About Connor

I’ve spent my life chasing milliseconds, pushing past limits, and learning resilience the hard way. Now, I help others tap into that same mindset to perform when it matters most.

Meet Connor

I didn’t find BMX - BMX found me

My BMX journey began unexpectedly when my mom came across a flyer for the local Las Vegas BMX track. She stopped by for a quick repair and unknowingly stumbled upon what would turn out to be her son’s lifelong passion. One visit, one afternoon at that track, and I was hooked. From that day on, my life revolved around BMX—riding it, watching it, even dreaming about it.

By eleven, I had lost interest in all other sports, my focus set solely on BMX. I was named as a member of Team USA for the first time in 2010 at age 17, an accomplishment I would need to repeat again in 2011 and in 2012 before I would finally have a shot at representing my country on the world stage at the Olympics. I earned that honor three times in my career, first in 2012 in London, then in 2016 where I won my gold medal in Rio, and finally in 2021 in Tokyo.

Though there are other athletes who have competed at multiple Olympic Games, I have quite the unique claim to fame… I am the only Olympic athlete who has both won a gold medal, and nearly died while competing at the Olympics. The highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. The accident in Tokyo ended my racing career, but I use my experience as an opportunity to help others. I continue to work within the USABMX organization to further the sport, I continue to be a part of the future of BMX racing through coaching, and I share my life story with others in my keynote speech, “Now What?”.

stats

Olympic Gold Medalist

Gold Medalist in the Rio 2016  Olympic Games

3x Olympian

Athlete competing in the 2012, 2016, 2021 Olympics

Time Trial World Champion

2x Time Trial World Champion

Bronze Medalist

Bronze in the BMX World Championships 2015

Team USA 2010 – 2021

Representing Team USA for over a decade

Gold Medalist

Gold Medalist at the Panamerican Games 2011

UCI World Champion

UCI BMX World Cup Champion – 2013 & 2020

World Cup Winner

8x World Cup Wins

Podium Finishes

17x World Cup Podiums

National Champion

5x USA Cycling National Champion

USA BMX Champion

3x USA BMX National Champion

My Olympic Journey

Three Olympic Games. A gold medal. A devastating crash. And everything in between. My Olympic journey wasn’t a straight line—it was a test of mindset, grit, and growth. Each Games taught me something different: how to fail, how to fight, and how to find purpose when everything changes. Here’s how it all unfolded.

At 19, I entered the London Olympics as the world’s #2 ranked BMX rider. Young, confident, and determined, I sailed through my heats and semifinals, entering the final as the top seed and the favorite to win it all. I was about to see my dream of winning Olympic Gold actualized at only 19 years old. However, when it came time to execute,the pressure got to me. This led to a disappointing 7th place finish out of 8, plunging me into a period of depression, embarrassment, and self-doubt.

I came back stronger, not just physically, but mentally. In the four years after London, I trained with one goal—redemption. Just months before the Games, I broke my wrist. But I fought my way onto the team and raced in Rio with it still technically broken. This time, I wasn’t the favourite—I was the 7th seed in the final. But when the gate dropped, I trusted my instincts. Faced with the choice to settle for silver or go for gold, I took the risk—and made the pass. That moment was everything. I didn’t just win a race. I won the fight with myself.

I showed up to Tokyo in peak form, even after a one-year COVID delay. I cruised through the early rounds and entered the final as the #1 seed. But I never made it to the finish line. A crash with another rider left me unconscious on the track. I woke up five days later in a hospital, with no memory of my last Olympic race—and four traumatic brain injuries. My racing career ended that day, but my story didn’t. Tokyo gave me perspective: success isn’t always a medal. Sometimes, it’s surviving. Sometimes, it’s starting over. And sometimes, it’s finding a new way forward.

Latest News

The race may be over, but the mission isn’t