Kieran Reilly's superstitious mullet is already proving its worth after the BMX freestyler finished top of qualification at Paris 2024.
The Gateshead rider laid down a stellar first run of 91.68 to put him top of the rankings and with an equally impressive 90.75 in his second round, Reilly cemented himself as the one to beat ahead of the final tomorrow.
Reilly rocked up in Paris looking to add to his 2023 world title and did not hold back as he made his Olympic debut at the Place de la Concorde's Urban Park.
He finished nearly two points ahead of his nearest rival, American Marcus Christopher, with French favourite Anthony JeanJean back in fifth.
And the man with the mullet insisted that his confidence was buzzing, especially as it means he'll be last to drop in for the final, knowing what he needs to do.
"I am just hoping today's result is something to follow up tomorrow," he said.
"I am definitely a volume, big trick rider and we have got a lot of features on this course which is great for me.
"I am managing to implement a little bit of a change in style that I want to debut here and I feel like I am riding better than I ever have.
"Everyone here is going to debut bigger things tomorrow. Being in the position I am, I get to see all that go down. I have just got to stay in my lane and execute my run to the best of my ability.
"I had a stellar year last year and I think the only thing I can follow that up with is a medal here. That's the goal coming in.
"I am really happy with my riding at the moment, let's hope it pays off tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Charlotte Worthington insisted she had no regrets after the defence of her Olympic BMX freestyle title ended in qualification.
It's said winning an Olympic title is hard but defending it so much tougher and Worthington can certainly empathise.
In Tokyo she became the first-ever BMX Freestyle gold medallist - and produced a trick never previously seen to do it, a dizzying, gravity-defying, heart-in-mouth 360 backflip that left rivals shaking their head in disbelief and admiration.
Needing to finish in the top nine of 12 riders in qualifying, Worthington's two runs left her in 11th and outside of qualification.
"I have no idea what the future holds," she said. "This has been a crazy journey and I’ve gone from the top of the world to my own personal rock bottom and I’m on the process of building up.
"I don’t know if I’ll go to another Olympics. I don’t know where my competitions lie now. There's a lot of emotions, I'm really proud but still gutted that the competition doesn't go on another day
"I've done three years as an Olympic champion - the first one ever in BMX freestyle - and it's been a hell of a ride.”
Sportsbeat 2024