BMX star Jack Davis salutes his parents

Blond, built for explosive power, and square-jawed handsome, the 20-year-old Tamworthian flashed an effulgent smile while posing for the photo acknowledging him as the winner of his debut USA BMX Pro Series event. It occurred at Reno, Nevada, in early July.

Thousands of kilometres away in Wollongong, his parents, Katrina and Paul, watched from a friend's home a live feed of the event.

Davis told the Leader, while in Wisconsin to cheer on his great Tamworth mate Jake Douglas at the CrossFit Games, that his commitment alone would not have propelled him to such heights.

Poignantly, the Reno victory occurred on Paul's birthday.

"The hours that my Mum and Dad have put in driving me around to races, and the money they've spent, is unimaginable," Davis said.

"There's often times when I think, 'How on earth could I repay that?' But doing something like that [the Pro Series] win is the best way to do it ... Best birthday present I could have got him."

Some five months before the Reno win, Davis found himself in intensive care in a Florida hospital after a training crash left him with a grade-three lacerated kidney and liver. It occurred on his home track in Oldsmar, Florida.

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Katrina said she and Paul were "heartbroken" for their boy after he'd had a "fantastic" opening to the Pro Series: fifth place in Houston.

"Paul was about to jump on a plane, initially," she said. "And then when we heard he didn't need surgery, we were put at ease a little."

Davis, who lives in Largo, Florida, will return to Tamworth for Christmas before contesting the opening four rounds of the 2024 World Cup season. Those races are in Australia and New Zealand.

He is eyeing selection on the Australian teams for the 2024 World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"It will be great to be home and be with family and also prep for that [the World Cup rounds] in my home country, where there's actually good cafes and good coffee around," Davis said.

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