Khalen Young
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Khalen Young |
| Nationality | Australian/Indigenous |
| Born |
20 November 1984 Perth, Western Australia |
| Sport | |
| Country |
 Australia |
| Sport | Cycling |
| Event(s) | BMX |
| Retired | 2013 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | Current - Men's BMX London Olympics 2012 |
Khalen Young is an Australian racing cyclist who represents Australia in BMX. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's BMX event, reaching the semi-final.[1]
Young Young grew up in Kalgoorlie and then Perth in Western Australia, and followed his elder brothers into riding BMX bikes. He is Indigenous and the second youngest of six children. His grandmother's family was part of the Aboriginal "stolen generation". He had great success in junior competitions, before making the senior Australian team and competing in the Brazil World Championships in 2002. In 2004 he quit the sport, deciding to compete again only when BMX was entered into the 2008 Olympic games in 2007. He moved to California to complete professionally, winning many US competitions.[2] In 2007 he won the opening round of the World Cup Supercross, and the Australian National championships. At the 2007 World Championships in Victoria, Canada, he won silver. In 2007 he won the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Madrid.
In 2008 his former wife gave birth to their daughter Riley. He withdrew from the world titles in May to be there for the birth, thus missing selection to the Olympic Team. Instead he won the sport's most demanding accolade, Number 1 AA Pro at the 2008 ABA National.[3] In 2011 he was second at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
He was selected for the 2012 Olympics Australian team. In London he fell and ruptured a disc, but continued to the semi finals before falling again and withdrawing. He retired from international competitive racing in 2012, and decided to retire entirely from the sport in 2013, returning to Western Australia with his fiancé to work in the mining sector in the Pilbara.[4] After their controversial break-up, Khalen moved back to Perth in early 2014 with his current girlfriend, and has just had his second child, Cruze.
In 2015, though no longer competing, Khalen remains active in the Western Australian BMX scene, and spends most of his time reliving his past glory by posting BMX videos on SnapChat and Instagram.
He is recognized in the Australian Olympic Committee list of Australian Indigenous Olympians.[5]
References
- ↑ "Men's BMX Racing". 2012 Summer Olympics. London2012.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ↑ "Khalen Young: Hell Of A Ride". SBS TV Australia, Away From Country Series 1 Episode 3.
- ↑ Khalen Young: Hell Of A Ride. SBS TV Australia, Away From Country Series 1 Episode 3.
- ↑ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/old-man-khalen-young-calls-time-on-international-racing/story-e6frgdg6-1226448023665?nk=cf9e4c3501aef5c86147fa95712183e3
- ↑ "Australian Indigenous Olympians" (PDF). Australian Olympic Committee website. Retrieved 10 May 2015.