DIEHM Natalya

Australia

Cycling BMX Freestyle

Date of Birth: 23 Sep 1997

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Height (m/ft): 1.75/5'8''

Place of birth: GLADSTONE, QLD

Birth Country:

Australia

Place of residence : GLADSTONE, QLD

Residence Country:

Australia

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Cycling BMX Freestyle	Women's Park	5

Schedule

Change

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Ariake Sports Park BMX Freestyle	Women's Park Seeding	Finished
	Ariake Sports Park BMX Freestyle	Women's Park Final	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Athlete:

Urban Cycling World Championships

Year	Location	Park
2019	Chengdu, CHN	6

Oceania Championships

Year	Location	Park
2019	Melbourne, VIC, AUS	1

World Cup - Overview per season since 2017

Year	Event	Standings	Three best ranks per season
2019	Park	11th	1 x 9th, 1 x 12th, 1 x 13th

UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup - Ten best performances since 2017

Rank	Year	Event	Location
9	2019	Park	Montpellier, FRA
12	2019	Park	Chengdu, CHN
13	2019	Park	Hiroshima, JPN

Occupation:

Athlete

Family:

Partner Kirby

Languages spoken:

English

Injuries:

In February 2021 she broke her wrist at a contest rehearsal in Australia. A month later she returned to competing and won the 2021 National Championships in Melbourne, Victoria. (australiancyclingteam.com, 15 Mar 2021; AusCycling Australia YouTube channel, 09 Mar 2021)

In 2018 she underwent her fourth knee reconstruction surgery. (sirensport.com.au, 22 Jun 2021; australiancyclingteam.com, 16 Jun 2021)

Start:

She began riding a BMX at age seven. (Mayor Matt Burnett Facebook page, 16 Jun 2021)

Reason:

"When I was eight years old wanting to go to the skate park, I was so young, mum and dad had to be there to watch me. At that age you just want to ride your bike forever and hope that one day, you might be able to get paid for it." (sirensport.com.au, 22 Jun 2021)

Ambition:

To win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (centralwesterndaily.com.au, 30 Dec 2019)

Training:

"[In 2021] I go to the gym four days a week, ride three hours a day five days a week and eat right. I didn't used to look after my body, so eating right and seeing a nutritionist has made a big impact." (sirensport.com.au, 22 Jun 2021)

Influence:

Her family. (Facebook profile, 17 Jun 2021)

Philosophy:

"We are like gymnasts on a bike in the air." (sirensport.com.au, 22 Jun 2021)

General Interest

General
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
She had her first broken bone at age 11 and has since had more injuries including four knee reconstructions, dislocated shoulders, and multiple sprained ankles. She thought of retiring from the sport after her fourth knee reconstruction in 2018 but was encouraged to keep going by Australian BMX racer Caroline Buchanan. "By that fourth operation I was like, 'Nope, I'm just getting hurt and I'm still working and now I'm out of work, I've got no money - this is crazy, what am I doing?' I actually tried out for the aviation firefighters at the airport when I called it quits for riding, but I didn't make it through because my knee let me down. I had never met Buchanan before and she gave me a call and was like, 'Hey, I know your situation, but this [BMX freestyle] has been announced at the Olympics - I really think you should give this one more try'. If it wasn't for that phone call, I would have just swept it under the rug. Everything happens for a reason." (AusCycling Australia YouTube channel, 02 Jul 2021; sirensport.com.au, 22 Jun 2021; abc.net.au, 19 Jun 2021)

EARLY DAYS
She says she has benefited from competing against male riders growing up. "The BMX scene [in Gladstone, QLD, Australia] when I was younger was mainly boys with my sister and I being the only girls. As the boys got older and had to get jobs, the BMX scene died off and scooters became more affordable. As a young girl I wanted to be better than the boys and we would always have games and competitions and I would always fight to be better than them. I beat them. I thought I was quite good, but never thought I would be at the stage I'm at now [qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo] - competing at the biggest event ever. Hopefully, once the Olympics shows on TV, everyone can see that this is a real sport and it's not just a skatepark hang-out. Hopefully more girls get into it." (abc.net.au, 19 Jun 2021; AusCycling Australia YouTube channel, 02 Jul 2021, 09 Mar 2021; thebloombmx.com, 30 Apr 2019)

Milestones

She became the first female rider to win gold at the Oceania BMX Freestyle Championships when she placed first at the inaugural edition in 2019 in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. (oceaniacycling.org, 07 Dec 2019)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos