Now that’s teamwork! Kye Whyte passionately cheers on fellow Team GB hero Bethany Shriever to her BMX gold medal soon after he won silver… before both history-makers celebrate Tokyo success together
Kye Whyte was spotted passionately cheering on fellow Team GB hero Bethany Shriever as she won her BMX gold medal in Tokyo.
The two riders cut emotional figures, both having clinched a medal of their own after Whyte took silver, and displayed touching support for each other during their races.
Footage taken from the Ariake Urban Sports Park shows Shriever making her way around the course, narrowly in the lead, while Whyte roars her on from a distance.
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Bethany Shriever (R) and Kye Whyte (L) clinched BMX gold and silver respectively for Team GB
Whyte was spotted passionately cheering Shriever on while she battled for her medal in Tokyo
Whyte, 20, became more animated as Shriever closed in on history – Great Britain’s first gold medal in the discipline – but then nervously watched her reach the line.
Shriever had led from the very first bend, and was able to fend off a last-gasp charge from defending champion Mariana Pajon to take the gold.
The heart-warming story, which began with former junior world champion Shriever need crowdfunding to make it to Japan, ended with the team-mates celebrating.
A clearly exhausted Shriever was hoisted into the air, after the silver medallist had thrown his bottle to the floor in jubilation and dashed down the course to her.
Whyte (seen bottom right) threw his bottle in jubilation after Shriever crossed the line in first
Still celebrating wildly, Whyte raced towards the victorious Shriever at the end of the course
In the end, Shriever’s triumph was well deserved after she won all three of her heats and then the final itself on Friday.
‘I’m in shock,’ Shriever said, crying. ‘I can’t feel my legs. To even be here is an achievement in itself.
‘To make the final is an achievement in itself. To win a medal – honestly I’m so over the moon. It just means so much.
‘I managed to hold on and take the win. It’s crazy. I just f***** dug in. I had nothing left at the end. This is every athlete’s dream and I’ve just done it. It’s just crazy.’
An exhausted Shriever was hoisted into the air by Whyte and the duo celebrated their success
Whyte, meanwhile, came agonisingly close to matching Shriever, but finished just 0.144 seconds off taking gold behind Niek Kimmann on his own Olympics debut.
His own moment of personal glory was capped off in style, however, with Whyte’s coaches mobbing him soon after he crossed the line.
Whyte had promised to ‘bring something nice back to Peckham’, and his efforts were greeted to a rapturous reception back in London.
Tre Whyte, Kye’s brother, led the support at Peckham BMX Club, with a large group of people seen gathered together in the early hours to will him on.
The two riders made history by claiming Great Britain’s very first Olympic medals in the event
Shriever had also been urging on Whyte during his race while preparing for hers, and admitted she had to pull herself together after becoming emotional.
‘I was watching him just as I was going up, I was almost crying because he got a silver,’ she said.
‘I had to keep my cool, reset and dig in and like you saw I had no legs, I gave it everything I got.’
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