Torres Gil won Argentina’s first individual gold medal in a cycling discipline triumphing over Britain’s Kieran Reilly and home favourite JeanJean in men’s BMX freestyle.  In a surprising finish to the men’s competitions, the seventh-highest qualifier opened with a massive 720, threw down another 720 later in the run and managed to ride through a near-bobble at the end to score 94.82 points.

"The level was extraordinary. The best athletes on the planet were here in Paris. I competed against the best in the world, and I feel incredible,” said Torres Gil after his win. 

World champion Reilly packed trick after trick into his second run, but didn’t manage to overtake the defiant Argentinian. Jeanjean crashed on his first trick on run one, losing a shoe, but still managed to double-backflip his way into the medals.

China’s Deng Yawen also surprised the world by taking the gold in her Olympic debut. The 18-year-old beat seasoned cyclists —even five-time world champion Hannah Roberts— to victory, wowing the crowd with a double whip, a no-hands tuck and a triple bar-spin. 

Perris Benegas of the US claimed the silver medal and Natalya Diehm of Australia claimed the bronze.

The Chinese teen isn’t letting an Olympic medal get to her head though. She later said in an interview with Xinhua that she plans to be even better. 

"Today's competition is over, and the honor of gaining a gold medal won't follow me in every competition ... I'm really just gonna focus on my training and show the world a better version of me," she promised.