The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
In a historic performance on home soil, 11-year-old Huck Kurinsky secured 3rd place in the Junior BMX Freestyle event at the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup in Birmingham, Alabama. The podium finish makes Kurinsky the youngest American ever to podium at a FISE World Cup event and the first American rider to land on the Junior category podium in series history.
Huffy Bicycles Pro athlete Kurinsky went toe to toe against an elite international field, competing directly with the 15-year-old German National Champion, the 13-year-old Russian National Champion, and the Chilean National Champion. Despite his young age, Kurinsky delivered high flying technical runs to secure his spot on the podium.
The event marked the second stop of the 4 round 2026 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup series following the kickoff in Montpellier, France, which draws over 500,000 spectators annually. It also served as the first time Birmingham hosted a round of the World Cup series.
Up next, Kurinsky tackles an intensive international schedule:
- USA BMX Freestyle National Championship (Salt Lake City, Utah): In two weeks, Kurinsky competes at the USA Cycling Olympic Training Center aiming for his fifth consecutive national title.
- Brussels Urban Sessions (Brussels, Belgium): From September 11 to September 13, 2026, Kurinsky travels to Belgium to compete at Cinquantenaire Park.
- UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup Stop 3 (Shanghai, China): In October, Kurinsky rejoins the FISE World Cup circuit for Round 3 in Shanghai.
Throughout the competition, Kurinsky proudly wore his custom “Ohio The Heart of it All” helmet as part of his ongoing partnership with Tourism Ohio and the Ohio Department of Development, representing his home state on the global stage.
