USA Cycling Announces BMX Freestyle Athletes Selected for the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series

December 19, 2023

The series is the final opportunity to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with two events scheduled in Shanghai, China, and Budapest, Hungary.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – USA Cycling announced today the athletes who have been selected for the first-ever Olympic Qualifier Series hosted by the International Olympic Committee. The series includes two prestigious events in 2024: the first in Shanghai, China, from May 16-19, and the second in Budapest, Hungary, from June 20-23.

The road to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is well underway heading into the new year. The next six months are crucial for athletes to earn their spots on the Olympic team. The 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series will set the ultimate stage in determining which athletes qualify for the Games in BMX Freestyle, Breaking, Skateboarding, and Sport Climbing.

USA Cycling’s BMX Freestyle Coach Ryan Nyquist said, “With BMX Freestyle’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, it’s been exciting to see the sport take on the Olympic stage. The Olympic Qualifier Series will bring a next-level atmosphere and platform for our athletes to show the world their skills beyond Paris. By the end of the Olympic Qualifier Series, we will have determined the athletes who will proudly represent the United States in Paris.”

For BMX Freestyle, only 12 men and 12 women will be selected to compete in Paris 2024 across all nations. For the Olympic Qualifier Series, a total of 36 athletes from around the world have been invited to compete. The Olympic teams will be determined based on the highest ranked athletes at the end of the series. As a nation, USA Cycling qualified three men and three women through the UCI rankings. The athletes below have been selected by USA Cycling to compete in the Olympic Qualifier Series.

Team USA is as follows:

Women

Perris Benegas (Reno, Nev.; Haro BMX)

Angie Marino (Buffalo, N.Y.; Cult Crew)

Hannah Roberts (Buchanan, Mich.; Hyper BMX)

Men

Nick Bruce (Youngstown, Ohio; DK Bicycles)

Marcus Christopher (Canton, Ohio; DK Bicycles)

Justin Dowell (Virginia Beach, V.A.; Hyper BMX)

Visit USACycling.org for more information on the athletes, events, and membership programs, and follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA.

For more information, contact Angelina Palermo at apalermo@usacycling.org.

ABOUT USA CYCLING (usacycling.org)

USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, gravel, BMX, and esports. USA Cycling’s mission is to grow participation and engagement with the sport of bicycle racing and achieve sustained international success across all cycling disciplines. USA Cycling supports cyclists of all levels and abilities, from those just beginning in the sport to international caliber athletes. The organization identifies, develops, and selects cyclists to represent the United States in international competition through the support of youth and interscholastic programs, amateur and grassroots bike racing events, athlete development programs, and operational support for cycling clubs, racing teams, and event organizers. USA Cycling has a membership of 80,000, sanctions over 2,500 events annually, and is a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).