Beth Shriever is the new BMX Olympic champion, having crowdfunded her way to the Tokyo games.
She was forced to rely on the generosity of strangers to achieve her Olympic dream after UK Sport cut female BMX funding.
UK Sport is in charge of the high performance sporting system in the UK and responsible for investing lottery funding across various sports.
Here's how the system works, and why Beth Shriever didn't have any BMX funding...
How does UK sport work?
UK Sport is funded by money from the Government and the lottery, which the institution then distributes among different sports.
It targets sports with maximal chance of medal success, with awards designated every four years following each Olympics.
In the run up to Tokyo, rowing received the largest proportion of funding at just under £25 million.
The sport was previously one of Team GB's most successful disciplines.
However, the team's performance at the Tokyo games does not reflect the immense investment, with GB rowing winning only two medals and missing out on a gold for the first time in 33 years.
This means that the GB rowing team will likely face scrutiny in the coming weeks as UK Sport decide on the next cycle of funding.
Funding varies hugely across sports; while some receive millions of pounds, others only reveive thousands to get them through the Olympic cycle.
Sports like karate and sport climbing are on the lower end of the funding spectrum.
Why did Beth Shriever miss out on funding?
While cycling also received a large chunk of the funding, after the Rio Olympics, UK Sport decided to cut funding for female BMX riders, only sponsoring the men's team.
This meant Beth Shriever was left without support, and was forced to rely of crowdfunding as well as balancing training with a part time teaching assistant job.
The 22-year-old has since rejoined British Cycling, and is the only female in the Manchester based team.
Speaking after winning gold on Friday morning, Shriever alluded to her funding struggles, saying: "To even be here is an achievement in itself.
"To make a final is another achievement in itself. To win a medal, let alone a gold medal… I'm over the moon."
Will BMX get more funding for next Olympics?
Shriever wasn't the only GB BMX rider to perform on the big stage; training partner Kye Whyte won silver in the men's competition.
The 21-year-old won silver before cheering on his victorious team mate and hoisting her in the air.
The success of the duo is likely to boost funding hugely in the sport, showing the potential of British BMX riding.
Meanwhile, sports like rowing could face big funding cuts after under performing in the games.
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