26th Pannonian Challenge: BMX Stars Completed World Cup Qualifications at the Osijek Skate Park
This past weekend, Osijek was the epicenter of extreme sports. The 26th edition of the Pannonian Challenge brought together over 100 athletes from the BMX, INLINE, and SKATE categories, with the highest number of professional athletes—44 in total—competing in the BMX category.
Athletes from the national BMX teams of Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Hungary, Ukraine, and China gathered in Osijek this weekend. The most prominent among them was the Chinese national team, led by one of the world’s most renowned BMX athletes, Daniel Dhers. Dhers gladly embraced the coaching role and proudly spoke of the athletes ranked among the world’s top five, including Olympic BMX champion Deng Yawen.
“I immediately noticed some changes in the skate park and did a quick ride, but this year I’m here in a different role—as a coach. In addition to Olympic champion Deng Yawen, team member Sun Sibei, silver medalist at the 2023 World Freestyle BMX Championship, also arrived at the Pannonian.”
Dhers emphasized that the Pannonian Challenge is one of the longest-running extreme sports competitions—not only in Europe but globally—helping to place Osijek and the region on the international BMX map. This year’s edition was held just one week before the BMX World Cup in Montpellier, France.
In the BMX Pro Women’s category, Olympic athlete Deng Yawen took first place. Shuhua Zhao placed second, while Sibei Sun claimed the bronze. The Chinese team thus proved why they were considered the top contenders.
“Osijek and Croatia are beautiful. I’m extremely happy to be here and very satisfied with the result,” said winner Deng Yawen.
In the intense competition of the BMX Pro Men’s category, 24 athletes made it to the final run, but one stood out. The victory went to Croatia’s most well-known BMX rider, Marin Ranteš. The silver medal went to Nikita Fominov, while Arsenii Liubishkin won bronze.
“It’s always an amazing feeling to return to this competition, especially after suffering an injury eight months ago. I’m very happy to have completed the run without any problems,” said Ranteš after the medal ceremony.
