Tucson’s Corben Sharrah is among the first eight members of the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships team, named on Wednesday by USA Cycling.
Four men and four women were selected to the team nearly one month ahead of the May 25-29
competition in Medellin, Colombia, while another two men are still to be named following the May 7-8 World Cup #3 in Papendal, Netherlands.
In addition to potential world titles, Olympic spots are on the line for Team USA, as podium finishes would punch American athletes’ tickets to Rio.
Up to three men’s and up to two women’s spots are available to those who podium, and any men’s athlete who places in the top eight will earn a nomination to the Olympic Long Team given that all three men’s Olympic nominations are not decided in Medellin.
Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif./Hara Bikes/Dans Comp), Alise Post (St. Cloud, Minn./Redline USA) and Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ill./GT Bicycles) each earned automatic nominations to the World Championships, while the other five selections were discretionary.
Men’s Team:
Nic Long (Lakeside, Calif./Haro Bikes/Dans Comp)
Justin Posey (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Corben Sharrah (Tucson, Ariz./Daylight Cycle Co)
Jeffrey Upshaw (Dayton, Ohio/Kuwahara USA)
Women’s Team:
Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif./Hara Bikes/Dans Comp)*
Dani George (Palmdale, Calif.)
Alise Post (St. Cloud, Minn./Redline USA)*
Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ill./GT Bicycles)*
*automatic nomination