The New Zealand Olympian Kurt Pickard enjoyed a breakthrough victory on the first day of the USA BMX Nationals series in Pittsburgh today.
The 22 year old from Tauranga scored his first Grand Finals win in the US against some of the major competition that he will face in this month's UCI BMX World Championships in Auckland, including two-time Olympic champion Maris Strombergs.
Pickard won the Grand Final ahead of world championship-bound Americans Corben Sharrah and David Herman, while Strombergs from Latvia, crashed while leading in his semifinal.
The win was a mental boost for Pickard, who crashed in the quarterfinals at the London Olympics and carried a niggling injury into his preparations in the USA.
