Episode 13 of The BMX Commentator Podcast sees an in depth chat with New Zealand's former Junior Women World Champion Jessie Smith.

Like many succesful BMX racers Jessie Smith started racing BMX at an early age, working her way up the ranks and taking multiple Challenge titles in her formative years.

Her transition into the Elite ranks went as smoothly as anyone could have dreamed of as Jessie took the 2019 Junior Women World Championship title at a raid sodden Zolder in Belgium.

It seemed that a step up into the Women Elite ranks was no more than a formality, especially as Jessie could count the Smulders sisters and the Sakakibaras as regular trining partners and close friends.

Yet behind the scenes, Jessie was struggling with demons that no one knew about.... a crippling fear of the behemoth 8m start hill and hitting jumps at breakneck speed consumed her, resulting in a crash at the Tokyo Olympic test event that put her in a Japanese hospital for a week.

After much soul searching, Jessie decided to prioritise her mental health and future happiness by stepping away from BMX racing at the Elite level.

This is her story, told by Jessie herself. A story that unravels the side of BMX racing that no-one talks about... fear, anxiety, and crushing pressure from NGB's that seemingly have no one to answer to.

And even after all of this, Jessie describes her ongoing love for BMX racing and when asked if she would 'willingly step back into the arena...?'

Well... you need to listen to find out the answer.