By Matt Nelsen
Alise WILLOUGHBYFelicia STANCILCycling BMX Racing
Three-time world champion Alise Willoughby will don the “stars and stripes” for the fourth time at the Olympic Games after being named to the US BMX racing team for Paris 2024.
She will be joined in the start gate by female teammates Daleny Vaughn and Felicia Stancil, with male riders Cameron Wood and Kamren Larsen also making the trip to Paris.
The US contingent will attempt to find their way back to the podium after returning from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 without a medal. Willoughby and Stancil bring prior Olympic experience to the team, while Vaughn, Wood and Larsen will make their Olympic debut at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium.
Read on to find out more about the five riders selected to represent the United States of America in BMX racing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Meet the five US riders set to peddle, jump and pump at Paris 2024
At 33 years old, Alise Willoughby is the most experienced veteran of the US BMX racing team. With three world titles and an Olympic silver medal to her name, she's arguably the most decorated female American BMX athlete in history. Nonetheless, she remains at the top of her game despite all the bumps, knocks and crashes. A gold medal at Paris 2024 would be the cherry-on-top of an illustrious career for Willoughby.
She told USA Cycling, “Little 6-year-old me that started racing BMX back in Minnesota over 27 years ago could’ve never imagined where this two-wheeled journey would take me. Women’s BMX wasn’t an Olympic discipline or even a professional career option back then, so to have been a part of the sport’s growth while finding the success I have over the years, and now be named to my fourth Olympic team representing Team USA, is truly humbling and such an honor.”
Willoughby will be joined in the start gate for a second time by teammate Felicia Stancil, who finished an agonizing fourth place in Tokyo. The 29-year-old from Lake Villa, Illinois rebounded well from a bittersweet Olympic performance, however, winning the 2022 UCI BMX Racing World Championships. Stancil will be further bolstered by the support of her family, as she chases the medal that eluded her three years ago.
“It’s been a dream since BMX Racing debuted in the 2008 Olympics and I’m excited to be returning for my second Olympic Games.” Stancil told USA Cycling. “France is a beautiful country, and this Olympic Games means even more having my family in the stands.”
Daleny Vaughn will lean on the experience of her teammates as she prepares to make her Olympic debut in Paris. The 23-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, earned an automatic nomination to the team after her third-place finish at the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships. A promising young rider, she will look to make a memorable debut at the Olympic Games.
“Being selected to the Olympic Games is an unexplainable feeling, it’s something I have wanted since I was a kid, and the 2024 Games was always the goal,” noted Stancil to USA Cycling. “The day I made the team will be a feeling I will never forget and something I will cherish forever.”
She added, “The preparation for this started so long ago and it feels so good for the hard work to pay off. It’s always an honor to represent the USA and not something I take lightly, I’m excited to represent them on the world’s biggest stage for sport.”
2023 Pan American Games champion Kamren Larsen will certainly be glad to represent the United States on an even bigger stage. The 24-year-old continued to prove himself on the world cup circuit this season, finishing fourth in the overall standings. He’ll seek to carry that form over to Paris 2024, and put the United States back on the top step of the podium in the men’s event.
“This is truly a dream come true,” he told USA Cycling. “Becoming a member of the Olympic Team has been a goal of mine for many years. I understand the honor and responsibility that comes with representing our country, and I can’t wait to gear up and compete in Paris.”
He’ll be joined in the start gate by fellow first-time Olympian Cameron Wood. The 22-year-old from Bozeman, Montana will be the youngest member of the US BMX racing team at Paris 2024. His short career has been plagued by injuries, but the highlights include an eighth-place finish at the 2021 UCI BMX Racing World Championships. He’ll be hoping to recapture the magic of that competition in Paris.
Wood told USA Cycling, “Blessed, honored, and proud is an understatement after being named to the 2024 US Olympic Team in Paris. There have been several challenges and a lot of adversity faced during the qualifying process. It feels rewarding to have faced those challenges head on, grown as an athlete and person, and ultimately earned my way in.”
He added, “It has been a dream of mine for a long time to represent my country in the Olympics and give it my all. I couldn’t be more thankful and appreciative for all of the people who have supported my journey and helped get me to this point. Let’s go.”
BMX Racing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024
BMX racing will be held at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium from 1-2 August. All five riders will need to navigate their way through the quarterfinals, last chance race and semifinals to have a chance at winning a medal during the finals on 2 August.
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