Bio

Jill Kintner

Date of Birth: October 24, 1981
Hometown: Seattle, WA

When you are the best at what you do, what do you do next? This is a dilemma that GT team rider and top female Olympic hopeful Jill Kintner knows well. After literally growing up on the BMX track her father owned in Washington State, it seemed Jill was destined for 20 inch greatness. Pushed by a neighborhood full of boys as well as her brother, pro Freestyle BMX rider Paul, Jill rapidly developed into a fierce competitor. Beginning at the age of 14, Jill dominated race after race until she presided over an empire that included more than 70 race wins, the NBL National Series pro title and the 2002 ABA World Championship crown.

At the height of her BMX dominance, however, Jill discovered the sport of Mountaincross and abruptly abandoned BMX to race Mountain Bikes, a move that was anything but safe. But after a brief acclimation process, Jill was back to a familiar spot: on top. She signed to GT in 2005 on her way to three consecutive UCI 4X World Championship titles. With nothing but green pastures in front of her, Jill made another risky decision upon learning that the Olympic Committee had approved BMX Race for the 2008 Games in Beijing - she switched back to BMX.

Jill is now living and training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California and is currently the frontrunner for a place on the Olympic team. Having just captured the 2008 USA Cycling BMX National Championship title it seems almost certain that Jill will be representing the US in Beijing. If her past record is any indicator this should bode quite well for our medal hopes.

A win in Beijing will have special significance for Jill as she is racing for the memory of her father who passed away before she made the switch back to BMX.