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AAP
AAP
Murray Wenzel

Martin soaks up Olympic fame on path to Paris

Logan Martin performed some of his tricks during the BMX and mountain bike team naming for Paris. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

You only need to have tacos for dinner to understand the impact of Logan Martin's Tokyo gold medal.

The freestyle BMX talent's likeness is keeping fine company on every Old El Paso box, alongside Boomers legend Patty Mills and Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, promoting this month's Paris Games.

Before Tokyo the Queensland rider was a champion in his industry, but admits the sport's Olympic arrival - and his sheer, aesthetically pleasing dominance - triggered "crazy" mainstream awareness.

"It was pretty impressive to see the publicity that came from it," Martin told AAP after his Paris spot was officially confirmed on Friday.

"Freestyle BMX and skateboarding it was unfamiliar but after that, and me and (Australian park gold medallist) Keegan Palmer both winning, helped our urban sports gain more traction.

"It was crazy and awesome to see and going into this one, everyone's more prepared to pay a bit more attention to it. 

"We're in the heart of Paris, going to be a crazy atmosphere."

The Place de la Concorde has been transformed into a multi-sport urban park, but details of the course Martin and female compatriot Natalya Diehm will compete on were only released on Thursday night.

Martin had the Tokyo schematics months before those Games and had the exact facility replicated on the Gold Coast to train on before he arrived.

"It definitely helped, but wasn't the be-all and end-all," he said.

"I've got to try and figure out what my best run would look like and what I can do on that course. But I can adjust to whatever they throw at us."

A foot injury hampered his lead-up to the last qualifying event in Budapest where Martin failed to post a score after crashing on both runs to miss automatic qualification.

But, aware that a quota position was likely regardless of that result, he said the long-term focus had always been Paris and he'd arrive with a few new tricks up his sleeve. 

"I don't doubt most of the other guys capable of winning have some stuff up their sleeve, it's just a smart card to play," he said.

Diehm
Natalya Diehm overcame eight surgeries to make her way to Paris. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

Diehm will also be among the medal chances in her second Games, the 26-year-old forging on despite five anterior cruciate ligament tears and six surgeries on the same knee, as well as two shoulder surgeries since Tokyo.

Izaac Kennedy shattered his wrist in a crash less than two months ago but is already back riding and will be a strong medal chance in BMX racing, based on his World Cup form.

So too will Tokyo Olympian Saya Sakakibara, who had four firsts and two seconds from six events this season.

Lauren Reynolds has won a fourth BMX racing Olympic berth, as has mountain bike cross country rider Rebecca Henderson.

The pair will join retired track champion and Paris chef de mission Anna Meares as the only female Australian cyclists to compete at four Olympics. 

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