BMX Star Natalya Diehm Returns to Compete in Paris After Tough Journey

Natalya Diehm is back in the saddle and ready to compete in the BMX freestyle event at the Olympic Games in Paris, something she couldn’t have dreamed about just three years ago.

After struggling with injuries and the mental lows that came after the Tokyo Games, where she had to ride with a damaged knee, Natalya’s journey to this moment has been anything but easy. She faced a lot of doubts about whether she would ever ride again.

Now, as the women’s BMX freestyle tournament kicks off, Natalya finds herself at La Concorde in Paris, pulling off tricks on her bike. It’s a far cry from how she felt during the last Olympics, when she worried that she’d never be able to compete again due to her injury.

“It’s definitely been hard over the past few years,” she shares. «After Tokyo, I thought, ‘This is my last ride,’ and that I wouldn’t be able to come back.”

Diehm has faced a tough road, including multiple injuries since she first hopped on a BMX as a kid. She’s suffered from broken bones, dislocated shoulders, and ruptured ACLs, with five of those injuries affecting her right knee alone.

Just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics, one doctor advised her not to compete. But Natalya proved them wrong, going on to finish fifth in the competition.

After a tough quarantine period and surgeries to fix her knee, she fell into a deep depression. She had to undergo two knee surgeries and two shoulder surgeries since the last Olympics.

<p“It really sent me into a spiral," she recalls. "I was trying to keep my struggles to myself so as not to take away from others' joy over my Olympic journey.”

Last month, in early July, she secured her place in the Paris Olympics alongside Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin. “I never lost the fire to ride and compete again, which is crazy since a lot of people wouldn’t want to try after everything I’ve been through,” she says.

For Natalya, BMX isn’t just a sport; it’s a passion. “I love this sport and the community that comes with it,” she says, reflecting on her journey since starting at age eight. “It’s hard to be proud during challenging times, but I’m truly proud of how far I’ve come.”

While winning would be great, her main goal was just to make it to the Paris Olympics. “Just getting here is a major win for me, especially when I didn’t think I had a chance,” she adds with a smile.