Former Olympic BMX champ to 'live the dream' in US

Charlotte Worthington said she enjoyed the Paris Olympics, even though she did not qualify for the final

An Olympic gold medal-winning BMX rider is off to the US to "live out the dream".

Charlotte Worthington, who is originally from Manchester but later moved to Northamptonshire, won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The 28-year-old said her decision to emigrate followed a "petrifying" period when her mental health deteriorated.

She has reassured fans that she will still be competing for Team GB, even though she will be living on the other side of the Atlantic.

Worthington became the first ever female Olympic freestyle BMX gold medallist

Worthington's family had connections with Northamptonshire long before the county became the home of an internationally-recognised urban sports venue.

"My grandparents lived in East Carlton, my grandad worked at the steelworks in Corby," she said.

"My mum moved to Manchester for university, and when I got into doing extreme sports I used to beg her to take me back to Corby to go and ride at Adrenaline Alley.

"It's one of the best training facilities in the world by far."

In her second run in Tokyo, Worthington became the first woman to land a 360-degree backflip in competition

She was invited to ride for Team GB for the inaugural Olympic BMX Freestyle competition at Tokyo 2020, and became the sport's first-ever female Olympic gold medallist.

She said the historic win was "a huge dream come true and, after that, it was a total rollercoaster of getting invited to prestigious events and getting awarded an MBE".

Charlotte Worthington was presented with the MBE after winning her gold medal at Tokyo 2020

But, while she had gone to Tokyo as "an underdog with no expectations", she came back with a world-beating reputation to live up to.

The sport she had loved from childhood became a source of constant stress and disappointment.

She told the BBC: "It took its toll around the start of last year when I was really starting to struggle with it.

"I wasn't really celebrating the wins and giving myself a break in the times when it didn't work out so well.

"At the time it was petrifying. I thought, overnight, how could I have flipped a switch from one of the best riders in the world, to, I can't even do some of my basic tricks, because my mind was working overtime.

"When you get to that place of pure exhaustion and stress, you lose control and your emotions just tip you over the edge."

It was support from her family and friends, British Cycling and other competitors who had experienced the same thing that got her through those dark times.

Worthington made it into Team GB for the Paris Olympics and was determined to enjoy herself

She went to the Paris games this summer determined to enjoy them and did so, despite not qualifying for the final.

Now she is swapping the quiet village of Mawsley, near Kettering, for the bright lights of Pennsylvania.

Worthington said America was "the birthplace of BMX and action sports - we love the lifestyle.

"There's definitely some sacrifices - like, I love England.

"England has done so much for me. I'll still be representing Team GB when I compete down the line, but we're going to take a chance and live out the dream while we can."