HEAD OVER WHEELS

Golden girl Deng hopes win will urge more kids to fall in love with BMX

Furious, aggressive, gentle and elegant all at once — that's the message China's BMX freestyle cyclist Deng Yawen delivered with her history-making golden run at the Paris Olympics.

For those back home who tuned in to watch a sport with no clue what to expect, teen rider Deng dazzled them, no doubt eliciting "oohs "and "aahs" from China's night owls as she lit up the Place de la Concorde under the scorching sun of Paris on Wednesday, performing some of the most spectacular BMX freestyle runs that the world has ever seen in the final of the women's freestyle park event.

With bar spins, high-flying flips, and then the killer trick of double tail-whips — twice — the Chinese favorite, a runner-up in qualifications, literally soared across a course set up with jumps, ramps and rails, exhibiting the best of what bicycle motocross — or BMX — has to offer.