Meet Tory Nyhaug of Tory Nyhaug BMX Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tory Nyhaug.

Hi Tory, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started BMX racing at four years old after my uncle told my family about the local track, Ridge Meadows BMX, where I grew up in Canada. I played other sports growing up like hockey, lacrosse, and soccer, but BMX was always the sport I loved most. After finding success in Canada, I began racing in the U.S. national series for stronger competition and attended my first World Championships at age nine in Louisville, Kentucky, where I finished fourth.

At 11 years old, I won my first World Championship in Australia in 2003, and went on to win five amateur World Championship titles between ages 11 and 15, including two classes in one year at age 12. I also won the ABA BMX national age group title twice before turning pro at 17.

During my professional career, I competed in two Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016, making the Olympic final in 2016 and finishing 5th. I also won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, a Silver Medal at the World Championships in 2014, earned six BMX World Cup medals, three World Cup time trial victories, and became a 13-time Canadian national champion before retiring in 2019.

After retiring, I discovered a passion for coaching through hosting clinics with riders at BMX tracks. I found it incredibly rewarding helping athletes improve, chase their goals, and become part of their journey. That led me to launch Tory Nyhaug BMX Training in January 2021. Today, I coach riders remotely from all around the world through personalized training programs, video analysis, and race strategy consulting, while also hosting BMX clinics across North America and coaching private lessons at San Diego BMX.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. BMX racing is an incredibly tough sport, and throughout my career I broke somewhere between 15 and 20 bones along with dealing with countless other injuries.

One of the biggest challenges I faced came before the 2012 London Olympics. At the time, everything in my career was heading in the right direction. I was making World Cup finals, becoming one of the top riders in the world, and was on track to earn my first World Cup podium. But three months before the Olympics, I crashed at the final World Cup in Holland and ruptured my spleen. I spent two weeks in the hospital there in pretty bad shape.

After flying home, I started bleeding internally again and ended up needing surgery to have my spleen removed just nine weeks before the Olympics. Once I recovered from surgery, I committed fully to rehab, physio, and training every single day to try and be ready in time for the Games.

Somehow, I was able to get back into really good shape and compete at the Olympics. I won my final quarterfinal race, although I narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals. Looking back now, I’m incredibly proud that I was able to make it to my first Olympics despite everything that happened. Honestly, I still can’t believe I returned to racing at that level only nine weeks after major abdominal surgery.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tory Nyhaug BMX Training?
My business, Tory Nyhaug BMX Training, is focused on helping BMX riders around the world reach their full potential through personalized coaching and training.

I work directly with riders and their families to learn about each athlete’s strengths, weaknesses, goals, schedule, and key races they want to peak for. From there, I create fully individualized BMX training programs that include track sessions, gym workouts or at-home dryland exercises, and off-track sprint training, all tailored specifically to that rider’s needs. I strongly believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to training, and every athlete responds differently.

During my professional racing career, I was fortunate to work with some of the top sports scientists in Canada, and after retiring, I studied sports science in college myself. That combination of elite-level racing experience and scientific training allows me to bring a very detailed and evidence-based approach to coaching.

In addition to remote coaching, I also host BMX clinics across North America where I help local riders improve their skills, build confidence, and prepare for upcoming races. I also help local riders here in San Diego

One of the most rewarding parts of coaching for me is helping riders maximize their potential and achieve goals they once thought were out of reach. I’ve been fortunate to coach athletes to World Cup podiums, World Championship finals, and U.S. national championships, and seeing riders succeed at those levels is something I’m extremely proud of.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
One of the biggest lessons I learned throughout my career is the importance of resilience. Sport is incredibly tough. One weekend you can feel on top of the world, and the next weekend you can feel like quitting altogether.

I learned that success in sport — and in life — comes from being able to keep moving forward through the highs and lows. If you continue working hard, stay consistent, and keep “beating down the door,” eventually opportunities will open for you.

The reality is that in sports, you experience far more losses than wins, but that’s also what makes it so rewarding. Those difficult moments teach you character, perseverance, and how to handle adversity.

More than anything, my career taught me to be resilient and to fully commit to chasing what you want. If you truly believe in something, go after it relentlessly and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.torynyhaug.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tnyhaug49/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tnyhaug49/