Defending champion Worthington misses out on BMX freestyle final

Great Britain’s Charlotte Worthington will not defend the Olympic BMX freestyle gold medal she won three years ago as she agonisingly missed out on the final in Paris.

On a scorching hot day in the French capital, the 28-year-old scored 79.20 then 78.82 in her two runs to give an average of 79.01 and finish 11th in the 12-strong field.

Riders had to finish in the top nine to qualify for Wednesday’s final at Place de la Concorde.

Worthington shot into the spotlight when she became the first woman to win BMX freestyle gold in Tokyo three years ago, when the sport made its Olympic debut.

The former chef landed a 360 backflip in her winning run – the first woman to do so in competition – but the stresses and strains of being an Olympic champion took their toll.

Worthington has since opened up about her mental health issues and admitted she “lost sight” of what she loved about BMX in the years following her victory.

Back on the stage where she made history, Worthington produced two smooth runs in front of a packed crowd but failed to wow the judges in the way she did in Japan.

Later on Tuesday, reigning freestyle park world champion Kieran Reilly goes in the men’s qualification event.