How is BMX freestyle scored?
B · Beginner · The run · 3 of 4Each judge gives one mark from 0.00 to 99.99 for the rider's whole performance, and the marks are averaged. In qualification the score covers both runs together. In the semi-final and the final each run is scored and the better one counts. The highest score wins.
How it works
- The mark: "a score of between 0.00 and 99.99, taking into account the rider's entire performance".
- The panel: three to six judges, including a head judge. Each evaluates independently.
- Averaged: the judges' marks for a rider are averaged.
- Qualification: the average is "the official score of the rider's performance over 2 runs".
- Semi-final and final: "the final score is the best score of the 2 runs".
- Two decimals: scores are reported to two decimal places. Further fractions are dropped, with no rounding.
- Not shown: the scores of individual judges are not given.
- Talking it over: the judges deliberate with each other before any score is published.
- Official: no score is official until the head judge has verified it.
- Corrections: a judge may not change a score alone. Only the head judge can authorise a correction.
The glossary has the run, BMX freestyle and the errors and deductions entry.
Tricky cases
A rider falls in the first run of the final and lands everything in the second. Which counts?
The second. In the final the better of the two runs is the score.
A rider falls in the first run of qualification. Does the second run wipe it out?
No. In qualification the score covers the performance over both runs.
Is there a points value for each trick?
No. The mark is for overall impression. The regulations list criteria and no table of trick values.
An average works out at 87.456. What is posted?
87.45. Fractions beyond two decimal places are dropped and not rounded.
Why the rule exists
A single overall mark fits a sport with no required moves: the judges weigh the run as a whole and do not add up trick values. Counting both runs in qualification rewards consistency, and counting only the better one in the final invites riders to try their hardest tricks.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Park qualification | One score for both runs | UCI 6bis.6.011 |
| Park semi-final and final | Best of two runs | UCI 6bis.6.011 |
| Flatland | One run in qualifying. Best of two in the final | UCI 6bis.6.011 |
From the rule book
Union Cycliste Internationale, Cycling Regulations, Part 6bis: BMX Freestyle Competitions (JCF edition 2025, amendments to 1 January 2026), articles 6bis.6.011, 6bis.6.014, 6bis.6.018 to 6bis.6.026 and 6bis.6.032. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 6bis (PDF).