Results & Recap: 2026 Park Lines BMX & SA Champs
Leygonie Defends National Title at the 2026 Park Lines BMX Tournament
High-flying BMX action took over the SkyLab BMX Park in Bryanston, Johannesburg over the weekend as the Park Lines BMX Tournament hosted the official 2026 South African BMX Freestyle Championships. Sanctioned by Cycling South Africa and the UCI, the event was presented by LW Mag and Dragon Energy in partnership with Garmin, Insta360, Monster Products, Fox Racing, and Mongoose Bikes. Here’s a recap of the action.
| IMAGES: Eric Palmer |
South Africa’s top BMX Freestyle riders gathered to compete for national honours, valuable UCI ranking points, prize money, and championship glory. At the end of an action-packed day, Vincent Leygonie successfully defended his Pro Men’s title to once again be crowned South African BMX Freestyle Champion.
The purpose-built SkyLab BMX Park at the Jozi-X Adventure Park provided the stage for the country’s best riders to showcase their skills. Featuring a variety of ramps, transitions, and line options, the park challenged competitors to combine creativity, technical difficulty, style, and consistency in their pursuit of the highest scores.
Riders competed in both the Amateur and Pro divisions, with judges scoring runs based on use-of-park, amplitude, execution, trick variety and difficulty. The Pro division competitors battled not only for national rankings but also for a share of the R30,000 prize purse and Garmin Instinct 3 smartwatches. The Amateur Division winner earned a brand-new Mongoose BMX, while additional prizes from event partners were awarded throughout the podium positions. The crowd-favourite Insta360 Best Trick Contest offered riders the chance to win an Insta360 Action Camera.
Qualifying heats consisted of two runs per rider, with both runs counting towards their overall score. Amateur riders were allocated 45 seconds per run, while Pro riders received one minute. In the finals, riders again completed two runs, with only their highest-scoring run counting towards their final result.
Amateur Division
The Amateur Division showcased the next generation of South African BMX talent, with emerging riders making their competition debut and highlighting the continued growth of the sport locally. Eight riders advanced to the final, and produced one of the most closely contested Amateur competitions in recent years.
Cape Town’s Stefan Heyns impressed the judges with a well-rounded run featuring a strong variety of tricks and effective use of the course, earning himself a 3rd place finish. Johannesburg’s Patrick Wodrich showcased his progression over the past year. Having narrowly missed the podium in 2025, he returned determined to challenge for the top spot. Big Backflips, combos, a variation of tricks and good amplitude earned him enough points to secure 2nd place overall.
In only his second BMX Freestyle competition, Johannesburg rider Sinjin Caromba delivered a standout performance. Using the entire park with speed, confidence, and style, Caromba impressed with huge airs, creative transfers, 360s over both box jumps, a massive Nac Nac Seat Grab, and Tuck No-Handers. His combination of consistency and progression earned him the top score and the Amateur Division victory, securing his move up to the Pro Division for 2027.
Pro Division
The highly anticipated Pro Men’s Division saw riders competing for their chance of earning valuable UCI points and official SA ranking by qualifying into the eight rider final.
After winning the Amateur Division in 2025, Johannesburg’s Sean Fulton made his Pro Division debut. Riding with confidence and showcasing a selection of technical tricks, Fulton impressed throughout the day and secured a respectable 5th place finish.
Cape Town’s Malcolm Peters once again demonstrated why he remains one of the country’s most exciting riders. His run featured a Backflip Turndown and Tailwhip over the big box, a 360 over the small box, multiple Flairs on the quarter pipe, and a smooth 360 over the spine to finish 4th overall.
Johannesburg’s Nkosinathi Nkosi continued his streak of podium performances with another solid display. His run included a Toboggan Transfer, Superman Seatgrab and Barspin over the big box, a Turndown on the quarter pipe, a 360 Tabletop over the small box, a 540 on the quarter pipe, and strong use of the entire course. The performance earned him 3rd place.
Returning to the Park Lines BMX Tournament after missing the 2025 edition, Cape Town’s Murray Loubser delivered one of the most technical runs of the day. Widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most versatile BMX riders, Loubser packed his run with a Truck Driver and 360 over the spine, a 360 Lookback, One-Handed Cannonball and Superman over the big box, a 360 Tabletop over the small box, a Flair on the quarter pipe, and a 360 Nose Manual to 360 Out over the small box. His consistency and trick selection secured 2nd place overall.
Defending champion Vincent Leygonie was in top form throughout the competition. The Johannesburg rider’s international experience and dedicated preparation for this year’s tournament shined through. Combining huge amplitude with flawless execution, his championship-winning run included a Transfer Barspin, Backflip Tuck No-Hander, Truck Driver and 360 Tuck No-Hander over the big box, a Barspin, Flair, Lookback and Alley-Oop Tailwhip on the quarter pipe, a 360 Tailwhip over the small box, quarter-to-quarter transfers in both directions, and a 360 Tuck No-Hander over the spine. The run earned the highest score of the day and secured Leygonie’s second consecutive South African BMX Freestyle Championship title.
Insta360 Best Trick Contest
The day concluded with the crowd-favourite Insta360 Best Trick Contest, where riders pushed the limits in pursuit of victory, risking heavy crashes in the process. A thrilling battle unfolded between Malcolm Peters and Vincent Leygonie.
Leygonie wowed spectators with massive transfers, a Backflip Superman over the big box, a Flair on the quarter-to-quarter transfer, and a Cash Roll attempt. Peters answered with attempts at a Flair Tailwhip on the quarter pipe, but it was his Backflip Opposite Tailwhip over the big box – a trick he had never previously landed – that stole the show. Stomping the trick cleanly on his first attempt, Peters secured the Best Trick title and took home the Insta360 Action Camera prize.
Park Lines organiser, Ryan van der Spuy says, “Now in its sixth edition, the Park Lines BMX Tournament has become a cornerstone of BMX Freestyle in South Africa, and I’m incredibly proud of what the event has achieved over the years, producing seven South African Champions and one Olympian. Beyond this, our core focus has always been the development and growth of the sport locally. Being able to provide a platform where riders can progress, showcase their talent, and compete at the highest level remains important to us.
One of the biggest highlights from this year’s event was seeing a new generation of young, up-and-coming riders step up and compete. The progression within the Amateur division was impressive and resulted in one of the most competitive contests we’ve seen to date. At the same time, the Pro riders delivered an incredible display of skill, determination, and commitment in their battle for championship honours.
The level of riding continues to rise year after year, which is exciting for the future of BMX Freestyle in South Africa. We’re already looking forward to building on this momentum and can’t wait for the next Park Lines BMX Tournament.”
Results
Amateur
1st Sinjin Caromba – 75.00 Points
2nd Patrick Wodrich – 70.00 Points
3rd Stefan Heyns – 60.00 Points
4th Clive Mabusela – 49.00 Points
5th Jadon de Swart – 47.00 Points
6th Justin Williamson – 42.00 Points
7th Tristan Debuys – 39.00 Points
8th Aiden Doubell – 34.00 Points
Pro Men
1st Vincent Leygonie – 85.00 Points
2nd Murray Loubser – 82.00 Points
3rd Nkosinathi Nkosi – 72.00 Points
4th Malcolm Peters – 69.00 Points
5th Sean Fulton – 67.00 Points
6th Doran Mathewson – 64.00 Points
7th Morgan O’Kennedy – 60.00 Points
8th Mark Pienaar – 45.00 Points
Insta360 Best Trick
Malcolm Peters – Backflip Opposite Tailwhip //