Colton Blyth, who now rides for the Maryborough BMX Club, travelled to New Zealand at the weekend to represent Australia in the under 7s class.

After two solid days on the track, Colton finished fifth in the semi-finals, meaning he didn’t make the final but still achieved a strong overall rank of 17th out of 36 riders.

His grandfather and Mount Isa resident Jim Polkinghorne couldn’t be prouder of the achievements six-year-old Colton has already recorded. 

“I’m proud as punch of the young fella, and despite him being young, the family has high hopes for him,” Polkinghorne said.

“For a kid that young, he is very determined to succeed and knows what he has to do achieve his goals.”

Colton’s family moved to the coast in recent years to allow the sprocket rider a greater chance to improve his skills, by consistently riding against stronger competition.

The move allowed Colton to compete at September’s state titles in Brisbane, where he claimed a fourth, second and first after crashing on his first two runs, as well as competing in events at Gympie, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

It is because of these strong results that Colton is now ranked in the top sprocket riders in south-east Queensland.

“Colton has come a long way since he first started the sport with Tory Midgley, who was the president of the Mount Isa BMX Club back then,” Polkinghorne said. “None of this would have been possible without his encouragement and coaching.”

Colton has been so dominant in his own age group, that he has been competing in the under-8s division.

“Colton’s current coaches have very high hopes for him and think this New Zealand trip is only the start of something special,” Polkinghorne said.

“If he continues to work hard, there is no reason why he can’t go all the way to the top.”