"It is my favorite thing to do:" Eight-year-old BMX rider has sights set on Olympic games



KENOSHA -- The path to success almost always has to be paved with hard work, passion and talent. For an eight-year-old from Kenosha, all of those things already seem to be in place.

LJ Bell



"It's exciting to know that he loves what he does," Kristin Bell said.

At just eight years old, LJ Bell's focus is as firmly in place as his foot is in the pedal of his BMX bike.

"I just love riding. And it's one of my, it is my favorite thing to do every day," LJ Bell said.

He has the same feeling when he looks over a track before he even climbs up to the starting gate.

"Just having fun and training and going hard," LJ Bell said.

LJ Bell



The smile on his face says it all. He has fun, even when he is training -- but his smile doesn't mean everything is simple.

"It's hard because you have to train every day, and work hard every day," LJ Bell said.

LJ Bell



"It's a beautiful thing to see that he wants to, he wants to learn. He wants to get better. And he enjoys it," Kristin Bell said.

From day one, LJ's mom has been by her son's side -- watching him achieve the kind of success she had never imagined.

"His passion for his sport and riding his bicycle took him from a novice rider in the USA BMX group to an expert in less than six months. He competed nationally, winning some intermediate titles, turning him into an expert," Kristin Bell said.

Now, it is taking him to the World Championships in Colombia, South America as a member of "Team USA."

LJ Bell



"I'm just happy to go there and have fun and just race against people that I've never raced against, people around the world," LJ Bell said.

"He will compete in his age bracket, which will be nine year olds on two separate bikes, for world titles with other athletes throughout the entire world," Kristin Bell said.

While his journey has covered thousands of miles and numerous states, it has been a relatively quick one. He got his start just two years ago, on a whim, at a BMX track in Waukegan, Illinois after a day in kindergarten.

LJ Bell



"He had his little street bike and little helmet. He rode the track. Little did I know they raced that evening, so we went to the races. We started watching and he wanted to try it. I said 'go ahead,'" Kristin Bell said.

"I won that race. And I just started getting into racing," LJ Bell said.

"And life changed as I know it today," Kristin Bell said.

It also changed the way Kristin watches her son attack a track.

LJ Bell



"In the beginning, I have said a thousand times, I would close my eyes and say no, no, no. And as he progressed and his coaches and mentors would say 'you have to let them grow. You have to let them fly and expand now. Otherwise, as they get older, they get afraid of jumping. They get afraid of falling.' I have learned as a mother to accept that. And now I find myself cheering him on," Kristin Bell said.

Like many sports, BMX comes with inherent risks. But for LJ, that's not what he is afraid of.

LJ Bell



"Like -- I'm in gate one, and I'm afraid that people will come over and shut me down and push me off the track. I just watch the lights when I'm in the gate and then as soon as I see the first beep go, I just go," LJ Bell said.

As he continues to pump, jump and fly around the track, nothing seems to be standing in the way of his road to success.

"I want to go to a higher level. I want to be faster, get faster. I think I'd be really happy just to be going to the Olympics.I want to go pro," LJ Bell said.

LJ Bell



"I want him to set goals and achieve his goals, set dreams, achieve his dreams and know that there's nothing he can't do if he puts his mind to it. He trains hard and he works hard. Would we want a college scholarship for him? Absolutely. Or if he wants to be on an Olympic team or he wants to be a pro racer, those are all within his sights. You just have to keep training, keep your education in sight and just keep working at them both. It's been an amazing journey," Kristin Bell said.

LJ and his mom will go with Team USA to Colombia for a week of competition later in May.

He says he would like to follow his dream to the Olympics as well, so pay attention to Team USA's BMX team in 2024 and you just might see him there.

For this story, we caught up with LJ at Milwaukee BMX at The Rock Sports Complex.