Teagan O’Keeffe was only six-years-old when she first started cycling, and instantly fell in love with the sport and has never looked back. As a young girl, she would watch her older brother Jordi racing his BMX every weekend, and was envious of his shining trophies, and decided that she too wanted to be part of the action and excitement.
Teagan O’Keeffe
Vital Stats
Date of birth:
10-11-1992
Hometown:
Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal
Currently lives:
Irvine, California
Team:
Part of SASCOC’s OPEX programme
Her parents still laugh as they recall Teagan’s first race and the look on the other parents’ faces when this little blonde girl on a pink Barbie bicycle with tassles and a basket on the handlebars, went flying past their sons, beating them to the finish of the race.
She draws inspiration from her dad, Patrick, who always gives, and expects, 100% effort from Teagan and her brothers.
Teagan’s training regime takes about 26-hours per week and includes gym work, sprints, endurance and working on technique on her BMX at the track. She tapers off her training in the lead up to major events as part of her recovery and to perform at her best.
Finishing in 5th place in the recent Supercross World Cup in Argentina ranks as one of her career highlights, although she recalls that just about nothing will top winning the World Championship title and rainbow jersey in South Africa in 2010.
“As the first ever South African Elite BMX woman, I would like to be remembered for paving the way forward for the future Elite Women and inspiring the young girls to pursue their goals no matter how challenging the path is. I strive to always be a good ambassador for not only BMX South Africa, but for my country as well.”
The hardest part of being a woman cyclist?
“It is hard for female BMX racers to get the same recognition that the men get. This may sound “cliché” but it can be tough on us as people quickly forget that we also train equally as much and race just as hard as the men. The strength and speed of the men make for more spectacular racing and is always a crowd favorite whereas in the past, the women’s races were never taken seriously. However recently, as the tracks have got more demanding and the depth of women has increased, we seem to be slowly getting the credit we deserve.”
Give this girl a MTB and you've have fire at XC races...