Two Tokyo 2020 podium finishers, reigning champion Charlotte Worthington (GBR) and bronze medalist Nikita Ducarroz (SW), were eliminated in the women's BMX Freestyle qualifying for the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

A total of 18 riders, nine women and nine men, advanced to Wednesday's BMX freestyle finals, led by world champions Hannah Roberts (USA) and Kieran Riley (UK).

Ducarroz said she was not at her best, but was pleased to see how the level of competition has improved since the Tokyo Olympics, where BMX freestyle first debuted as a medal sport.

"There was a lot of pressure, and I didn't feel great on the bike, but I still wanted to do everything I could," Ducarros explained.

"In the end, it wasn't enough. It's really cool to see the level after Tokyo. The level has really gone up. Even now, it's my first time qualifying for the Olympics, so tomorrow it will be even stronger. It's a little stressful to see the level go up, but it's cool to see."

Roberts, who finished second to Worthington at the Olympics three years ago, posted the best score of the day for the women with a 91.80 on the first of her two runs, finishing with an average of 91.45. Yawen Deng (China) had the second best average of 91.03 and was the only competitor to score in the 90s.

The average scores of the two 60-second runs determined the nine finalists from the 12 competitors. The United States and China had two finalists each, while the Czech Republic, Colombia, Chile, Australia, and France each had one finalist.

Five-time French BMX freestyle champion Rory Perez delighted the local crowd at La Concorde with 83.26 points, the ninth best of the day. Ducarroz was 10th, Worthington 11th, and Kim Leah Mueller (Germany) 12th.

"I was a little nervous on the first run. I focused on what I had to do," Roberts said. 'Something fell and I had to run around it. The heat was killing me, but I'm glad I made it. I'm very happy with my first run."

The sunny skies and heat continued as the men ran the course on the Place de la Concorde, with temperatures in Paris hitting 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit).

Riley clocked 91.68 on his first run and finished with a best average of 91.21. Men's Olympic Champion Marcus Christopher (USA) and Logan Martin (AUS) were each nine-hundredths of a second behind the leader, with Martin averaging 89.39 compared to the USA's average score of 89.48. The second American was Justin Dowell, who finished fourth.

Frenchman Anthony Jeanjean rewarded his home fans by finishing fifth with an average score of 87.58. Players from Japan, Argentina, Brazil, and Latvia also qualified, while Canada, Croatia, and South Africa were eliminated after their average scores failed to exceed 80 points.

"I'm probably more nervous today because I skated two runs and both of them counted. But it definitely gives you confidence," said Olympic champion Logan Martin.

In Wednesday's finals, only the highest score will be reflected in the results for both men and women.

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