Baldivis BMX whiz Jordan Callum on a roll after winning Sam Willoughby Medal

Baldivis teenager Jordan Callum has won BMX Australia’s highest individual honour after being named the winner of the Sam Willoughby Medal at an event on the Gold Coast last Saturday night.

Jordan 14, was one of five nominees for the award, which was created last year in similar traditions to the AFL’s Brownlow Medal and Cricket Australia’s Allan Border Medal, to recognise a rider who has produced outstanding success in any age group at State, domestic and international level in a calendar year.

The award is named after Olympic silver medallist and BMX World Champion Willoughby, one of the biggest names in global BMX until a training accident in 2016 cut short his career and left him a tetraplegic.

Jordan, who was forced to miss this year’s world championships as he recovered from a broken elbow, has been competing in BMX since he was four years old and has won multiple State titles and a world championship in his age group.

He told the Sound Telegraph last week just being nominated and being on the radar of “one of the sport’s greats” was a great thrill.

“Being nominated shows how hard I’ve worked. but to be recognised by one of the sport’s greats, a guy who has achieved so much ... to know I’ve achieved something to him and that he knows my name is incredible,” he said.

After being presented with his medal, Jordan received another surprise when Willoughby said he had decided to donate $1000 to help with his BMX journey.

“I’ve trained so hard and this is just the icing on the cake,” Callum told the audience at Gold Coast’s Mercure Hotel.

Jordan will soon turn his attention to winning his fifth successive State title in the 20-inch and 24-inch categories in his age group in October, before gearing up for the 2019 Grand National in the US in November.