Bloomington 10-year-old best in the world for BMX racing

BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) – When 10-year-old Malia Alvarez crossed the finish line, she couldn’t believe she’d won.

“Oh my gosh, did I really just do it?” she recalled thinking at the end of that Rock Hill, South Carolina, racetrack where the world championships were being held.

Though her victory left her dazed, Alvarez felt victory was certain heading into the competition. She’s raced at the Rock Hill track plenty of times before, giving her something of a “home turf” advantage. The confidence also comes from hours spent on the rough, curvy, and sometimes “lippy” (a term Alvarez used to describe one of the obstacles) track.

This is her third year competing in the world competition. 25News has followed her story all three years, as she pedaled and pushed through track and track.

In 2022, at 8 years old, she finished in 5th place among other 9-year-old girls. In 2023, she finished second.

“Falling short the past two years was devastating because she was at the top of her game,” Alvarez’s mother, Amanda Sullivan said. “So we focused hard this year.”

BMX biking runs – or rides – in the family. Sullivan also competed in BMX racing when she was younger, earning some national titles but not any world titles.

Their shared passion fuels Sullivan and Alvarez’s trips across the country to Florida and Georgia to train and compete. Sometimes, Alvarez’s father and her brother and sister come along to cheer her on. Together, they push through late nights and early mornings on the track and the roads.

“I’ve worked so hard for it and now I finally have it,” Alvarez said of her 1st place trophy.

Though Alvarez attended District 87 schools last year, her family used an online program to balance her 5th-grade schoolwork with her competitions. Multiple times a month, the family ships out for the weekend to train or compete. Alvarez said they often arrive on Friday, train for a day or two, and drive back on Sunday, though the trip sometimes stretches through the night.

“Even if we got in at three or four in the morning from a long weekend of racing, she was up and ready to go,” Sullivan said. By Monday afternoon, Alvarez is shooting hoops or swinging in tee ball.

“She’s a hundred miles an hour on herself so it’s easy to keep going with her,” Sullivan continued.

They spend the rest of the week on schoolwork before getting ready for the next training session. On weekends that she doesn’t ride, Alvarez swaps her bike for a catcher’s mitt. She plays softball, trading the fast-paced obstacle course for a stationary task as the team catcher.

She’s fallen in love with BMX, literally living, breathing, and sleeping the sport. She thinks about it “mostly always,” the 10-year-old said, though she admitted her brain takes a biking break during breakfast. She runs through the course in her head, practicing when to take turns, when to push on the bike, and when to pedal as hard as she can.

Sullivan said she can relate to her daughter’s perspective since she’s experienced races herself. both of Alvarez’s parents lost their voices cheering for Alvarez and other competitors.

Though other BMX racers come from different hometowns and different countries, it’s a tight-knit community where friends cheer for each other no matter what.

“She’s quiet… but she’s anyone’s fan,” her mother said. “She’ll cheer for anybody.”

Despite achieving a major goal for herself, Alvarez is already going for gold.

“She has told me from the very beginning she wants to be an Olympian,” Sullivan said. “As long as she’s always willing to put the work in we’re always going to give her everything we can give her in our power.”

Alvarez said she wants to be an Olympian by the time she reaches her 20s, which is about 9 years away. So long as she sticks with the sport, Alvarez has full confidence she’ll make it to the Olympics. Her parents agree.

“Her future is going to be whatever she wants to make it,” Sullivan said.

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