UCI BMX Racing Elite Men’s World Championship History – Part 3 (2011-2020): Full Recap & Final Results

UCI BMX Racing Elite Men World Championship Results (2011-2020)

This is part 3 of a 4 part BMX Racing Men’s Elite history series:

Part 1: 1996-2000 UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results
Part 2: 2001-2010 UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results
Part 3: 2011-2020 UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results
Part 4: 2021-Present UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results

Disclaimer: We’ve done our best to ensure all results and information are accurate, but BMX history isn’t always well-documented. If you spot any errors or omissions, please let us know by emailing info@theburm.com.

All event footage and imagery referenced in this article remain the property of their respective rights holders (including the UCI and event organisers). The Burm uses this content for non-commercial, editorial purposes.

2011-2020 overview:

The 2010s marked the full arrival of the Supercross era. By 2011, Elite Men’s racing had moved decisively onto big-hill tracks, indoor arenas and purpose-built World Championship layouts that looked and felt very different to the old-school dirt classics of the late 90s and early 2000s. The Olympic tracks around London 2012 and Rio 2016 drove investment, broadcast coverage and pressure, Worlds stops in Copenhagen, Birmingham, Auckland, Rotterdam, Zolder, Medellín, Rock Hill and Baku became genuine global showcases rather than niche BMX events.

Professionalism and consistency also stepped up. Year-round World Cup campaigns, stronger national team structures and full-time support programs meant riders were no longer simply “fast locals” stepping up for Worlds, they were highly trained, heavily analysed athletes chasing marginal gains in starts, sprint times and track speed. The emergence of social media and better coverage meant that BMX fans worldwide could follow those storylines in real time, turning the World Championships into true destination events for the global BMX community.

2011 – Copenhagen, Denmark 🇩🇰

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Joris Daudet (France) World Champion

  2. Maris Strombergs (Latvia)

  3. Marc Willers (New Zealand)

  4. Sam Willoughby (Australia)

  5. Brian Kirkham (Australia)

  6. Carlos Oquendo Zabala (Colombia)

  7. Connor Fields (USA)

  8. Moana Moo Caille (France)

Summary: The 2011 World Championships in Copenhagen saw a breakthrough for France, as Joris Daudet claimed the Elite Men’s title – the first Frenchman to do so since 2000. Daudet was on dominant form all season and in Copenhagen he took the lead on the second berm and never looked back, securing France’s long-awaited gold. Champion Māris Štrombergs settled for silver after taking second from Willers who got hole shot, coming up just short of catching Daudet on the supercross-style layout.

New Zealand’s Marc Willers grabbed bronze, earning NZ’s first Elite Men’s medal since the mid-1990s. This final was packed with talent: it featured four different continents represented and big names like Australia’s Sam Willoughby (the reigning junior world champ) and USA’s Connor Fields, though both of those young stars would finish off the podium.

Denmark provided a fast and technical track, with a partisan European crowd that roared for Daudet’s every move. Daudet’s win marked the resurgence of France as a BMX superpower. His World Championship victory was a confidence boost heading toward the London 2012 Olympics, while Štrombergs’ consistent podium presence underscored the rivalry shaping up between the Latvian Machine and the French phenom.

2012 – Birmingham, UK 🇬🇧

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Sam Willoughby (Australia) World Champion

  2. Joris Daudet (France)

  3. Moana Moo Caille (France)

  4. Anthony Dean (Australia)

  5. David Herman (USA)

  6. Donny Robinson (USA)

  7. Marc Willers (New Zealand)

  8. Maris Strombergs (Latvia) DSQ

Summary: The 2012 World Championships in Birmingham delivered a popular victory for Sam Willoughby – though Sam is Australian, the event being in an English-speaking country felt almost like a home crowd for him (and he was already based in the U.S./UK racing circuits).

Willoughby, at just 20, put together a brilliant day of racing to win the Elite Men’s becoming the first Australian Elite Men’s world champion since Warwick Stevenson in 2004, ending seven straight seasons without an Aussie on top. France claimed the other podium spots with defending champ Joris Daudet in second and Moana Moo-Caille in third, underscoring France’s depth.

The British crowd at the National Indoor Arena was slightly disappointed not to see a Team GB rider in the main (local favourite Liam Phillips was eliminated earlier), but they were treated to intense action as the 2012 Worlds were the final major race before the London Olympics just weeks away. The track was tight and technical, laid out on the arena floor, which led to close-quarters racing.

Willoughby’s win ended a 7-year drought of world titles for Australia’s men and established him as a top contender for Olympic gold (he’d go on to win silver in London).

2013 – Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Liam Phillips (Great Britain) – World Champion

  2. Marc Willers (New Zealand)

  3. Luis Brethauer (Germany)

  4. Connor Fields (USA)

  5. Joris Daudet (France)

  6. Tory Nyhaug (Canada)

  7. Twan van Gendt (Netherlands)

  8. Sam Willoughby (Australia)

Summary: The 2013 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand were a fairy tale for Liam Phillips and Great Britain. Phillips, a former junior World Champion who had battled back from injuries (including a broken collarbone at the London Olympics), seized the Elite Men’s title in style. Cheered on by a sizeable British contingent, Phillips holeshot the final and held off hometown hero Marc Willers of New Zealand, who had to settle for silver on home soil. Germany’s Luis Brethauer rode smartly to take bronze – Germany’s first Elite Men’s BMX medal after a dramatic first turn pile-up collected several riders.

Notably, Sam Willoughby (the reigning champ) crashed hard in the first turn while battling for position, taking him out of contention. The indoor track in Auckland was compact with a tricky rhythm section, it rewarded powerful starts (Phillips’ specialty) and punished any mistakes (as seen in the final carnage).

2014 – Rotterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Sam Willoughby (Australia) – World Champion

  2. Tory Nyhaug (Canada)

  3. Tre Whyte (Great Britain)

  4. Joris Daudet (France)

  5. Connor Fields (USA)

  6. Liam Phillips (Great Britain)

  7. Edzus Treimanis (Latvia)

  8. Anthony Dean (Australia)

Summary: The 2014 Worlds in Rotterdam witnessed Sam Willoughby reclaim the rainbow jersey in dominant fashion on an indoor track built inside Ahoy Arena. Willoughby, spurred by the disappointment of a crash in the 2013 final, put together a near-flawless lap to secure his second Elite Men’s world title. Behind him, Tory Nyhaug of Canada sprinted to the silver Canada’s best-ever Elite Men’s result – showing his strength in the absence of several injured veterans.

The feel-good story of the final was Tre Whyte of Great Britain grabbing the bronze. Whyte had barely made the final as the last qualifier, but a first-turn crash by a few favourites opened the door for him to snag third, giving the UK a podium presence two years in a row (to the delight of traveling British fans).

The highly technical and tight track in Rotterdam caused multiple crashes throughout the weekend; indeed, in the final Joris Daudet and Connor Fields tangled in turn one, losing their shot at a medal. Willoughby’s win, coming on Dutch soil, was significant – it was the first time in over a decade that an Australian man won two world titles.

Willoughby’s triumph re-established him as the top dog ahead of the Rio Olympic cycle.

2015 – Zolder, Belgium 🇧🇪

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Niek Kimmann (Netherlands) – World Champion

  2. Jelle van Gorkom (Netherlands)

  3. David Graf (Switzerland)

  4. Carlos Oquendo Zabala (Colombia)

  5. Liam Phillips (Great Britain)

  6. Raymond Van Der Biezen (Netherlands)

  7. Sam Willoughby (Australia) (crashed on second berm)

  8. Anthony Dean (Australia) (crashed in first berm)


Summary: The 2015 World Championships in Zolder delivered a dream scenario for the host country, as Niek Kimmann – in his rookie elite season – shocked the field to win the Elite Men’s title on Belgian soil (the Netherlands’ team adopted Zolder as a “home” race).

Kimmann, just 19 years old, became the first male rider to win the Junior world title and Elite world title in back-to-back years (he was 2014 Junior World Champ). The Dutch celebration doubled as Jelle van Gorkom took the silver, making it a Dutch 1-2 sweep in front of throngs of orange-clad fans. Switzerland’s David Graf rounded out the podium with bronze – Switzerland’s first men’s BMX medal – after a dramatic final.

Anthony Dean (Australia), who had a spectacular fall from lane four and Sam Willoughby having an unfortunate coming together with Graf on the second berm which made for a disappointing final for the Australian contingent.  The Zolder track, a former motorsport circuit, was long and fast, and Kimmann’s tall, powerful style suited it very well.

His victory marked the rise of a new superstar, coming just one year before the Rio Olympics. For the Netherlands, taking gold and silver was a historic triumph, this Elite Men’s world title for the Dutch, and doing it in such dominant fashion signalled their emergence as a BMX superpower.

2016 – Medellín, Colombia 🇨🇴

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Joris Daudet (France) – World Champion

  2. Niek Kimmann (Netherlands)

  3. Nicholas Long (USA)

  4. Jeremy Rencurel (France)

  5. Edzus Treimanis (Latvia)

  6. Twan van Gendt (Netherlands)

  7. Amidou Mir (France)

  8. Carlos Alberto Ramirez Yepes (Colombia)

Summary: At the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships in Medellín, Joris Daudet reclaimed the rainbow jersey five years after his first Elite Men’s title, giving France another world champion in an Olympic year. The Medellín track had suffered significant rain in the lead-up, requiring repairs and forcing schedule adjustments, but Daudet remained composed and delivered when it mattered. He held off defending champion Niek Kimmann for gold, while American veteran Nic Long finally secured his first Elite Worlds podium in third.

Home favourite Carlos Ramírez placed 8th in front of a roaring Colombian crowd – a sign of things to come, as he would go on to claim Olympic bronze in Rio later that summer.

Daudet’s victory marked the first French Elite Men’s world title ever won on South American soil, with previous South American editions in Brazil never producing a French Elite Men’s champion. Heading into Rio 2016, Medellín reinforced Daudet’s status as a major contender and confirmed that Kimmann and Long remained among the most consistent threats in global BMX – even though the Olympic final would unfold very differently.

2017 – Rock Hill, USA 🇺🇸

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Corben Sharrah (USA) – World Champion

  2. Sylvain André (France)

  3. Joris Daudet (France)

  4. Niek Kimmann (Netherlands)

  5. Alfredo J. Campo Vintimilla (Ecuador)

  6. Bodi Turner (Australia)

  7. Connor Fields (USA)

  8. Jeremy Rencurel (France)

Summary: The 2017 World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina brought the world’s best to a familiar stop on the USA BMX circuit. American Corben Sharrah capitalised on home soil, riding a near-perfect lap to become World Champion, but was nearly caught at the line by Sylvain André – the margin was just 0.038 seconds. His win was the first Elite Men’s world title for the USA since Donny Robinson in 2009 and came after years of ups and downs at Worlds and the Olympics.

France once again stacked the podium, with Sylvain André taking silver and 2016 champion Joris Daudet bronze, continuing a strong era for French men’s BMX at the World Championships. Olympic champion Connor Fields got caught up in the first-straight traffic and could only manage 7th, while riders like Niek Kimmann, Alfredo Campo and Bodi Turner filled out a loaded main.

The Rock Hill Supercross track – big, fast and unforgiving, rewarded strength and track speed. Sharrah’s composed, mistake-free lap in front of a home crowd, with U.S. fans watching via TV coverage, was a landmark moment for USA Cycling’s BMX program and a career-defining day for the Tucson pro.

2018 – Baku, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Sylvain André (France) – World Champion

  2. Joris Daudet (France)

  3. Anderson E. de Souza Filho (Brazil)

  4. Joris Harmsen (Netherlands)

  5. Corben Sharrah (USA)

  6. Kyle Evans (United Kingdom)

  7. David Graf (Switzerland)

  8. Dave Van Der Burg (Netherlands)

Summary: France delivered a dominant one-two punch at the 2018 World Championships in Baku, with Sylvain André edging teammate Joris Daudet in a photo finish – just 0.006 seconds separating them – to finally claim the rainbow jersey he’d chased for years.

The breakout story of the final was Brazil’s Anderson “Andinho” Ezequiel de Souza Filho, who powered his way to bronze. In doing so, he became the first Brazilian rider ever to win a BMX World Championship medal, a landmark result for Brazil’s BMX racing programme. He would go on to represent Brazil at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, confirming his status as a long-term player on the world stage.

2019 – Heusden-Zolder, Belgium 🇧🇪

Final Results (Elite Men’s Top 8):

  1. Twan van Gendt (Netherlands) – World Champion

  2. Niek Kimmann (Netherlands)

  3. Sylvain André (France)

  4. J. Rencurel (France)

  5. Kye Whyte (Great Britain)

  6. Anthony Dean (Australia)

  7. David Graf (Great Britain)

  8. Joris Daudet (France) DNF

Summary: On the same Zolder track where he crashed out in 2015, Twan van Gendt found redemption by winning the 2019 World Championship in commanding fashion. Van Gendt holeshotted the final and led a Dutch 1-2 with teammate Niek Kimmann.

France’s Sylvain André, the defending champ, rode smart to claim bronze keeping France on the podium yet again. Van Gendt’s explosive first straight made the difference; Kimmann tried to set up a late charge but settled for second, earning a bittersweet silver after dominating the World Cup season.

2020 – Houston, USA 🇺🇸 (Cancelled)

The 2020 UCI BMX World Championships, scheduled for May 2020 in Houston, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No World Championship titles were awarded in 2020.

Conclusion: A decade that re-shaped Elite Men’s BMX

From Daudet’s breakthrough in Copenhagen to van Gendt’s redemption in Zolder, the 2011-2019 World Championships tell the story of a class that became deeper, faster and more international than ever before. France and the Netherlands emerged as the benchmark programmes, but the rainbow jersey still moved around: Willoughby, Phillips, Sharrah, André and others each had their moment, showing that on the right day, with the right lap, the title was still up for grabs.

This decade also cemented the link between Worlds and the Olympics. Results in Birmingham, Rotterdam, Zolder or Medellín often foreshadowed what would happen in London and Rio, and they helped shape funding decisions, team selections and rider careers. At the same time, the sport’s growth outside traditional strongholds, particularly in South America, hinted at how global BMX had quietly become.

The cancellation of the 2020 Worlds in Houston due to the COVID-19 pandemic brought that era to an abrupt halt. There was no rainbow jersey awarded, no final straight sprint to close out the decade. Instead, the 2011–2019 championships stand together as a self-contained chapter, the years when Supercross matured, national programmes professionalised, and Elite Men’s BMX transformed from a fringe action sport into a truly global, Olympic-era discipline – setting the stage for a new generation and a new chapter in 2021 and beyond.

This is part 3 of a 4 part BMX Racing Men’s Elite history series:

Part 1: 1996-2000 UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results
Part 2: 2001-2010 UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results
Part 4: 2021-Present UCI World Championship Men’s Elite Results

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