Jill Kintner Becomes First American Female BMX Olympic Athlete

We’re not often talking about BMX Racing but it is going to be in the Olympics so it’s worth giving a little bit of play. The latest news is that Jill Kintner has officially been selected as the first American female on the BMX Racing Olympic team.

Because of how the qualifying events have gone, Kintner is currently the sole American woman guaranteed a spot in the Olympics.

Read more about her and the announcement in the Red Bull press release that follows…

cr. Justin Kosman / Red Bull Photofiles

JILL KINTNER BECOMES FIRST AMERICAN FEMALE SELECTED TO BMX RACING OLYMPIC TEAM

Los Angeles, CA – June 2, 2008 – After a strong showing at the final BMX
women’s qualifying race in China this past weekend, Jill Kintner, 26,
earned a place on the US Olympic team in the new discipline of BMX
Racing. Kintner is the only American woman with a guaranteed spot to
compete when the sport makes its Olympic debut in August.

Kintner overcame two knee injuries while training, first declining
surgery after an ACL rupture in order to stay on track to compete. A
second injury forced her to have arthroscopic surgery to trim her
meniscus and remove scar tissue, just weeks before the final race.
Kintner was able to recover through physical therapy and intensive
training and successfully raced her way to the Olympic team, just one
point ahead of training partner, roommate and competitor Arielle Martin.
After clinching the spot, Kintner wrote on her website, “I am proud of
myself considering how much I have had to overcome to make this happen.
It has been a rough journey and a little bitter sweet even now, as
Arielle and I have been working so hard together.”

Kintner is a three time Mountaincross world champion, which is a
discipline of downhill mountain biking that pits four racers against
each other on a technical course with jumps. Although she maintained a
successful BMX racing career as a teenager, Kintner transitioned to
mountain biking in 2002 for a new challenge. With the induction of BMX
racing in the 2008 Olympics, Kintner made the switch back to her
childhood sport for the potential to compete in Beijing.

Raised in Seattle, WA, Kintner has been living at the Olympic Training
Center near San Diego, CA since January in order to have access to top
trainers and to practice on the race track that is an exact replica of
the BMX track that will be used in the Beijing Olympics.

When not racing, Kintner pursues her passion for graphic design and
creates art and imagery for her website www.jillkintner.com.

Kintner’s sponsors include: Red Bull, GT Bikes and Oakley Sunglasses