JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Tomorrow, just down the road from Versailles, BMX riders from all over the world will soar down the starting hill and drop into the twisty, undulating path toward a gold medal. Alise Willoughby is one of those riders. She's 33 years old and already a four-time Olympian. She came close to the gold in Rio in 2016 but went home with silver. Now, this year, on the tail of her third world championship win in May, she may be poised to take the top prize in Paris. Alise Willoughby, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
ALISE WILLOUGHBY: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.
SUMMERS: Earlier this year, you picked up a world title in Rock Hill, S.C., and that's your third world title, which ties you for the women's record for most world titles. What's the secret to your longevity in your sport?
WILLOUGHBY: Yeah, that was a really special win for me - obviously, not only being a third world title, but just, you know, doing it on home soil with the U.S. fans and my whole family there. That was super, super special to me and really rewarding to execute on that day. And it obviously gives me a lot of good energy and confidence heading into this next one. But just staying motivated, obviously having wonderful, wonderful support around me helps a ton, too. And I just want to give back the effort that, you know - I'm sure we'll get into it a little bit - but my husband is my coach now.
SUMMERS: Yeah.
WILLOUGHBY: He, you know - he puts in 100% to me, and I just want my effort to reflect that same back.
SUMMERS: Let's talk about your husband, Sam, who, as you mentioned, is now your coach. But he was an elite BMX racer himself before he was paralyzed in an accident back in 2016. How's Sam doing now?
WILLOUGHBY: Sam is an absolute trooper. I mean - and it was life-changing, I mean, you know - not just for him, but me and his whole family...
SUMMERS: Yeah.
WILLOUGHBY: ...Everyone around him, to go from - you know, he was a gold-medal favorite in Rio and obviously medaled in 2012. And three weeks after a gold-medal favorite in Rio to, you know, not being able to pick up your arm again - you know, a life-threatening injury - so I think that hits you in the face pretty hard, and it comes with its challenges. It's a lifelong change.
But fast-forward, you know - what are we now? - almost eight years, seven years, eight years, something like that - it's just, like - yeah, eight years. It's - he's just amazing. He puts as much effort into learning and growing as a coach as he did as an athlete. I mean, he changed the game as an athlete in our sport. And him showing up every single day for me, despite everything that, you know, he has to deal with in his day-to-day - you know, I get a front-row seat and see all of that. I appreciate it, and he is - yeah, he is an amazing individual, and I'm just lucky to call him my better half.
SUMMERS: The two of you - I mean, you've really experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of what it's like to be a part of this sport. I have to wonder, Alise, after the accident, was there ever any moment where you sat down and you thought about not continuing to race yourself, given the fact that you and Sam have really seen up-close the risks that can come with BMX racing?
WILLOUGHBY: I think that definitely weighed on me post the injury. I went from, obviously, winning my first Olympic medal to, you know, experiencing this major life event within a few weeks as well. And it really made me question, like, whether sport mattered. Like, am I doing anything with this? Like, what does riding a bike around a track do for the world, you know?
SUMMERS: What made you come back and make the conclusion that your sport did matter - that it was something you wanted to continue doing?
WILLOUGHBY: I think, honestly, it was when Sam said - hey, you know, you're really good at this, and I want to be on your team again. I needed that sense of team back and family and community and, you know, what had brought me there in the first place. Like, I needed to have that support network. And so chasing down - it was that year, in 2017, that we had world championships in Rock Hill for - like, in the U.S. - for the first time in, like, 20 years. So we chased down this crazy goal of we're going to win the world championships in about three months' time together.
And it - but it reinvigorated me. It gave him something to focus on. It gave me something to focus on. We were chasing down goals. We had purpose again. And ultimately - obviously, yes, it was successful. I won. It was the biggest, and to date, most rewarding win of my career. But it also impacted so many people. And we continue to help people, I think, by sharing our story of just, you know, tenacity, perseverance and grit and whatever you want to call it. If we can help somebody realize something they thought that they couldn't or get through something that they thought they couldn't, like, that's so special, and that's the biggest win ever.
SUMMERS: You and Sam have been a part of this sport for so long, and I'll just point out that BMX was not even an Olympic sport when you were a kid. I'm curious, Alise, in the more than two decades that you've been racing, how have you seen your sport grow and change?
WILLOUGHBY: I was just doing it 'cause I liked competing and chasing my older brothers around and, you know, just having fun with my family. And lo and behold, it's manifested into now what will be my, you know, fourth Olympic appearance. So that's a pretty amazing turn of events. And just - even on the women's side, in particular...
SUMMERS: Yeah.
WILLOUGHBY: ...Like you said, there wasn't even a professional class. So now to see people are making a career out of it - it's really, really rewarding to kind of be part of that.
SUMMERS: Can you talk a little bit about how things have changed for visibility of women in your sport - the fact that, like you said, there wasn't a professional class, and now things just, like - they look so different?
WILLOUGHBY: Yeah, I think the depth of the women's field has grown, obviously, over the past, you know, four Olympic cycles. We've been blessed with an amazing opportunity to grow with it, even on the sponsorship and outside of it - being able to use the Olympic platform to show helmet hair is cool, and girls can do this too, you know? Like, it's OK to be competitive. It's OK. It's cool - you know? - like, to be out there and do that. And I think now you're seeing women make it as a career option - a viable career option, just like the men.
SUMMERS: I want to kind of chart your journey through the Olympics. In 2016 at the Games in Rio, you won a silver medal, which is the best finish of any American woman to date in BMX racing. So, how are you thinking about your fourth appearance at the Games? Are you thinking about it differently at all?
WILLOUGHBY: I don't ever line up in the gate without thinking I've got an opportunity to stand atop the podium. That's what keeps me going. That's why I want to get in the gate. I want to feel those butterflies, right? And the day I'm not competitive is probably the day I'm not going to line up...
SUMMERS: Yeah.
WILLOUGHBY: ...In that gate anymore. You're just not guaranteed anything. And I think, over the years, I've just grown to expect and embrace those challenges as opportunities. And I've never been more experienced. There's nothing out there I haven't seen. It's just a matter of executing on the day. And I think, when I do that, I have a pretty good shot at having a good result.
SUMMERS: We've been talking with Alise Willoughby. She's competing for Team USA in BMX racing. Alise, thank you, and good luck.
WILLOUGHBY: Thank you so much.
(SOUNDBITE OF ATMOSPHERE SONG, "I LOVE YOU LIKE A BROTHER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
