News

Four U.S. BMXers Advance to Olympic Semifinals

Filed under General on July 29, 2021 | Comment(s)

Four U.S. Riders Advance to BMX Racing Olympic Semifinals
The BMX Olympic Champions will be crowned today at the Ariake Urban Sports Park 

TOKYO – Corben Sharrah (Tucson, Ariz.; Daylight Cycle Co.), Connor Fields (Henderson, Nev.; Chase Bicycles/ Monster Energy), Alise Willoughby (Saint Cloud, Minn.; Team Toyota/ GW Bicycles), and Felicia Stancil (Lake Villa, Ill.; Factory Answer SSquared) have all advanced to the BMX Racing semifinals.

The quarterfinals started on Thursday with four heats each for the men and women, with three runs per heat. The four riders with the lowest points at the end of the three rounds moved on to the semifinals. 

In the first heat for the men, two-time Olympian Sharrah placed 4-5-2 in the three heaats, totaling 11-points, squeezing him into the semifinals.

Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Fields raced in the last heat for the men winning his heat with the lowest points.

Fields said, “It felt great. With the way the Olympics are formatted, it’s all about advancing into the next round and getting to the finals and then making it happen there. Winning a quarterfinal is great and I feel awesome. Now I’m just looking forward to tomorrow and to repeat the same process in the semis to get myself into the final and I should have a good chance there.”

Fields also gave more details on the track layout, explaining “The track is awesome. It’s a different builder than the previous three, so it has definitely got a little bit of a different flavor to it. It’s longer, but as shown today, it’s going to make for some good racing.”

For the women, this is the first year the Olympic format has been expanded to mirror the Men’s format, with 2 days of racing. Willoughby was one of the riders to beat today winning all three rounds of her heat. Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Mariana Pajon (COL) also won all of her rounds. 

Willoughby said, “It was good to let everyone get their feet wet, well at least for me, after a year and a half off from international racing, it was good. We got a little bit of everything out there, and I’m excited for tomorrow.” 

When asked her strategy on the track today, Willoughby said, “You do what you got to do. I’m just trying to run clean laps, figure out my lines, and obviously, you got to get to the front and control your race as best as you can, but there’s strategy involved with it. There’s weather conditions, the heat, the physicality of the track, and all these other things that can play a factor. I’m just trying to be as prepared as I can be for tomorrow.”

“I feel like I’m in a great headspace. I’ve had a lot of success over the last several years, and I’ve been finding my groove. I think that helps. Having Sam [Willoughby] at my side, with someone who is as prepared as he is really, caters to me. I think that I feel as prepared as I’ve ever been. So I’m fine with whatever comes my way,” said Willoughby about her mental space and preparation moving into these Games.  

In heat two, Stancil and Laura Smulders (NED) went head-to-head each round. Stancil placed second to Smulders in her heat, one point separating them. They will both advance to the next round.

“Today’s going great. Today was the first round of motos, and I went first, second, second. It was really good to be thrown in with some really fast girls to begin with, so tomorrow’s not that much of a surprise. It was fun battling with [Smulders] around the track,” said Stancil. “I know some points I need to improve on and where I need to carry more speed around. It was really really fun to be thrown right into it with some fast girls.” 

At 19-years-old and competing in her first Olympic Games, Ridenour had a great ride but came up just shy on her last round. She needed to beat Belgium rider Elke Vanhoof, but Vanhoof crossed the line 0.203 ahead.  


Up Next

Sharrah, Fields, Willoughby, and Stancil will take the gate tomorrow at the Ariake Urban Sports Park and start with the semi-finals then on to the main events! In Rio 2016, Team USA walked away with two medals from the event with Fields and Willoughby, who are looking to double down again this year.

Here's a look at the semi's - and each rider's gate picks:

 

 

 


Visit USACycling.org for more information on events, membership programs, donations, and follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA. For more media inquiries, please contact Angelina Palermo at [email protected] and Tom Mahoney at [email protected].

Image Gallery

  • Screen_shot_2021-07-29_at_10
  • Screen_shot_2021-07-27_at_7
  • Olympic_semi_s_mxw60_mxh60_e1

Fa-solid-arrow-left

Membership

Fa-solid-times
We're excited you want to ride with us! If you are a new rider, welcome to the family! If you are experienced, we are glad to have you back. Please select below:
Purchasing of New Memberships is temporarily disabled. Please contact us for more info.
15%

Step 1 / 6

To create or renew your membership, please sign in to your account or create a new account. If you are purchasing a membership for someone under the age of 18 please create an account for yourself first.

Eye-password-icon@2x Eye-invisible-outlined@2x

OR Forgot Your Password?
Forgot your password? Put in your email address here and we’ll email you a link to change your password.

An email from [email protected] containing instructions to reset your password has been emailed to you.

If you’re having trouble finding your email, try checking your Spam folder.
10%

Step 1 / 6

If you are purchasing this membership for someone under the age of 18, you must first create an account for yourself in order to enter payment options and sign safety wavers.

Birthdate must be a past date.
15%

Step 1 / 6

Password must be at least 8 characters.
Check all that apply.
15%

Step 1 / 6

Password must be at least 8 characters.

Check all that apply:

In order to comply with COPPA standards, and for your safety, riders under the age of 13 must have a parent or legal guardian register an account on the USA BMX site and consent to your profile creation. Please fill out your guardian’s email below.


Thanks for registering! Return to sign in below and sign in to your new account to continue to your purchase. An email has also been sent to with instructions on verifying your account. If you don’t see it, be sure to check your spam.
30%

Step 2 / 6

Who is this membership for?
Are you the rider's parent or legal guardian?

You must be the rider’s legal guardian in order to purchase a membership. Please have the rider’s legal guardian create an account and purchase the membership.

Is this your first time in BMX?
Please confirm your birthday.

Birthdate not accepted.
Is this the rider's first time in BMX?
Please confirm the rider's birthday.

Birthdate not accepted.
You must be over the age of 18 to purchase a membership. Please have your parent or legal guardian create an account and purchase your membership.
50%

Step 3 / 6

Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
50%

Step 3 / 6

Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
70%

Step 4 / 6

Gender
Skill Level
Please choose the track you would like to credit your membership to, as this helps your home track earn their ranking within the state or province.


Home Track State / Province
Home Track
Type of Membership
85%

Step 5 / 6


Please review the waivers below carefully and submit your electronic signature to consent to them.

In order for the membership to be processed, the Sanction must receive your digital signature. By digitally signing in the box below, you agree to the terms and conditions of the waivers referenced above.

Step 6 / 6

When adding a credit card, BMX Canada members must add their card to the CAN jurisdiction for processing.

SELECT USA BMX OR BMX CANADA

Step 6 / 6

Please confirm that all of your information is correct before completing your purchase.

If you do find a problem, click the back arrow to correct it.
Membership for
Home Track
Proficiency
Family Member
Membership Type
Date of Birth
Age
Payment Due
Make a Payment
Thank you for your purchase!
An email has been sent to your inbox with information on getting started with us:

Please download membership card below.

30%

Step 2 / 6

Please enter your Serial Number and Validation Code from your Trial Membership. Serial Number will be 8 digits and Validation Code will be 4 digits.
30%

Step 2 / 6

Renew a membership registered under your account, or by searching for existing memberships.
OR
50%

Step 3 / 6

Select one of the memberships below to renew a membership.
Search for Existing Memberships
50%

Step 3 / 6

Search for a rider by name or by serial number to renew a membership.
Please fill out both names.
OR
View Memberships on Your Account
50%

Step 2 / 6

Are you the rider and/or rider’s parent/legal guardian?
70%

Step 4 / 6

Gender
Skill Level
Skill Level
Please choose the track you would like to credit your membership to, as this helps your home track earn their ranking within the state or province.


Home Track State / Province
Home Track
Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
Type of Membership
85%

Step 5 / 6


Please review the waivers below carefully and submit your electronic signature to consent to them..

In order for the membership to be processed, the Sanction must receive your digital signature. By digitally signing in the box below, you agree to the terms and conditions of the waivers referenced above.

Step 6 / 6

Please confirm that your information is correct and check out.
Membership for
Home Track
Proficiency
Family Member
Membership Type
Payment Due
Make a Payment
Thank you for renewing!
An email has been sent to your inbox with information on your renewal with us:

Please download membership card below.

Step 6 / 6

When adding a credit card, BMX Canada members must add their card to the CAN jurisdiction for processing.

SELECT USA BMX OR BMX CANADA