BMX rider Donny Robinson hopes history will repeat itself in Beijing.
A year ago, the American flew down the eight-metre-high starting ramp and jumped his way to victory on the track that will be used for the sport's Olympic debut in Beijing.
In the anything-can-happen world of BMX racing, Robinson, who leads the 2008 BMX World Cup standings, is one of the gold medal favourites in August.
BMX, an acronym for bicycle motocross, involves eight riders who start together on the starting ramp and fight to stay ahead over jumps and tight corners.
In Beijing, riders wearing goggles and protective pads will likely reach about 40 mph (64 kph) on a course including three hairpin turns and four jump-filled straightaways.
Pat McDonough, USA Cycling's director of athletics, tells the story of a top-10 rider who went to the Beijing Olympic track. Once on the ramp she froze for about 45 minutes before retiring from the sport.
Robinson admits his first reaction to the Beijing course was that it was ‘jaw-dropping’ and it took him a while to get ready to attack it.
But once he did, he proved he could beat it by winning the 2007 BMX Supercross World Cup on the track last August.
The 25-year-old, who at five foot five inches (1.65 metres), reaches only the chin of some of his fellow competitors, is the shortest competitor on the international BMX circuit.
A former gymnast, Robinson says he makes up for his size with determination and by working out even harder.
Robinson began racing BMX bikes in Napa Valley, California when he was six years old. By the age of eight he had captured his first national-level title then turned pro in 2002.
