The whirlwind of fame following his Olympic success has been an "out of this world" experience for BMX rider Kye Whyte. From red carpets to breakfast TV, Whyte, who won silver at Tokyo 2020, has been navigating a world far removed from his Peckham roots.
"It was very weird," he says of the post-Olympics frenzy. "I'm from Peckham, you know? I grew up riding bikes. That's all I do: ride bikes. So getting recognition for what we did, being invited on *Dancing on Ice*, going to GQ shows, walking on red carpets, and people taking pictures⦠it was out of this world. At GQ, I was speaking to Stormzy. I was like, âUmm, how you doing?â The amount of respect and love we got shown was on another level. For me, it was weird, but I enjoyed the moment."
Despite the success, Whyte's journey to the Olympic podium wasn't without its disappointments. His teammate, Bethany Shriever, took gold in the women's BMX race, while Whyte narrowly missed out on the top spot in the men's competition.
"No, I wouldn't be jealous of her gold," he says firmly. "The men's and women's BMX are completely different competitions. We understand the levels of difference between the men and women. The women are brilliant, and she obviously did a great job. But it's a different course, a whole different ball game. The men are more aggressive, there's more crashing. And we change courses. So, it's hard to say, âOh yeah, I wish I won and she won.â At the end of the day, I should have won. I was in the lead, and I lost it. That's all there is."
Whyte's determination is clear, and despite the whirlwind of fame, his focus remains firmly on his sport. He's already set his sights on the next Olympic Games, where he's hoping to finally claim gold.