Jack Davis supports Jake Douglas at CrossFit Games

The Florida-based Tamworth BMX star is in Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, to cheer on an old friend as he searches deep within himself.

Jake Douglas, the owner of Snake Athletic in Tamworth, has fulfilled a long-held dream by qualifying for the CrossFit Games, which started this week.

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The 32-year-old is someone that Davis admires greatly - an older brother-type figure, mentor and role model to a precocious talent. Or, as Davis put it, "a huge inspiration".

Davis's father, Paul, taught Douglas at Oxley High. It was Paul who introduced Douglas to CrossFit, with Davis eventually joining their workouts.

Davis lobbed in Madison while on a break from racing, having rebounded in style from a horror training crash in February that left him in hospital in Florida with a lacerated liver and kidney, and sidelined him for about two months.

Consequently, he failed to meet Australia's qualifying criteria for the 2023 BMX World Championships, which start in Glasgow on Sunday. However, his talent was underlined profoundly last month when the elite-class racer won his debut USA BMX Pro Series event, in Reno.

Speaking to the Leader from Wisconsin via Messenger, Davis said: "Myself not being picked on the Australian team for the worlds this year, it allowed me to come and watch [Douglas].

"So, with the bad comes some good, I suppose. I'm very happy to be here watching him and cheering him on."

Davis turns 21 next month ahead of his return to racing, a USA BMX Pro Series event in Louisville, Kentucky. He has grown up, and grown as an athlete, in the public eye in his hometown. Douglas has been pivotal in his development.

In a recent Facebook post, Davis said his friend was "truly one of the most down to earth, hard working and inspirational people" he had met - a "f**king good human being".

He said that Douglas qualifying for the CrossFit Games was "a prime example of just continuing to show up, moving the dirt, and trusting the process".

The same applies to Davis. "I've committed myself to my craft, if you will," he said, adding that the Reno triumph was "pretty special".

"After receiving the news that I didn't make the words team, I turn around a week later and get my first win. So it definitely meant a lot. I've gone through quite a bit this year."

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