PELLUARD Vincent

General
REPRESENTING COLOMBIA
Born in France, he previously competed for his country of birth. He received Colombian citizenship after marrying Colombian BMX rider Mariana Pajon, and began representing Colombia in 2019. "I'm a proud French-Colombian. I will always have a French heart but I also will give my best for Colombia. I love this country [Colombia], which has given me lots of opportunities. I feel that I can bring the strengths of France and Colombia together." (infobae.com, 05 Jun 2021)

TRACK QUEST
He has said he wants to combine BMX racing with track cycling, something he says influenced his decision to begin competing for Colombia. "I wanted to combine both BMX and track cycling. I did some track tests in Paris [France] in March 2018 and the coach said that I could not do both. But in Colombia, the idea was accepted. One day, the Colombian track cycling national coach told me, 'Why don't you change your citizenship?' I thought about it between September and December 2018 and I decided to do it." In 2020 he said his plan was to start focusing on track cycling after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and that he aimed to compete in track cycling at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. "Track cycling and BMX are very similar in terms of physical preparation, and I have done some track as part of my BMX training. But now my times have started to talk. They were very good, among the best in Colombia. I talked with the national coach and he sent me to the national championships, where I claimed a victory. I will focus on the track after Tokyo. The [2024] Olympic Games in Paris are a big motivation. I think that being 34 years old is a little bit too old for BMX, but in track I still have so much to prove and physically I still feel good. We'll see after Tokyo." (lanouvellerepublique.fr, 21 Apr 2020)