Vincent Leygonie, from Fourways, says confidence, fitness, and consistency will be key as he prepares to defend his title at the 2026 South African BMX Freestyle Championships.

He’ll be fighting off interlopers during the Park Lines BMX Tournament at SkyLab Skatepark in Bryanston on May 30. Despite entering the competition with a target on his back, Leygonie said he has managed to stay calm ahead of the highly anticipated event.

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“I feel like I’ve been putting in a lot of reps at the park and quietly pushing myself pretty hard in my own little world. The pressure side of things hasn’t really popped into my mind too much. I feel confident, I feel relaxed, and because of that there’s been very little stress.”

Leygonie said that balancing life outside of riding has also helped him avoid becoming overwhelmed by expectations leading into the event. Looking ahead to this year’s course, he believes riders will need to carefully manage both speed and stamina on the tighter layout.

“There are definitely sections on the course that can make or break a run. The small box section, for example, can rob a lot of speed from you, so if you make a mistake there you can end up struggling for momentum through a big portion of the park.”

He added that avoiding repetitive riding patterns will also be important in impressing judges. However, Leygonie said fitness may ultimately separate the top contenders from the rest.

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“Tight parks always come down to fitness levels. A one-minute run feels way longer on a compact course, compared to a big open layout where you have sections to reset and breathe. Managing your effort levels is going to be a huge part of doing well.”

Since last season, the rider believes his biggest improvement has been in combining technical difficulty with style and consistency.

“I think the biggest progression in my riding has been in the difficulty of my tricks and linking hard tricks together. I’ve been doing a lot of work on backflip variations, and I’ve also been focusing on bigger, more stylish filler tricks.”

While he feels his overall difficulty level has improved, Leygonie said he still considers style, height, and amplitude among his strongest qualities. “I’m trying to bring all of those things together more consistently.”

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His ambitions remain high heading into the competition, with the rider aiming to claim both the pro division title and the best trick crown.

“That said, it’s tough, Malcolm Peters, from Cape Town, is always sitting on some crazy banger that nobody knows about until he pulls it out.”

Although he does not yet have a dedicated best trick move fully prepared, Leygonie said he has been focusing on tricks that can consistently score during runs.

“I do have a few ideas I’ve been working on, but nothing has fully clicked yet. Maybe over the next week or two I’ll really put my head down and see what develops.”

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