At eight years old, Deng joined the Luzhou Amateur Athletic School's track and field team, where she participated in javelin. She began BMX freestyle in 2017, at age 12.[1]
She finished second at the 2021 Chinese National Games and third at the 2022 Chinese Championships. In 2023, she made her international debut and won a gold medal at the Asian Championships and finished sixth at the 2023 UCI BMX Freestyle World Championships.[2] In October 2023, she won the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup in Bazhong ahead of world champion Hannah Roberts.[3] She is coached by Daniel Dhers.[4]
2024 Olympics
In early 2024, she was selected to compete at the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series.[5] During the first leg of the qualifier series in Shanghai, she finished in third place with a score of 91.50.[6] During the second leg of the qualifier series in Budapest, she finished in fourth place with a score of 90.96.[7] As a result, she qualified to represent China at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[8]
In the women's BMX freestyle event, where she was the youngest competitor, she won a gold medal with a score of 92.60, ahead of American Perris Benegas and Australian Natalya Diehm.[9][10] Deng Yawen was the only cyclist to score more than 90 points in all her four runs, including qualification and final. She became the first Chinese to win a medal in the event and the first to capture gold.
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