lympic Bronze medalist Donny “dR” Robinson takes his position as a Christian role model for young people seriously. But he has a hard time suppressing laughter when he stops and thinks what’s put him in that position. “It’s weird to think that at 25 years old, I’m making a living riding a little kid’s bike,” he says.

Donny’s journey towards the Olympic podium began when he was 6 years old after going to a BMX track in Napa Valley, Calif. As Donny made an enthusiastic jump, his dad captured the moment on camera. “I was super small and my bike looked way too big for me,” he says. “My front wheel was about four feet up in the air and my back wheel was only about three inches off the ground. Afterwards, I asked my dad, ‘How high did I get?’ Since I’m so small, it felt like I got a bunch of air, but I really didn’t.”

Even though there were hurdles ahead, Donny’s destiny took him from that track to many others, culminating last year when he proudly represented the first ever USA BMX Olympic Team at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. 

Getting to commitment

Along his path, Donny encountered three Christians who showed him the importance of making God the center of his life. The first one was Erick “Big E” Bartoldus, who convinced Powerlite Industries, the factory team he managed, to sponsor 12-year-old Donny. Big E had watched Donny race for years and saw heart and a great work ethic in the boy.

As the team traveled from race to race, Big E played Christian music (lots of Keith Green, whom Donny continues to listen to today) and listened to inspirational speakers. “He didn’t force anything on us,” Donny says. “He talked about his faith, and we saw what he did and the way he lived.”

Big E invited Donny to his church and even bought him his first Bible. A fellow team member, Randy Stumpfhauser, also demonstrated Christianity to Donny. “I really looked up to him,” Donny said.

When the team wasn’t traveling, Donny’s love for singing and dancing prompted him to join the school choir and a small dance outfit formed by Sara Kirkland, a dancer and choreographer three years his senior. Sara also invited Donny to her church’s youth group meetings, planting even more seeds.

Although Donny accepted Christ when he was younger, and never lived a life that was outwardly displeasing to God, he was 18 before he decided to be public about the decision. “I never smoked or drank, and I didn’t cuss,” he said. “It wasn’t as if I was always out partying. I think when I was younger, I was just scared to commit. When I got older, I got strong enough to get up in front of everyone and make it official.”

That decision came during a flight, as he listened to Christian music to ease the discomfort of turbulence. He found himself particularly captivated by one line in Keith Green’s song, “You”: “Don’t wait too long to decide.” Donny decided that once he got home, he was going to show his commitment to Christ by being baptized. “I had thought about it for a long time,” he said. “It was a huge step.”

The road to the Olympics

Donny Robinson, age 8, with trophies he had already won as BMX champ.

Born June 17, 1983, and raised in Napa, Calif., from the time he was 6 years old, Donny, his mother, his father and his sister traveled constantly around Northern California for bicycle motocross races. At the age of 8, he won his first national event. But people were skeptical about his future, because he was the smallest rider in his class and there had been no successful small BMX riders.

Little success came over the next four years; but at the age of 12, he won the first World Cup BMX, held in Los Angeles. “My toughest competitor was my best friend, Jason Ream,” he says. “He was 6 feet tall, and I was somewhere in the low 4-feet range. People called it the ‘David and Goliath’ battle.”

That win was a big break for Donny; but throughout his teen years, his wins were sporadic. He was nearly 18 when things clicked again and he began winning races, including the World Championships in Kentucky where Donny was named Best Amateur. “It was the highest point in my life,” he said. “Everything was going right.”

Donny Robinson practices BMX jumps in Phoenix, Arizona in 1999.

Airborne Donny Robinson at practice in 1999.

Then life took some dramatic turns. One of the team members he most connected with, Mario Soto, died in a motorcycle accident in January 2001. Powerlite filed for bankruptcy shortly after that. “I was 19 and I’d turned pro,” Donny says. “I didn’t have Mario to look up to and to talk with about problems, and I didn’t have a sponsor.”

It was during that period that Donny had made some important strides in his spiritual life, but 2002 through 2005 could have been better for him on the track. “I think I won two out of about 120 races,” he said.

Standing at about 5 feet tall and weighing 120 pounds, a lot of people still thought he couldn’t succeed over his taller, beefier competitors. It didn’t help that in his first pro race he suffered a concussion and, during the third race, he broke his wrist.

“Everything is good when you’re winning, but it’s tough when things aren’t going your way,” he said. “I’d pray, ‘I want to see what you have for me. I want to just keep doing what I think is right and working hard. You’re going to show me what’s supposed to happen next.’”

What would happen in the near future wasn’t at all what he had foreseen. In 2003, the International Olympic Committee decided to include BMX in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Donny had raced his entire life, but not towards that goal. Now, he determined he’d be on that U.S. team.

In 2006, he won more than 20 races and five titles, putting him at the top of the pros. In 2007, he won the first U.S. BMX National Championships and was on top at the international events. So far, there had only been speculations regarding how the 2008 USA BMX Olympic Team (male team members) would be picked, but in late 2007, the plan was revealed. “The first spot was going to be on a point race series, the second based on the Olympic trials and the third was a coach’s pick,” Donny says.

BMXer Donny Robinson practicing at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.

He came in second behind Kyle Bennett in the point race series and again in the Olympic trials, in June 2008, behind Mike Day. He had done the best he could, succeeding in having the best results over the past two years. Now, he needed to leave it up to God. And God didn’t disappoint him. On June 25, Mike King, the team coach, announced Donny would fill the third spot.

Olympic bronze medalist, Donny Robinson, at the booth of one of his Olympic sponsors, Kicker Audio, at the SEMA car show in Las Vegas, Nevada, 2009.

What happened before and after the 2008 Summer Olympics seems like a dream to Donny. AT&T, Hershey, Kellogg’s and Nike became his sponsors, as well as McDonald’s, placing his image on Olympic-themed cups and bags. As the face of BMX, Donny made the talk show rounds, appearing on “Mad Money with Jim Cramer,” “Oprah” and “The Today Show.”

Of course, all that pales when it comes to the day Donny stood on the Olympic podium, on August 22, 2008, after taking home the bronze medal.

Donny worked hard for that honor, but he hasn’t forgotten who placed him on that podium. “I’m really thankful that God has blessed me with this whole journey,” he says.