AFTER being hit by several frustrating injuries, local motocross ace Emile Croisette quit the sport and turned his hand to rugby.
Once touted as one of the brightest prospects on the local motocross track and fellow talented young riders such as Daiyaan "D" Manuel and Emmanuel Bako, Croisette has silently and sadly walked away from the sport.
Croisette was part of the new generation of local dirt bike riders who took motocross by storm at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare, and they included Manuel and Bako.
He is also known for criss-crossing between Zimbabwe and the United States at the beginning of each year to hone his motocross riding skills in the latter country.
Croisette, who took the sport at the age of 5, would go for his annual six-month sojourn in the United States to train under one of that country's top motocross trainers, Shannon Niday at his academy in Texas.
He was part of the fabric at the ranch.
And back home during the times he rode and raced during the weekends at Donnybrook, Croisette lived and breathed the sport and never missed a race at the home of motorsport in Zimbabwe.
Last year towards the staging of the season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series, Croisette announced that he has moved from the junior to the senior rank, and was now a senior rider at 15.
But after a frustrating outing during last year's Zimbabwe Summer Series in which his bike gave him some mechanical problems, Croisette made a disappearing act from the local motocross scene.
He didn't compete in any race at Donnybrook this year and at the weekend he revealed to Zimpapers Sports Hub that he left motocross after having been hit by several injuries.
And he has sensationally exchanged the bike with rugby boots at his school, St John's College here in Harare, where he featured for the school's Under-16 team this year.
Croisette said he didn't quite accomplish his goals in motocross before having to quit, "so I wasn't excited about being just a fan for several years after that".
He said once he was older and accepted that it was never going to happen for him. "I was able to appreciate the sport from the view of a fan. Probably a bigger fan than ever now."
"I left motocross more because of the injuries as I broke my back and fractured my pelvis in December and then came back and broke my hand.
"And it's just very tiring when you work so hard just to get injured and start everything all over (again).
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"I also wanted to start taking rugby more seriously as it's something I enjoy and my dad (Joe) used to play when he was in his 20s.
"At St John's this year, I was playing 8th man in the Under-16 side. But now it's off-season.
"I'm currently in Form 3 at St John's College and I'm preparing for my end-of-the-year examinations.
"I wouldn't say I'm missing Donnybrook in particular, but I do miss racing overseas definitely, I miss the vibe and people there as well.
"It's an unreal experience compared to racing here at Donnybrook as here it's very calm and not much happening. There it's crazy . . .
"I also broke my hand in France while I was at a national event which set me back a lot, and since then I never really got back to riding. I'm still having many troubles with my hand to this day," Croisette said.
