PORT ANGELES — No one is ever going to accuse Kylin Weitz of not being tough or courageous.
Weitz, just 12 years old, finished second at the BMX USA Grand Nationals held in Tulsa, Okla., in both the 12 girls cruiser and the 12 girls expert classes. With her Tulsa results, she finished second nationally in season points in her age group in the girls cruiser class and sixth in the girls expert class.
What makes her accomplishment especially remarkable is a little over four months ago, Weitz fractured her ankle competing in the BMX world championships in Copenhagen. She slammed her ankle hard on the track after another rider collided with her in the semifinals, fracturing it. Weitz had won two motos before that crash and came in second in another moto, in great shape to place or even win the world event. She went into the semifinals ranked No. 2.
Her mother Britney Rowland said Kylin’s ankle is still healing seven weeks after her crash in Copenhagen and still hurts.
“She was done trying to sit still,” Rowland said. “We’re super proud of her.”
In 2024, Weitz, riding with two healthy ankles, came in first in Grand Nationals in the 11 girls expert class. She also finished No. 3 in the national age group in the 1 girls category and No. 9 nationally in the 11-12 girls cruiser class.
Other Lincoln Park BMX riders who made the main event at the Grant National include Taylor Slota of Sequim, who came in eighth in the 21-25 novice class, Lincoln Park BMX track operator Sean Coleman, who finished seventh in the 51-55 novice class and Wyatt Christensen of Kingston (Lincoln Park is his home track), who finished eighth in the 13 expert class. A total of 23 Lincoln Park riders traveled to Tulsa to compete.
