Molly Simpson of Red Deer, Alberta won a gold medal and silver medal respectively in the first two Women’s BMX cycling World Cup events of the 2026 season in Sarrians, France. Simpson won gold on Saturday and silver on Sunday.
Simpson had a winning time on Saturday of 34.363 seconds. Malene Keljstrup of Denmark won the silver medal with a time of 34.471 seconds. Saya Sakakibara of Australia won the bronze medal with a time of 34.677 seconds. Simpson reached the podium by 0.395 seconds. Michelle Wissing of the Netherlands finished in fourth place with a time of 34.758 seconds.
Simpson’s time on Sunday was 34.607 seconds. Sakakibara won the gold medal with a time of 33.77 seconds. Wissing won the bronze medal with a time of 34.786 seconds. Simpson reached the podium by 0.397 seconds. Zoe Claessens of Switzerland was in fourth place with a time of 35.004 seconds.
In the 2026 Women’s Elite BMX Cycling World Cup standings, Simpson is in first place with 930 points. Sakakibara is in second place with 870 points. In the Women’s Elite BMX Cycling World Rankings, Simpson is now in fifth place with 2419 points. She is behind Laura Smulders of the Netherlands (3424 points), Sakakibara (3268 points), Claessens (3149 points), and Bethany Shriever of Great Britain (3121 points). The gold and silver medals will give Simpson confidence as she prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
