Story by Panashe Nagoli
ZIMBABWE’S rising BMX sensation Thomas Fadwick Junior has earned a place at the UCI BMX World Championships in Brisbane, Australia, marking a major milestone for the country’s growing cycling talent and signalling the emergence of one of its brightest young sporting prospects.
At just 11 years old, the youngster, affectionately known as TJ, has become one of the most exciting names in Zimbabwean cycling, consistently impressing with performances against competitors much older than himself.
His qualification for the world championships follows years of dedication after taking up BMX at the age of three. Over the past eight years, he has steadily developed into one of the country’s most promising riders.
TJ recently underlined his growing credentials by leading a 100-kilometre BMX race, showcasing the determination, endurance and technical ability that have earned him recognition within the cycling fraternity.
His father, Thomas Fadwick, said the family’s discovery of TJ’s talent happened entirely by chance.
“This actually started as an accident, we bought him a bike at three years old and we now wanted to take off the support wheels but we struggled for almost six months and we then decided to take him to a professional and then they managed to take them off but we struggled to get him back home because he just fell in love with cycling and that’s how his talent was discovered and now eight years later he is racing against people twice his age and beating them which is absolutely incredible.”
TJ’S mother, Precious Fadwick, is proud of her son’s exploits but says every time she watches the sport with motherly anxiety .
“My biggest fear has always been that he will remember this is a very dangerous sport. I’m always scared that he will fall, but he loves it, and I am absolutely proud of the boy. I always joke with him and tell him that at sixteen he will be quitting because it will get dangerous, but he is adamant that he is the best,” she said.
For TJ, BMX is more than just a sport; it is his first love, his passion, and what the young man is now living for.
“I just love this, it is so exciting. I started at three years old, and I have never looked back. I sometimes get scared that I will fall, but it is worth it because it is just so exciting, and I enjoy the rides and the terrain,” he said.
TJ says his dream is to compete at the highest level one day.
“My dream is that I will compete and win at the highest level with this sport, right now I am scheduled to go to Australia, and I hope that one day I do the Tour de France and also win it,” he said.
At just eleven years old, TJ has already caught the attention of professional cyclists who say he has the potential to become a world champion, and judging by his performance, one can say with certainty that TJ is more than just a boy with his bike, but rather a champion soon to be celebrated.
