BMX Latvian Champions Crowned in Mārupe; Laake Wins Elite/U23, Černovs and Kārkliņa Triumph in Juniors
On Saturday, the 2026 Latvian National BMX Championship took place in Tīraine, with local rider Noa Rafaels Laake winning the Elite/U23 category and Roberts Černovs and Adelīna Kārkliņa taking gold in the junior classes.
Nearly 350 riders from all active Latvian BMX clubs gathered in Tīraine, Mārupe Municipality, for the 2026 Latvian National BMX Championship on Saturday. The well-prepared track, full grandstands, and various off-track activities created a festive atmosphere, with the forecast rain holding off.
Elite and U23 riders competed together, the winner decided by combined results from three races. Kārlis Pedraudzis won the first race, but Noa Rafaels Laake took the next two, securing his first U23 national title. Pedraudzis earned silver, and Reinārs Pavlovs bronze. In the Elite category, Dāvis Jānis Elbrets finished first, beating clubmate Mārtiņš Emīls Treimanis.
In junior men, Roberts Černovs won the gold by claiming the third race, with Gustavs Puriņš second and Jānis Bindže third. Junior women saw Adelīna Kārkliņa win all three races, ahead of Lotte Etmane. Adrija Dārta Siliņa won the U23 women's category.
Other age groups: Ralfs Ratnieks dominated B16, Marks Freivalds won B15, Aleksis Lānso took B14, and Tomass Zēbergs won B13. In girls G15+, Melānija Čudare prevailed. The amateur M17+ category was won by Klāvs Lisovskis. Medals were awarded to riders from clubs including BMX Mārupe, Tālava/VSS, Mītavas kumeļi, and others.
