TOKYO — Perhaps it was an ominous sign, or maybe just a normal one, when BMX racing at the Olympics began Monday with a training run collision between a top cyclist and a marshal who wandered onto the track.
When the competition began on Thursday, a Japanese rider flipped over her handlebars in the first heat, ending her Olympic experience in less than a minute and sending her away with a broken collarbone.
Friday, the day the medals were doled out, began with a thunderous downpour, which felt right, because BMX is high in drama.