olympics) for just $10 (Sling Blue) or $16 (Sling Blue plus News Extra):
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the televised Olympic BMX coverage live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch every run live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your Sling credentials.
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” You can watch a live stream of USA, CNBC and all NBC digital content (everything on the NBC Olympics website or NBC Sports app) via any of them, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch the televised Olympic BMX coverage live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
You can also watch every run live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your AT&T TV credentials.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of USA, CNBC and all NBC digital content (everything on the NBC Olympics website or NBC Sports app) via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the televised Olympic BMX coverage live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch every run live or on-demand on the NBC Sports app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the NBC Olympics website.
You’ll need to log-in to a cable provider to watch via the NBC platforms, but you can do that with your Hulu credentials.
Olympics BMX Freestyle Preview
The difference between BMX Freestyle and other cycling events is stark. Competitors in the freestyle event have 60 seconds to see how many eye-opening and entertaining tricks they can execute while traversing a course with obstacles like rails and walls The aerial action — who can perform the best tricks and stunts while still hanging in mid-air — will be the key to this particular event. Competitors will be judged based on creativity, the degree of difficulty, originality, height and overall execution.
On the men’s side, Americans Nick Bruce, Justin Dowell, Perris Benegas are the favorites to take home some hardware. “I can’t lie and say that going to the Olympics was a dream of mine, because it was just so far-fetched for my sport to be in there because BMX has been more like an underground sport,” the 21-year-old Dowell, 21.
Daniel Dhers of Venezuela is expected to challenge the top three American contenders. “I know how much it would mean socially if I do get a medal, especially gold, because it’s a country that’s had lot of issues,” Dhers said.
On the women’s side, two-time world champ Hannah Roberts won the park title in the 2021 BMX freestyle world championships and will be the favorite here. Germany’s Lara Lessmann of Germany and bronze world medallist Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain are expected to challenge her.
“Being named to the team and getting to go and represent my country is such a big accomplishment but I’m just going to soak it all in,” Roberts said, adding: “You know the only goal that I have for myself is to support that with solid runs that I’m incredibly happy with. And, whatever I get from there, that’s all I can ask for.”
Here’s a look at the event schedule, as well as who will be competing:
- Saturday, July 31 Men’s BMX Freestyle Seeding Women’s BMX Freestyle Seeding
- Sunday, August 1 Men’s BMX Freestyle Finals, Women’s BMX Freestyle Finals
BMX Freestyle Competitors:
- Natalya Diehm (Australia)
- Logan Martin (Australia)
- Macarena Perez Grasset (Chile)
- Fabian Kenneth Tencio Esquivel (Costa Rica)
- Anthony JeanJean (France)
- Rebecca Gruhn (Germany)
- Lara Marie Lessmann (Germany)
- Declan Brooks (Great Britain)
- Charlotte Worthington (Great Britain)
- Rimu Nakamura (Japan)
- Minato Oike (Japan)
- Elizaveta Posadskikh (ROC)
- Irek Rizaev (ROC)
- Nikita Ducarroz (Switzerland)
- Perris Benegas (United States of America)
- Nick Bruce (United States of America)
- Justin Dowell (United States of America)
- Hannah Roberts (United States of America)
- Daniel Dhers (Venezuela)