Rim Nakamura

RISING HIGH

Kyoto might not be the epicentre of BMX culture, but that hasn’t kept Rim Nakamura from chasing his dream. Here, the rising rider explains how his name shaped his career and why motivation can make up for natural disadvantages

Words MIKE SUNDA

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early two decades ago, Rim Nakamura’s father picked out two kanji characters [Chinese characters used in Japanese writing] for his son’s first name that reflected his own long-standing passion for all things BMX: “wheel” and “dream”. It’s these two characters that comprise the name Rim, and, as the 19-year-old Japanese rising star goes from strength to strength, lighting up competitions throughout the world with his incredible combinations of tricks, there could not be a more textbook example of nominative determinism in action.

Not only that, but as he prepares for the big competition in his home country, in the year that freestyle BMX makes its big debut, it’s also remarkably prescient that the first character in Nakamura’s first name has another meaning that would seem to suggest that fate is in his favour when it comes to this summer’s most anticipated sporting event: “ring”.

“I get asked this a lot recently,” explains his father, Casa Nakamura. “I never thought about all of that when I gave him the characters for his name. But I do think I did a good job in choosing them!”

Like father, like son

It’s fair to say that Nakamura senior deserves to give himself a pat on the back, even if he’d probably point out that his son’s accomplishments have resulted from a combination of absolute talent and sheer hard work, rather than merely that fortuitous name. But his father has been an ever-present pivotal figure in Nakamura’s life, and integral to his son’s interest in all things BMX. An institution in their hometown of Kyoto, Casa built a skatepark for local university students by hand, and the BMX shop that he still runs to this day continues to be a beacon for all the riders in the neighbourhood’s BMX community. It was in this niche that Nakamura was raised.

“I’ve been BMXing since I was three years old – it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life,” he explains. “From as far back as I can remember, I would be in my dad’s shop with my friends, where we’d watch BMX DVDs and hang out. Even when

”THERE’S SOMETHING ‘COOL’ ABOUT BMX, IT’S ALL ABOUT CHALLENGING YOURSELF“

I was still in school, it was a completely separate world to my school life. BMX was my world.”

It’s rare to hear stories comparable to Nakamura’s. The culture surrounding BMX in Japan remains one that exists firmly outside of the mainstream, and its community is a tight-knit one, attracting fervent enthusiasts rather than fairweather riders. “If the environment here was better, then the level [among local riders] would naturally be higher,” Nakamura suggests. “There isn’t much infrastructure around, so even if you buy a BMX, there aren’t enough places to practise, and that doesn’t help the scene’s growth. I hear a lot about places like California and the Gold Coast in Australia, where the environment for BMX is great and the level is really high as a result.”

But inclusion in the big events is helping the sport attract a broader audience. The second annual Ark League, an international competition in Samukawa, Kanagawa, comprising flatland BMX, skateboarding and breakdance competitions, attracted an audience of 25,000 people over three days in 2019, and recent public demonstrations of flatland BMX in prominent areas like Shibuya’s Stream Square will only help raise awareness.

Innocence and experience

Nakamura, however, has had a head start, inheriting his father’s love for BMX, and then also finding himself inspired by big-name international riders that would occasionally pass through Japan. “Dennis Enarson has long been a favourite of mine,” Nakamura says. “I saw him live in the flesh when I was younger, when he came to Kyoto, to our local skatepark. Watching him, you get the feeling like there’s absolutely nothing that he isn’t able to do. He can do everything. That’s something I aspire to, also.”

Nakamura speaks with such youthful exuberance and single-minded passion about the sport of BMX that it’s easy to think of him as someone taking his

HOW TO BECOME SUPERMAN

The Superman is one of the most iconic air tricks in any freestyle BMX rider’s repertoire, but it’s also a trick that requires serious panache to pull off. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

2 As you’re jumping, at the peak of your elevation, kick your legs out backwards. 3 Push your arms forward horizontally, forming a straight line. 4 As you snap your elbows and knees, bring your bike back down.

1 As you go up the lip, pull up and back hard enough that you’ll get extra air than normal.

RIM NAKAMURA’S ADVICE: “The most important thing about the Superman trick is you really want to look like Superman. It’s a simple trick on paper, but if there’s any bend at all in your arms or legs, it doesn’t look cool, so you need to make sure you’re completely straight!”

5 Go straight back to your pedals.

first steps into the competitive arena, but his attitude belies the wealth of experience that he already has under his belt.

Despite his young age, he’s already registered major victories at domestic tournaments such as the All Japan Championships in 2016, and the prestige of an X Games gold medal only narrowly evaded him at Minneapolis 2019, when he came second in BMX Park. “My main goal has always been to win at the X Games, and that’s something that I’m striving towards constantly,” he says. “It’s just a case of training, being disciplined, and utilising the experience that I’m constantly building up.”

Pushing the very limit

While eagerly training to achieve another big goal – a medal this summer – he suffered a tough setback: In September, he broke a bone in his left heel while filming a BMX video. “As soon as I hit the ground, I knew I broke my heel, and I was like, holy crap,” he says. After the surgery, he found himself on crutches with his foot in a brace. Only months before the Games, this could be a spirit-crushing outlook. But Nakamura found a way to use the unfortunate situation to his advantage. “I’ve never been a gym guy before, but due to the accident, I had to refocus, put all my effort to work on my physical fitness properly,” he says. “It was a great way to realise the importance of physical training. I feel very confident now.”

BMX in Japan might not yet compete with the sport’s traditional heartlands abroad, but it’s this kind of indestructible positive attitude that sets Nakamura apart from many of his international peers. His motivations even transcend the material side of the sport. “Of course, there’s something inherently ‘cool’ about BMX, but more than that, it’s about challenging yourself to do things that you wouldn’t think you’re able to do,” says Nakamura. “It’s about finding the satisfaction of accomplishing things that you’ve been practising for so long and pushing yourself to the very limit.”

Itabashi Adachi

Nerima Kita

Toshima

1

Arakawa Katsushikaiku

Nakano Bunkyo Taito

Suginami Shinjuku

Shibuya Chiyoda

Chuo Sumida

Koto Edogawa

Setagaya

3

Meguro Minato

Shinagawa

Ota

The BMX spots where Rim rides

1. Murasaki Park Tokyo

Murasaki Park is one of Rim’s favourite BMX spots in Tokyo, and home to a strong local community that often congregates there. Located in an area called Kita-Senju, the outdoor skatepark boasts a larger repertoire of street and transition obstacles than most, and lays claim to a four-metre vert ramp that’s much bigger than other ramps in the city’s other parks. There’s also a section for inline, with spines, jump ramps and banks that are lined up, park style, making this one of the city’s best locations for beginners and advanced BMX riders alike.

Address:

120-0024 Tokyo, Senjusekiyacho, 19−1 Amazing Square

2. Trinity B3 Skate Park

Easily accessible from some of Tokyo’s biggest transit hubs like Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, Trinity B3 is an all-weather indoor skate park in Itabashi that caters to practitioners of all types of action sports, and across all levels. They also have a school with instructors for both street and flatland styles of BMX, making this a great spot for young budding riders.

Address:

174-0041 Tokyo, Itabashi, Funado 4–12–20

3. Setagaya Skate Park

Whereas the majority of public parks in Tokyo are notorious for their ubiquity of signs that decry ‘no ball games’, ‘no skateboarding’, and, essentially, no fun, Setagaya park is both delightfully idiosyncratic and also still conveniently located in the west of the city. It’s home to a mini steam train that loops around the park grounds (a favourite for small children), a DIY playground for older kids and a skatepark that has a flatrail, a manny pad and lots of curb to grind on, making this a great option for a quick ride at weekends.

Address:

154-0001 Tokyo, Setagaya, Ikejiri 1–5–27

CLIMBING

MEET THE HOPEFULS, LEARN THE BASICS, FIND THE HOTSPOTS

IN THIS SECTION Shauna Coxsey reveals how injuries make her stronger on page 66 and Kai Harada explains why setting himself new challenges helps him achieve his goals on page 76.