Reuben Smith was clipped as he chased a final qualifying spot at the 2022 UCI BMX World Championships to end his hopes of triumph.

He was one of only two British riders to have made it into the 1/8ths stage of qualifying and was in fourth place on the final straight when contact from another rider led to him going down, recovering to take eighth.

The Rochester teenager had been waiting patiently for the World Championships after the previous two were cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. A specially built track in Nantes, France hosted the biggest event on the BMX calendar.

Smith started the day with a solid set of motos,claiming second, third and sixth place, enabling him to reach the knock out rounds. She size of the field meant he started with 1/16ths where the strength of this age group showed as Reuben was one of only two British riders making it into the 1/8ths but that was where the journey ended.

Alas this was where his worlds journey ended when battling for the final qualifying spot in 4th on the final straight he was clipped by another rider and came down but recovered to take 8th place. His parents said: “We couldn’t be prouder of him for what he has achieved coming 39th overall and being the second best placed British rider in his age group.

“Now for a few days of rest then back to the drawing board to build on the lessons we’ve taken home.”

Smith will now be training for the final rounds of the National Championships in Birmingham and then onto the British Championships at the end of August.