The U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) is a military unit whose primary mission is to support nationally and internationally ranked soldiers in participating on the U.S. Olympic team. The program is headquartered at

Fort Carson, Colorado Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs ...

."U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program"
. ''thearmywcap.com''.

Objectives

According to the U.S. Army, WCAP provides active duty,

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. N ...

and reserve soldiers the opportunity to train and compete at national and international sports competitions with the ultimate goal of selection to the U.S. Olympic team and U.S. Paralympic team, while maintaining a professional military career and promoting the U.S. Army.

Selection

Any soldier-athlete (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve) may apply for selection provided: * Soldier is in good military standing * The sport the soldier is applying for is an Olympic sport * Soldier has completed Advanced Individual Training (enlisted) or Officer Basic Course (officer) * Soldier meets sport specific entry standards, which normally consists of attaining a high national ranking or being selected to a U.S. National Team for international competition * WCAP is not a developmental program; it targets athletes who have achieved world class status in their sport Image:wcap6.jpg, Army National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program, 2010 Winter Olympics. Image:DF-SD-08-05994.JPEG, U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, 2004 Summer Olympics. Image:Wcap3.JPEG, U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, 2004 Summer Olympics. Image:Wcap2.jpg, 2009 U.S. National Boxing Championships. Image:WCAPWrestlerUSArmy.jpg, Army World Class Athlete Program, 2010 World Team Trials for USA Wrestling. Image:WCAPTeelaShooting.jpg, Army World Class Athlete Program Olympic biathlete Jeremy Teela practicing. Image:Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Skiing_to_victory.jpg, U.S. Biathlon World Team Trials in Coleraine, Minnesota. Image:WCAPAthletesSignAutographs.jpg, WCAP athletes sign autographs for fans, 2009 AUSA Conference.

WCAP Olympians

2022

During the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Bei ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China five soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIV Olympiad. * Sgt. Emily Sweeney, Women's Singles Luge * Sgt. Benjamin Loomis, Nordic Combined * Sgt.

Jasper Good Jasper Good (born 10 May 1996) is an American Nordic combined skier. He competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He also competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Personnel life Good was selected into the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and is ...

, Nordic Combined * Spc.

Hakeem Abdul-Saboor Hakeem Abdul-Saboor (born November 7, 1987) is an American bobsledder. He competed in the two-man event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He qualified to represent the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He is a specialist in the United Stat ...

, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Spc. Frank Del Duca, Two and Four-Man Bobsled

2020

During the 2020 Summer Olympics in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan twelve soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXII Olympiad. * Staff Sgt. Naomi Graham, Boxing * Staff Sgt. Sandra Uptagrafft, Shooting * 1st Lt.

Amber English Amber English (born October 25, 1989 in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is an American sport shooter who won the gold medal in the women's skeet at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, setting a new Olympic record of 56. Amber English is current ...

, Shooting * Staff Sgt.

Nickolaus Mowrer Nickolaus Mowrer (born September 14, 1988, in Miles City, Montana) is an American sport shooter. He is a three-time NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Champion in the free pistol ( FP), a 2011 U.S. pistol shooting champion, and also, a resident athlete ...

, Shooting * Sgt. 1st Class

Elizabeth Marks Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks (born August 7, 1990) is an American Paralympic swimmer who specializes in the 100m breaststroke distance. Early life Marks was born to James Marks, a U.S. Marine veteran who served during the Vietnam Wa ...

, Paralympic Swimming * Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen, Paralympic Shooting * Staff Sgt. John Joss, Paralympic Shooting * Sgt.

Ildar Hafizov Ildar Hafizov (russian: Ильдар Хафизов; tt-Cyrl, Илдар Хәфиз; born 30 January 1988) is an Uzbek-American Greco-Roman wrestler of Tatar heritage, who competes in the featherweight category. Before his change of domicile t ...

, Wrestling * Spc.

Alejandro Sancho Alejandro Sancho (born March 18, 1994) is an American Greco-Roman wrestler. Sancho first started wrestling at South Miami High School in South Miami, Florida. Sancho defeated former Olympian Ellis Coleman in the U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify ...

, Wrestling * Sgt. Amro Elgeziry, Modern Pentathlon * Sgt.

Samantha Schultz Samantha Schultz ( Achterberg, born March 27, 1992) is an American modern pentathlete. She won the silver medal in the women's individual event at the 2019 Pan American Games held in Lima, Peru. Achterberg and Jessica Davis also won the gold me ...

, Modern Pentathlon * Spc.

Benard Keter Benard Kiplangat Keter (born May 25, 1992) is an American athlete who competes primarily in the 3000 metres steeplechase. Personal life Born in Molo, Kenya, Keter attended Tengecha Boys High School in Kapkatet, Kenya. His brother is Tareq Mub ...

, Track and Field

2018

During the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of S ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

seven soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIII Olympiad. * Maj

Christopher Fogt Christopher Fogt (born May 29, 1983) is a United States Army Major, three time USA Olympian, and Olympic Silver medalist. He won a Silver Medal at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi as a member of the famed Team Night Train, in the four-man event ...

, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Sgt. 1st Class

Nate Weber Nathan "Nate" Weber (born February 1, 1987) is an American bobsledder. He competed in the four-man event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Weber joined the U.S. Army in 2005, and served with the Special Forces in Niger, Cameroon and Afghanistan. In ...

, Four-Man Bobsled * Sgt Nick Cunningham, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Sgt Justin Olsen, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Sgt Emily Sweeney, Women's Singles Luge * Sgt

Taylor Morris Taylor Morris may refer to: * Taylor Morris (luger) * Taylor Morris (figure skater) Taylor Morris (; born 1 July 2000) is an American-Israeli figure skater who represents Israel in women's singles. She is the 2021 Israeli national champion ...

, Singles Luge * Sgt

Matthew Mortensen Matthew "Matt" Mortensen (born December 11, 1985) is an American luger who has been competing since 2000. His best Luge World Cup season finish was silver in both the Lake Placid, United States, and Altenberg, Germany, World Cups in 2016–2017. ...

, Doubles Luge

2016

The program sent four Kenyan-born soldier-runners to compete at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. * Sgt. Hillary Bor, 3,000 m steeplechase * Spc.

Paul Chelimo Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo (born October 27, 1990) is an Kenyan born American track and field athlete. He is the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist in the 5000 meters. Career Born and brought up in Kenya Chelimo initi ...

, 5,000 m run won the

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, e ...

* Spc.

Shadrack Kipchirchir Shadrack Kipchirchir (born February 22, 1989) is a Kenyan-born American distance track and field Olympian specializing in the 10,000 m. Following in his brothers footsteps, Kipchirchir enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2014 and joined the U.S ...

, 10,000 m run * Spc. Leonard Korir, 10,000 m run as well as * Staff Sgt.

John Nunn John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was forme ...

, 50 km racewalk

2012

The program sent seven athletes and four coaches to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. * Sergeant First Class Dremiel Byers, Greco-Roman wrestling, 120 kg * Sgt. 1st Class Keith Sanderson, rapid fire pistol * Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, pistol * Staff Sgt.

, 50 km racewalk * Spc. Justin Lester, Greco-Roman wrestling, 66 kg * Sgt.

Spenser Mango Spenser Mango (born July 6, 1986) is an American Greco-Roman wrestler. He has represented the United States in numerous international competitions including the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he competed in the 55 kg w ...

, Greco-Roman wrestling, 55 kg * Spc. Dennis Bowsher, Modern Pentathlon

2010

During the

2010 Vancouver Winter Games )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

three soldier-athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXI Olympiad. * SGT Jeremy Teela (Biathlon) :-10k Sprint * SGT

John Napier John Napier of Merchiston (; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioa ...

(Bobsled) :-4-man USA Sled II Pilot * 1LT

(Bobsled) :-4-man USA Sled II Brakeman * SGT William Tavares (Team USA Bobsled Coach)

2008

During the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics two WCAP athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIX Olympiad: * MAJ Michael Anti (Shooting) :-50m Rifle Competition * SSG Dremiel Byers (Greco-Roman Wrestling) :-Heavyweight * SSG Keith Sanderson (Shooting) :-Rapid Fire Pistol competition * MAJ David Johnson (Team USA Shooting Coach)

Other notable WCAP alumni

* CPT

Boyd Melson Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson (born October 16, 1981) is a retired American light middleweight boxer. As an amateur, Melson won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship gold medal in the weight class, and was a three-time United States Army champ ...

(Boxing) :-2004 World Military Boxing Championships, gold medal (69-kg. weight class)

References

Sources

*
WCAP Selection Standards

Eligibility and Application Procedures for the Army World Class Athlete Program

US Army WCAP Official Website

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090811121645/http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r215_1.pdf Army Regulation 215–1 Morale, Welfare, and Recreation

Objectives

Selection

WCAP Olympians

2022

2020

2018

2016

2012

2010

2008

Other notable WCAP alumni

References

Sources

External links