Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 28 August 2021

MARKELLA HOULI, a junior elite BMX rider from Nuneaton, will race against Olympic BMX Champion Beth Shriever tomorrow (29 August).

Houli and Shriver will be going head-to-head as a part of the 2021 British BMX Championships at Huncote BMX Track, near Narborough in Leicestershire.

The event, organised by the Huncote Hornets, has two days of racing, with the under-11’s racing on Saturday and the over-13’s racing on Sunday.

Markella exclusively spoke to the Free Press about the upcoming race and further revealed that she has been training four times a week to prepare.

She said: “I’ve raced against Beth [Shriever] a few times before, but this is our first time racing against each other at the British Championships.

“I’ve been training four times a week in preparation, with my Coaches, Dylan Clayton and Christian ‘Chris’ Wilkins, who help to train junior elite BMX athletes.

“I feel excited, ready and prepared for the race tomorrow.

“British Cycling holds the British Championships annually for racers in the UK.

“The girls had their funding cut, but now we’ve got an Olympic racer on board I hope that we get it.”

Shriever is not the only Olympian to take part in the event – Kye Whyte, a 2020 Summer Olympic Silver Medallist, will race against Manchester-based BMX athlete Quillan Isidore.

Markella regularly updates her Instagram profile with new social media updates, which can be found here.