Great Britain's Charlotte Worthington won the first ever Olympic gold medal in BMX freestyle with a successful backflip 360 on her second attempt.

Three-time world champion Hannah Roberts of the United States looked nearly unbeatable after her first run, scoring an impressive 96.10 and performing a perfect trick in one minute. However, Britain's Worthington showed that if all went according to plan, the score could be put to the test.

In the first run of the final at Ariake Urban Sports Park, she fell while attempting to perform a backflip followed by a backflip 360, a trick not seen in previous women's competitions. However, the British rider forced her way through the second run as well, and in the closing minutes, she succeeded with a front flip, setting a new record for Roberts with a 97.5.

The 25-year-old from Manchester said after her first fall that she wasn't quite sure how she had managed such a great performance.

"I was just trying to do one trick at a time," Worthington said after winning the event, her first Olympic appearance. After I fell on my first run, it was tough to get back up there."

"You start thinking, 'Oh, what if this doesn't work, what if I don't make it? But then you tell yourself, 'Oh, I'm not going to make it.'

After Worthington's historic second run, the top qualifier from the U.S. was left with a second run to break that high hurdle and win gold.

Roberts, however, made a mistake early on and quickly conceded that she was a silver medalist. Nikita Dukalos scored 89.20 points on her first run to take the bronze medal for Switzerland, ahead of Peris Venegas, the second American competitor. Australia's Natalya Deem was fifth.

Worthington's gold medal was the third for Great Britain in cycling, with Beth Schriever winning in the women's BMX race and Tom Pidcock in the men's cross-country mountain bike. Kai Whyte also won a silver medal in the men's BMX race.

"I'm so emotional. I'm still waiting to wake up here." I've been thinking about this day for the past three or four years, going back and forth about what I could and couldn't do."

"I've been thinking about this day for the past three or four years.

"I am literally waiting to wake up now. It feels like a dream."