BUCHANAN — Most high school students spend the month of November getting ready for final exams and preparing for the holiday break. However, one 16-year-old Buchanan High School student spent a large portion of the month flipping her bike over various obstacles in an international BMX competition.

Buchanan resident Hannah Roberts spent the first two weeks of November competing in the Fise World Series and the 2017 UCI Urban Cycling World Championship. Both competitions took place in China.

“I was riding against some of the best women [BMXers] in the world,” Roberts said. “There were women from Switzerland and Japan, Americans and South Americans. It was a really cool experience.”

Roberts not only won both the competitions she competed in, but also came back to Buchanan with the honor of becoming the first female world champion BMX freestyler in history.

“I always want to push to be the best I can, so it was really cool [to win],” Roberts said. “What keeps me going is pushing my limits and getting to see the world, so it was just really cool.”

Having done BMX for eight years, Roberts spends the majority of her free time training and practicing for competitions, which she said can be difficult to balance with her school work. However, with supportive teachers and family, she has been able to stay afloat and continue to do what she loves, which makes her win in China all the more rewarding, Roberts said.

“BMX has always been something I was passionate about,” she said. “To be able to get paid to do something I love to do is just amazing. I’m lucky to be able to do that.”

Roberts’ wins in November are important, not just for her personally, but for women generally in BMX, she said.

“When I first started riding, there weren’t really any female competitions, so every competition I did was against a guy. But lately, [BMX] has been pushing for equality on the women’s side, and there are a lot more girls riding,” she said. “It means a lot to me just to see the progression of the sport.”

Because of this, Roberts’ new title as the first female world champion is something she takes seriously, she said.

Additionally, Roberts said she hopes her wins will encourage other women in the sport, and that she hopes the progression of women in BMX will continue to grow, even into the 2020 Olympics.

“Hopefully, in the next few years, we are going to see a lot of girls come out of nowhere and really shine,” Roberts said. “It’s really exciting to think of all the new tricks they can do and where BMX will be in 2020.”

Since returning for her trip, Roberts has been catching up on missed school work and gearing up for the next steps in her BMX career, which including prepping for her next season and next year’s regional qualifiers for the 2020 Olympics.

“I’m really excited for what’s next,” Roberts said. “I love [BMX] and I’m glad I’m able to compete and be successful at it.”