Daleny Vaughn had a hard time putting into words just what it meant in the moment she made USA Cycling team as a BMX racer for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris.
Itβs what Vaughn, a 23-year-old Tucsonan, had been dreaming about and working for most of her life. And as soon as she crossed the finish line at the BMX Racing World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in May, she knew she was going to Paris.
It had been on her mind all day β even months before β that she had to finish third or better. Thatβs what was needed for her to make the U.S. Olympic team β compete and represent her country at the end of July.
She did just that, finishing third.
βA lot was riding on (that),β Vaughn said. βI just took the moment to take pressure as a privilege and control my emotions, to go out there and make it happen. It was definitely on my mind, but I just used it to my advantage rather than let it overwhelm me.β
BMX events at the 2024 Summer Games start on Aug. 1.
Even though it was such a big race, Vaughn stayed true to her typical race day routine β something she wouldnβt divulge. But she did share how she celebrated after hugs from her coach and her parents: chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP.
βI really like pancakes, and I try to stay away from them when I am racing, because theyβre not the best for you to eat for breakfast,β Vaughn said. βSo that was kind of my cheat meal.β
The life of a professional BMX racer does not typically include pancakes. But it does include two-a-days five days a week, with recovery on Wednesdays and Sundays. Sheβll do sprints in the morning on her bike then hit the track in the evening.
Vaughn knows that if she doesnβt bring it to every training session, someone else might.
βYou really have to wake up every day saying, βOK, how can I be better than I was yesterday?β And thatβs a cycle that you have to do every single day to be able to be where Iβm at,β she said.
So far in her career, Vaughn has raced not only across the United States, but all over the world. Last year she raced in Bogota, Colombia, in her first UCI World Cup main event. She also won the 2021 Grand National Championship that was in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis β home stadium of the NFLβs Indianapolis Colts and also the site for last monthβs U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials β and took the 2021 USA Cycling National Championship title in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Vaughn isnβt going to Paris just to see the sights or just happy to have made the team. She wants to win.
She admits she doesnβt have a complete plan for her upcoming race in Paris; itβs hard to go into a race like that with a strategy, she said, because βYou donβt know what the other seven riders on the gate are going to end up doing, or if you have a bad start, and thatβs something that you have to come back with.β
Racers have to adjust as things happen and have the right mindset, which is something Vaughn said worked for her in the World Championships run.
βI knew what I needed to get done,β she said.
Add in something sheβs known for β her good starts β and that is a successful package that she said gives her an edge.
Vaughn grew up training locally at Sports Park BMX. Her parents, Julie and Kirk Vaughn, own and operate the track located near Interstate 10 and Ina Road, adjacent to the similarly named softball and sand volleyball facilities on the west side of the I-10.
But Vaughn specifically trained in Paris for a month on the same track that will be used in the Olympics β something sheβs grateful for, as racers usually donβt have such an opportunity.
βItβs a lot bigger than most tracks we race on and itβs probably the track with the biggest jumps that weβve ever raced on before,β Vaughn said.
None of that concerns Vaughn, though; itβs just the opposite. She loves the challenges that come with each race and said she was drawn to the sport for the βadrenaline rush,β she said.
Vaughn, who first jumped on a bike at age three, played team sports like cross country and basketball at Mountain View High School. Beginning to focus only on BMX when she was about 19 has made all the difference, because βit didnβt just consume my life from a young age,β she said.
βI like that everythingβs on me; thereβs no relying on teammates or anything like that.β Vaughn said. βItβs all on me to go out there and get it done and I have to do it. I have to do in order to win.
βI just like the battle of it all.β