Prime
Izzy wants top 3-finish
Isabella Blick flying on her bike in the MX65CC class at Busiika during a 2018 Mountain Dew Championship race. PHOTO BY JB SSENKUBUGE
KAMPALA. It is not every day that you find a female competing and beating males in sport.
It is indeed very uncommon to find a young lady emerging champion against rivals of the supposedly superior sex.
But Isabella Blick is not your ordinary sportsman.
She is an extraordinary sportswoman who has broken barriers at a very tender age.
Aged 9, Izzy as she is known in motorsport circles will be one of the youngsters to watch at Victoria Race Track in Garuga tomorrow for the opening round of the 2019 Mountain Dew MX season.
The Multiple Industries and Jesa Farm-sponsored rider finished fifth in her debut season in the 65CC class last season and has set her eyes on securing a significant improvement this calendar year.
“I want to finish among the top three,” Izzy told SCORE.
“Last season was all about learning and getting used to the new bike but now, I feel more confident.”
Izzy, the daughter of Uganda Olympic Committee President William Blick, hopes to improve certain aspects of her racing which when prefect would elevate her place in the 65CC class.
“I want to better how I clear the jumps and powering through the corners and it is something I have been working on in the training.”
Racing against boys is a challenge she relishes and is now used to. “All my life, I have competed against boys and right now, it is part and parcel of me,” she confidently says.
Such is her maturity that Izzy doesn’t forget to recognize the contribution of her sponsors in her growth.
“Without them I wouldn’t be the rider I am today so I can’t forget to thank Multiple Industries, Jesa Farm, Motorola and Total Uganda because they enable my team acquire spare parts, bikes and all necessary logistics and that is why we are always prepared.”
Izzy’s father and mum Belinda have ably supported their daughter and are proud parents.
“She is our ‘super woman’,” says Belinda. “We are proud of her as she is growing into a role model for girls and women in sport.”
The 2017 Uspa MX rider of the year has never shirked a challenge in her young career.
And it is that inner resolve that will required for her to attain a top-3 finish in a class that also features Gift Ssebuguzi, Mubarak Senoga and Alon Orland.
Isabella Blick
DATE OF BIRTH: 27.04.2008
AGE: 9
STARTED RACING: 5 years
BIKE TYPE: Ktm 2018 model
NATIONAL TITLES: Five 50 CC national championships
regional titles: 1 East Central African ladies title
CURRENT MX CLASS: 65CC
