Local park is reason BMX star went to Olympics

Olympic medallist Kieran Reilly learnt to ride a BMX at Leam Lane skate park in Gateshead

Olympic medallist Kieran Reilly has said his local skate park is the reason he made it to the Paris games.

Reilly took home a silver in freestyle BMXing at this year's Olympic Games.

But the Gateshead-born athlete said Leam Lane skate park was the place he learnt the basic skills needed to ride.

He said the park holds a special place in his heart and today "nothing has changed other than a few pieces of graffiti".

"This was where it all started for me," he said.

"The first place I ever rode a BMX and the first ramps I ever dropped in."

Reilly just took home a silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games

The 23-year-old progressed from Leam Lane and is now the national, European and world champion at freestyle BMX.

He gained international acclaim in 2022 by becoming the first person in the world to land a triple flair - three backflips and a 180-degree spin.

Reilly said he felt a great amount of pressure when he performed at the Olympics, but by coincidence his family were sitting next to where he started his runs.

"The noise would fade out from all the Parisians in there and then I would hear all my family's noise," he said.

"It meant the absolute world to be able to hear them but I was like, 'I can't look over there'."

He believed he would have become too emotional and just needed to "stay in the zone".

Reilly lost out on the gold medal to Jose Torres Gil from Argentina, but said he would have "jumped up and down" if he was told six months ago he would win a silver medal.

He said ultimately it was just a few small mistakes that cost him the top spot.

"You can't be caught up on that when you have achieved a dream," he said.