12 awesome BMX freestyle photos from the Olympics, including medal favorite Hannah Roberts

BMX freestyle is one of several new sports at the Tokyo Olympics, and actually, it’s technically a new event under the cycling umbrella, rather than a totally new sport, like surfing or sport climbing.

But just about the only thing it has in common with other cycling events at the Olympics is two wheels because there’s no racing in this discipline. It’s all about the tricks, flair and points earned during timed runs.

As NBC previously explained, riders will “execute tricks and jumps on and around a series of ramps, embankments, walls and other obstacles within a park course, earning points based on difficulty and execution.” Competing at Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo, athletes in the opening seeding round had two 60-second runs to show off what they can do and were given scores based on their performances.

Here’s an overview of what the venue looks like:

After the first round Saturday, Team USA’s Hannah Roberts — the gold-medal favorite — and Perris Benegas finished at the top of the women’s leaderboard, while Australia’s Logan Martin and Japan’s Rim Nakamura lead the men’s category.

The men’s and women’s BMX freestyle medal round is set for Sunday morning in Tokyo, which means it will start at about 9 p.m. ET on Saturday in the U.S.

No matter how hard you try, now matter how good you are, even the best say you're ALWAYS going to fall during BMX Freestyle.

Get to know one of the newest and most thrilling Olympic sports! pic.twitter.com/EEjz2qVvLf

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2021

What these riders do with two wheels is wild, and  the competition produced some awesome photos. Here are some of the best.