{"id":198595,"date":"2026-03-20T01:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T01:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/198595\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T01:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T01:54:08","slug":"sawyer-murphree-headed-to-bmx-world-championships-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/198595\/","title":{"rendered":"Sawyer Murphree headed to BMX World Championships in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
\n
\n \/Cape News
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

1 \/ 3<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

IMAGE PROVIDED<\/p>\n

2 \/ 3<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sawyer Murphree, AKA \u201cThe Warrior,\u201d has been selected to represent Team USA at the upcoming Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) BMX World Championships in Australia this July.\u00a0
\nPROVIDED<\/p>\n

3 \/ 3<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Contender Sawyer Murphree with his parents, Adam and Sydney.
\nPROVIDED<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

[expand]<\/p>\n

close
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

A warrior\u2019s spirit runs deep within a Cape Coral youth who is preparing to showcase his talents on a world stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sawyer Murphree, who has been bestowed the moniker of \u201cThe Warrior,\u201d has been selected to represent Team USA at the upcoming Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) BMX World Championships in Australia this July.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 8-year-old hopes to be one of\u00a0 more than 3,000 riders from around the world that are expected to compete on the 400-meter Brisbane BMX Racing Track at the Sleeman Sports Complex. Four exciting days (July 22-25) of racing will bring together amateur riders from all over the world vying for glory in their respective age categories.<\/p>\n

Sawyer said he\u2019s excited for the prospect of heading to the land down under.<\/p>\n

What he wants the most?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA world plate,\u201d Sawyer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So what is a world plate? It\u2019s a plate he can display on his bike letting other riders know he is one of the top-ranked athletes in his sport world-wide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sawyer began his BMX journey at age 2 on a balance bike and transitioned to pedal bike racing by age 4. By 6, he advanced to the Expert class, where he continues to compete against the top riders in the country. He trains five days a week on and off the bike, developing strength, skill, and race strategy.<\/p>\n

Over the past two seasons, Sawyer has traveled nationally to earn top rankings and compete at elite events and in 2026 he earned his spot on Team USA at a qualifying race held in Cape Coral.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited for this opportunity to compete with other riders from all over the world,\u201d Sawyer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the love of the sport ingrained at an early age, there are many aspects of riding BMX that Sawyer enjoys.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the racing and all of the different places you can do and try racing,\u201d he said. \u201cI love meeting all of the different people and learning skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s met other riders from all over the country, and said his best friend lives all the way out in Iowa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The feeling at the starting gate is one that Sawyer relishes. As he prepares to set off on the track, he can feel the adrenaline start to build.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of energy for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I\u2019m at the gate I think about winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Cape Coral native, Sawyer spends a lot of his time racing at Cape Coral BMX. He has also been riding at a track in Sarasota, which best emulates the track that he hopes to be riding on in Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The races are fast-paced, as it takes Sawyer less than 50 seconds to get around the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That blazing time has garnered impressive accolades for the young athlete. He was a USA BMX Nationals Main Event Qualifier in 2024 and 2025, and a featured rider of the 2026 USA BMX Sunshine State National.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sawyer has held a top-20 national ranking each of the last two years, being ranked 8th in the country at age 6, and 9th in the country for age 7 in the cruiser division.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked how he feels to be one of the top-ranked riders in the country, Sawyer said, \u201cReally proud. I work really hard every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sawyer\u2019s mother, Sydney, said her son is on his bike nearly every day, and has combined training on his bike with work in the gym.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on explosive movement, agility, a lot of strength,\u201d she said. \u201cYou absolutely need endurance. The races are short, however, in this world, in the championship format, at a minimum he\u2019ll end up racing five rounds. With this sport, the majority of the skill comes from the power and strength in your legs and your arms, so that\u2019s what we\u2019re working on a lot right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney said she and Sawyer\u2019s father, Adam, couldn\u2019t be more proud of the work that Sawyer has put in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cII wish I could say I was I\u2019m surprised, but I\u2019m not, because I this is something Sawyer loves to do so much,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cHe never once complains about training or working hard. Every day he wakes up and he says, \u2018What\u2019s what\u2019s the plan for training?\u2019 He\u2019s excited to go and every time he\u2019s in a training session. He gives it 110 % every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sawyer had a correction: \u201cI give 1,000%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney continued, \u201cI just think the level of dedication he shows at such a young age is just so impressive and I am impressed by him every day. Every time I see him in a race, there is never a question that he is giving it his all to fight, to win, to race hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Complacency is also not in the cards for Sawyer. He\u2019s always wanting to get better and improve, calling each skill acquired a \u201cnew learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s so excited to come home and tell me, \u2018Hey, I unlocked a new learn today on the track,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s how you get better is that constant, want and strive to get better. Him displaying that at such a young age just bodes well for him for the rest of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Sawyer has definitely tried different sports throughout his young life (with football being his second favorite to BMX), he and his bike just seemed to gel instantly. Of course riding a bike is just part of childhood, but there was something different with Sawyer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce he learned, he was able to catch on quickly,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cWe just kind of let him dictate stuff in the beginning. As much as he wanted to do it, we let him do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a national race in Nashville that really opened Sydney\u2019s and Adam\u2019s eyes to his skill. Sawyer took fourth place on day one, and then finished first on days two and three.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think that was it,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cWe just went for fun because we had family in Nashville and I think we saw that, you know, hey, he\u2019s actually competitive against kids in this sport. And like I said, as long as he wants to do it, we just want to be able to provide the opportunity as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis ability to learn and his coachability is what we saw in him. Being able to pick up technique as quickly as he did at such a young age I think really gave us that push to say, \u2018Hey, we need we need to pursue this.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking part in such a big tournament doesn\u2019t come without big expenses. Sydney has organized a GoFundMe to help raise funds for Sawyer to travel to Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband and I have done everything that we can up to this point to be able to offer him every opportunity possible to compete and to train,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cThis is something that is possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the travel expenses. It\u2019s about the level of preparation that goes into competing at this level. We\u2019ve really ramped up the amount of training as far as the gym, coaching, traveling to get more race experience on different tracks, traveling to see other coaches. I would hate for something like money to be the reason that we can\u2019t provide this opportunity, something that he worked so hard for, something that he earned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funds are being raised to help cover international airfare, bike shipping and equipment costs, entry fees and race credentials, and training and preparation expenses. Every dollar raised will go directly to Sawyer getting to Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Warrior is ready to put on the red, white, and blue to represent his country in a big way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for the nickname\u2026 other than rhyming with Sawyer, it goes well beyond the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the way he rides,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cHe truly fights in every single race. He is not the biggest kid out there. He will never be the biggest kid out there. And sometimes that\u2019s a disadvantage, but I truly feel like when he goes out there, he goes out to battle and he battles these kids like nobody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sawyer added, \u201cI feel like a warrior when I\u2019m on my bike.\u201d<\/p>\n

To donate to Sawyer\u2019s trip to the world championships, visit\u00a0gofundme.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \/Cape News 1 \/ 3 IMAGE PROVIDED 2 \/…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":198596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-198595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}