Seven-year-old BMX sensation Archer Zwoerner is set to represent Australia on the
world stage in 2025, having qualified for the BMX World Championships in
Copenhagen, Denmark. The young racer from Gympie, who attends Victory College,
will don the green and gold in July next year and said he’s “happy and emotional”
about the opportunity.
Archer first jumped on a bike at the age of two, riding a Whirlwind balance bike. Now,
five years on, he’s racing at a national level, training daily and dominating the track.
“I remember falling off and scraping my knees,” Archer recalls of his first attempts at
riding. Those early falls certainly didn’t slow him down; in fact they pushed him to be
better. After being disappointed at placing third in two races at his first National
Championships in 2023, Archer was determined to improve. “It made me really sad,”
he said. “I decided I would train hard the next year and was undefeated at the 2024
National Championships.”
Now, with his sights set on the international stage, Archer’s training schedule is
packed. “I train every day,” he said. “Leading up to Worlds, I’m at the track five days
[a week] and do home bootcamps and running on the other two.”
Archer rides with Cooloola BMX Club and his weekly routine includes afternoon
coaching four days a week, race nights on Fridays, bootcamps and running on
Saturdays, and pump track or other BMX tracks on Sundays.
While Archer loves the thrill of speed and the challenge of jumps, his favourite part of
racing is clear. “My favourite thing about racing is winning and the trophies,” he said.
Mum Yasmin and dad Matt are his biggest supporters. “Mum is always cheering me
on and Dad is always encouraging me,” Archer said. Despite “lots of stacks”, he’s
proud to report “no broken bones”.
Yasmin said that the family is grateful for the backing they’ve received from the
Gympie community. “The local community and Victory College have been an
incredible support of Archer’s journey to the World Championships – from all the well
wishes to the financial sponsorship received. We can never praise the local
community enough. We would love to highlight all the volunteers at Cooloola BMX
and Archer’s coach Leon Cranley. Without the countless hours they give up of their
own time, a safe and healthy sport environment wouldn’t be possible and kids like
Archer couldn’t succeed,” she said.
Archer is also inspired by other riders. “Jesse Asmus inspires me; he’s a good
bloke,” he said.
As he prepares for Copenhagen, Archer is most excited about one thing: “Putting on
the Australian race jersey and racing against people I don’t know.”
With his determination, community support, and passion for the sport, Gympie’s own
BMX champ is ready to take on the world.