A young North Belfast child is taking the Irish BMX scene by storm after riding the bikes for just over a year.
Samia Hughes started riding BMX just over a year ago after she started cycling during the Covid lockdown with her dad when she was seven.
Starting on a small children's bike in Mallusk Park, the nine-year-old's dad noticed that Samia had a natural ability for riding bikes and started to take her to other places such as the bike track in Ormeau Park to practice, before they arrived at The Ramp House in East Belfast where her BMX journey began.
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Since then her talent has progressed even further, with her starting and winning a number of competitions and over the past year she has been crowned Ulster, Irish and Scottish champion.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Samia and her parents Thomas and Ciara said that they have ended up in the world of BMX by chance as no one in their family has been involved in the sport before.
Thomas said: "During lockdown I started taking Samia out on this small bike that she had to Mulusk and I noticed that as she was going up and down the hills, she had really good control of the bike and was quite good at cycling.
"Over the next few weeks we went to a few different places to ride the bike, such as the bike track in Ormeau Park, and then we eventually ended up at The Ramp House where she got her first taste of riding a BMX.
"From the moment she got there everyone was so welcoming and supportive and the owners also noticed that Samia had a lot of talent on a bike and began to give her encouragement to do more and more.
"Very soon they said we should start getting her into competitions and connected us with the Lisburn BMX Club and she became a team rider for The Ramp House, with her being the youngest and only girl on the team."
Ciara said: "There is nobody in our family who has been involved in anything like this before but we are now becoming fully immersed in the BMX world as we travel all over the UK and Ireland going to competitions.
"Everywhere we go we are going as a big family unit, with Samia's sisters, uncles, aunties and grandparents all coming along to cheer her on.
"From the very first event Samia has taken everything in her stride and has won competition after competition against other girls who are older and have been cycling for much longer than she has."
Samia has now won around 18 competitions, including the prestigious Ulster, Irish and Scottish championships and is beginning to make a name for herself among the BMX community as an up and coming talent that has a lot of potential in the sport.
Samia said: "Before my first race I was confident that I could do well and was very happy that I won.
"One of the best things about it all is travelling to all of the different competitions and seeing new places where I am able to ride.
"My favourite title I have won so far is my Irish Championship and I hope that next year I will be able to take part in the World Championships in Glasgow."
Thomas said: "We have been blown away with just how well Samia has been doing in the sport and we know the sky's the limit if she keeps it going!
"All of her friends know that she is a BMXer and she has been taking her trophies into school assembly and things to tell everyone about what she is doing.
"BMX is often looked at as being a primarily male sport, but Samia is showing everyone what girls are able to do and I know that others are getting involved in the sport after seeing her ride and feeling inspired."
The family said that over the past year they have received a lot of support from the local BMX community, particularly those at The Ramp House, where Samia is affectionately known as 'The Boss'.
Ciara said: "Since Samia started on this journey the help and encouragement she has received has been fantastic, everyone just wants to see her grow and do well.
"We would just like to give a big thank you to Rob, Pete, Rab and Brian and everyone at The Ramp House, along with the Lisburn BMX Club who have done so much to help Samia and us settle into this new world.
"The Covid lockdown was a tough time for everyone, but our shining light from it has been that Samia found her talent and we could not be prouder of everything that she has done."
The family have said they would welcoming any sponsorship to help Samia on her journey and if anyone is interested in helping the talented young BMX rider please email: cs02tom@gmail.com
Video by Dylan Hegarty
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