Jill Kintner (born October 24, 1981, from
Burien, Washington
Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which ...
,
United States) is a professional American "Mid School"
Bicycle Motocross (BMX) and professional
mountain cross (four-cross or 4X) racer. Her competitive years were 1995 to 2002, 2007 to 2008 in BMX, 2004 to 2009 in mountain cross, and 2010 to present in downhill mountain biking. She switched to the mountain cross discipline full-time after her BMX retirement early in the 2004 season.).
Biography
Kintner is from
Burien, Washington
Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which ...
. She began riding BMX in July 1989 at seven years of age
[''American BMXer'' September 1989 Vol.11 No.8 p. 56 (points table for district washington 01. It is the first time her name appears in the points tabulations)] and claimed her first national win in the combined 7–8 Girls Class at the
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) was a US-based BMX sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2011, the ABA merged with the former National Bicycle League and became the current USA BMX. The organization was founded by Merl Mennenga ...
(ABA) Great Northwest Nationals in
Sumner, Washington
Sumner is a city in northern Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,621 at the 2020 census. Nearby cities include Puyallup to the west, Auburn to the north, and Bonney Lake to the east.
History
Sumner was founde ...
, on August 17, 1990;
[''BMX Plus!'' January 1991 Vol. 14 No. 1 p. 56 (results)] it was her first national-level race. She won races at this event on both day 1 and day 2. At the age of nine in 1990, she received her first sponsorship from the Bike Factory, and turned professional in 1995 at 14 years of age.
She began riding BMX bikes during her childhood, as her father owned his own BMX track in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. She began competing professionally at age 14 and captured more than 70 BMX wins. In April 2004 she made the switch to full-time mountain bike racing competition. In 2006,
Mike King, a former BMX and mountain bike racer, then director of BMX for
USA Cycling
USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, and BMX across all ages and ability leve ...
, urged her to return to BMX riding, and in 2007 she did so, with the added prospect of possibly participating in the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
Jill came out of BMX retirement in early 2007, ostensibly to supplement her mountain cross training. She won her first post-comeback race on her first attempt. Despite a serious knee injury, Kintner continued to pursue success in BMX riding.
With the objective of being included in the US BMX team for the 2008 Olympics, Kintner switched to BMX riding full-time. On June 2, 2008, she won a spot on the team after coming in sixth at the
Union Cycliste Internationale
The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
The UCI issues racing ...
(UCI) World Championships held in
Taiyuan, China
Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...
, out of a field of 32 racers, making the top 16. Kintner relocated to
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in order to train at the
Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Spri ...
, and won the bronze medal in BMX racing at the 2008 Olympics on August 19. Kintner stated it was highly unlikely that she would return for the 2012 Olympics.
Retirement
Kintner retired from BMX racing early in the 2004 season at age 22 to pursue a career in mountain-cross aka
four-cross racing. She claimed she was "bored" with BMX riding and that she felt she had reached her "potential". She did, however, race BMX during the 2003 season and participated in the 2003 ABA Grand National, coming in fifth in the Pro Girls event. She continued to race BMX sporadically well into 2004, while slowly shifting her concentration to mountain-cross. Her last regular BMX race was possibly The NBL Gator Nationals in
Avon Park, Florida
Avon Park is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 8,836, and in 2018 the estimated population was 10,695. It is the oldest city in Highlands County, and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, ...
, on April 4, 2004, where she finished second in the Elite Women event. Her last race pre-comeback seems to have been the ABA Silverdollar Nationals in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, on January 8, 2005, in which she came in eighth. She had previously raced MTB cross country part-time since 1997.
BMX career milestones
Career bicycle motocross titles
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National and International titles. The Junior Women division is for 17- to 18-year-old women, Elite Women for 19 and over regardless of amateur/professional status. Because of this, as an amateur would be racing professionals as well as other amateurs, Kintner's placing is listed below in the professional section, even if she was officially an amateur at the time of the race. Only sanctioning bodies that existed during the racer's career are listed.
Amateur/Junior Women
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
*1990 8 Girls Gold Cup West Champion
*1990 8 Girls Race of Champions Champion
*1991 9 Girls US Open West Champion
*1991 9 Girls Gold Cup West Champion
*1991 Washington-1 (WA-01) Girls District No.1
*1994 12 Girls Washington State Champion
*1994 12 Girls US Open West Champion
*1994 12 Girls Gold Cup West Champion
*1995 14–16 Girls Cruiser Grandnational Champion
*1996 Girls Cruiser Washington-1 (WA-01) District No. 1
*1996 13 Girls Grandnational Champion
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
*1997 16 Girls World Challenge Champion
*1998 Junior Women Bronze Medal World champion
Professional/Elite Women
National Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League (NBL) was a United States–based Bicycle Motocross (BMX) sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida, but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio. It was created by George Edward Ess ...
(NBL)
*''2002 Pro Girl National No. 1''
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) was a US-based BMX sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2011, the ABA merged with the former National Bicycle League and became the current USA BMX. The organization was founded by Merl Mennenga ...
(ABA)
*2002 Pro Girls Race of Champions Champion
*''2002 Pro Girls World Champion''
*2002 Pro Girls National No.3
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
*At the World Championships held in
Taiyuan, China
Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...
, on June 2, 2008, Kintner came in sixth place, which guaranteed her the lone automatic women's spot on the US BMX Olympic Team.
USA Cycling
USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, and BMX across all ages and ability leve ...
*''2008 Elite Women National Champion''
Games of the XXIX Olympiad
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...
(2008 Summer Olympics)
*Bronze in
Women's BMX at
Laoshan BMX Field
The Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) () was one of 9 temporary venues used for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was located in Laoshan, Shijingshan District, Beijing. The venue was used for the men's and women's BMX racing
BMX racing is a type ...
Independent Pro Series Championships and Invitational Races
*2003 RM59 Tropical BMX Challenge 16 & Over Money Open Champion
BMX Racing traits and habits
An aggressive rider in the Girl Pro class, she was disqualified for precipitating a collision with
Kim Hayashi
Kimberly M. Hayashi (born January 27, 1986 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States) is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years are from 2000–Present. Her many nicknames include: "Lil ...
in the last turn of the Pro/Am 14 & Over Girl's Open at the NBL Christmas Classic in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, in December 2002.
Mountain Bike career record
Kitner started racing mountain bikes part-time in 1997 alongside her BMX career. She raced full-time in 2003 at the age of 21, specializing in the 4X mountaincross discipline.
Career Mountain Bike Racing (MTB) titles
Note: Listed are regional, national and international titles.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
*''2003 Bronze Medal Women's 4-Cross World Champion''
*''2004 Silver Medal Women's 4-Cross World Champion''
*''2005, 2006, 2007 Gold Medal Women's 4-Cross World Champion''
*''2007 Women's 4-Cross World Cup Champion''
National Off Road Bicycle Association (NORBA)
*''2003, 2005 U.S. National Women's Mountain Cross Championships Champion''
Independent Championship races and series
*2005, 2006 Jeep King of the Mountain Women's Champion
Significant injuries
Kintner ruptured her
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
in a December 2007 crash.
She injured the same knee during a training crash in late April 2008. On May 4, 2008, she underwent surgery on her right knee to repair the
meniscus
Meniscus may refer to:
*Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity
*Meniscus (liquid)
The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
. More major surgery was required to correct underlying problems, but she wore a leg brace and chose to delay the surgery until after the 2008 Summer Olympics.
She eventually underwent the surgery on October 2, 2008.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kintner, Jill
1981 births
Living people
American female cyclists
American mountain bikers
Four-cross mountain bikers
BMX riders
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in cycling
Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
UCI Mountain Bike World Champions (women)
People from Burien, Washington
21st-century American women