U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program

Last updated

U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program
Wcap logo.jpg
World Class Athlete Program
Active1997 – present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States of America
AllegianceUnited States
Branch United States Army
Part of Department of Defense

Department of the Army
Installation Management Command

Contents

Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command
LocationFort Carson, Colorado
Nickname(s)WCAP
Commanders
CommanderCpt. Robert Cheseret
First Sergeant1st Sgt. Jose Santiago

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. [1]

Objectives

According to the U.S. Army, WCAP provides active duty, National Guard 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. [1]

Selection

Any soldier-athlete (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve) may apply for selection provided:

WCAP Olympians

2022

During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China five soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIV Olympiad. [4]

2020

During the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan twelve soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXII Olympiad. [5]

2018

During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea seven soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIII Olympiad. [6]

2016

Spc. Paul Chelimo of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program finishes runner-up to Mo Farah of Great Britain to claim the silver medal in the men's 5,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 13 minutes, 3.90 seconds at the Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Spc. Paul Chelimo wins silver medal in 5,000 meters at Rio Olympic Games photos by Tim Hipps, IMCOM Public Affairs (29090417156).jpg
Spc. Paul Chelimo of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program finishes runner-up to Mo Farah of Great Britain to claim the silver medal in the men's 5,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 13 minutes, 3.90 seconds at the Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

The program sent four Kenyan-born soldier-runners to compete at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. [7]

as well as

2012

The program sent seven athletes and four coaches to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. [8]

2010

Maj. Michael Anti (left), a marksman with the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program assigned to the U.S. Army Marskmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Ga., flashes his silver medal alongside gold medalist Zhanbo Jia of China (center) and bronze medalist Christian Planer (right) of Austria after completion of the men's 50-meter rifle three-position event in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games at Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre. 2004 50 Rifle 3.jpg
Maj. Michael Anti (left), a marksman with the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program assigned to the U.S. Army Marskmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Ga., flashes his silver medal alongside gold medalist Zhanbo Jia of China (center) and bronze medalist Christian Planer (right) of Austria after completion of the men's 50-meter rifle three-position event in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games at Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre.

During the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games three soldier-athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXI Olympiad. [10]

-10k Sprint [11]
-4-man USA Sled II Pilot
-4-man USA Sled II Brakeman [12]

2008

During the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics two WCAP athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIX Olympiad: [13]

-50m Rifle Competition
-Heavyweight
-Rapid Fire Pistol competition

Other notable WCAP alumni

Boyd Melson (right) Boyd Melson.jpg
Boyd Melson (right)
-2004 World Military Boxing Championships, gold medal (69-kg. weight class) [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Rome, Italy

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad and commonly known as Rome 1960, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awarded the administration of the 1908 Summer Olympics, but following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, the city had no choice but to decline and pass the honour to London. The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals at the 1960 Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shauna Rohbock</span> American bobsledder and soccer player (born 1977)

Shauna Linn Rohbock is a retired Olympic medal-winning bobsledder, former professional soccer player, and is a staff sergeant in the Utah Army National Guard. After retiring from competitions she worked as a bobsled coach at the Utah Olympic Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Olympic Training Center</span> United States Olympic Olympian Center

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Lake Placid, New York. Formerly, the USOPC also had a third OPTC in Chula Vista, California, which is now the city-owned Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. There is a U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Michigan, and other official U.S. Olympic/Paralympic training sites are located in Oklahoma City and Edmond, Oklahoma; Carson, California; Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; the Pettit National Ice Center in West Allis, Wisconsin; a USRowing training center in Oakland, California ; Huntsville, Texas and the SPIRE Institute and Academy near Geneva, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Holcomb</span> American bobsledder (1980–2017)

Steven Paul Holcomb was an American bobsledder who competed from 1998 until his death in 2017. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he won the four-man bobsled event for the United States, its first gold medal in that event since 1948. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, he finished second in both the four-man and two-man event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian Ice Sports Federation</span>

The Brazilian Ice Sports Federation was founded by Eric Maleson, Brazil's first bobsled athlete. The CBDG was established in 1996 and affiliated to the Brazilian Olympic Committee in 1999. The federation qualified 7 athletes for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and a 4-man bobsled team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.


Cameron "Cammy" Myler is an American luge athlete who was a member of the U.S. National Luge Team from 1985 to 1998 and competed on four Winter Olympics teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation</span> International sport governing body

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the international sports federation for the sliding sports of Bobsleigh and Skeleton. It was founded on 23 November 1923 by the delegates of Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States at the meeting of their first International Congress in Paris, France. In June 2015, it announced a name change from FIBT to IBSF. The federation's headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation</span>

USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS) is the official national governing body (NGB) for Bobsled and Skeleton in the United States. It serves as the American representative for the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation and is chartered by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Mortensen</span> American luger

Matthew "Matt" Mortensen 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. Mortensen and teammate Jayson Terdiman finished the 2016–2017 season ranked 3rd internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Olsen</span> American bobsledder

Justin Bradley Olsen is an American bobsledder who has competed since 2008. He won two medals at the 2009 FIBT World Championships in Lake Placid, New York, with a gold in the four-man and a bronze in the mixed team events. Olsen's best event bobsleigh World Cup finish was second on three occasions in 2008–09. Olsen won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in the four-man bobsled with driver Steve Holcomb.

National Sports Academy was a private preparatory school for winter-sport athletes in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The academy was closed in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Napier (bobsleigh)</span> American bobsledder

John Napier is an American bobsled driver and a soldier in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. He won the two-man event at the 2009 U.S. National Bobsled Championships with Cory Butner. At the 2009 FIBT World Championships, he placed 17th in the two-man event with T.J. Burns and 11th in the four-man event with Jesse Beckom, Jamie Moriarty, and Nick Cunningham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Fogt</span> American bobsledder

Christopher Fogt 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. He also competed in the two-man Bobsled event in Sochi, earning 12th place with pilot, Cory Butner. He competed in the 2010 Vancouver Games as a member of USA-2, in the four-man event with pilot John Napier. After taking three years off after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, he returned to the Sport in 2017 with long time friend and teammate Steve Langton earning a spot on his third USA Winter Olympic Team to compete in PyeongChang, 2018. He competed in PyeongChang with pilot Justin Olsen in the four-man event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dremiel Byers</span> American Greco-Roman wrestler

Dremiel Byers is an American former wrestler in the Greco-Roman discipline. Byers joined the World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) in 1996 and was the 2002 World Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at 120 kg. In total, Byers won three World medals and was a two-time Olympian. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spenser Mango</span> American Greco-Roman wrestler

Spenser Mango 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 weight class. He won his first match against Romanian, Virgil Munteanu, before losing the South Korean, Park Eun-chul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ildar Hafizov</span> Tatar-American Greco-Roman wrestler

Ildar Shavkatovich Hafizov is an Uzbekistani-American Greco-Roman wrestler of Tatar heritage, who competes in the featherweight category. 2011 Asian and 2021 Pan American Championships runner-up, 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Sweeney (luger)</span> American luger (born 1993)

Emily Carolyn Sweeney is an American luger. She is the sister of fellow luger Megan Sweeney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Conder</span> American freestyle wrestler

Whitney Conder is an American freestyle wrestler. In September 2012, she joined the U.S. Army as part of the World Class Athlete Program and serves with the military police. As a WCAP athlete, Conder has been a World Team member four times, a five-time national champion, and won a Military World silver medal. She won the gold medal in the 53 kg weight division at the 2015 Pan American Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force World Class Athlete Program</span> Military unit

The Department of the Air Force World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) is a military program designed to support nationally and internationally ranked athlete Airmen and Guardians and prepare them to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team and compete at the highest level of international competition. Additionally, it provides current Olympians an avenue to serve the United States in a uniformed service capacity between training seasons. The program is falls under the DAF Fitness and Sports Division, Air Force Service Center, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Program management of WCAP and the Department of the Air Force Shooting Program moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in the spring of 2022 to better assist athletes and to be closer to the Olympic Training Center and its sister service WCAP Program Managers and Fort Carson, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alejandro Sancho</span> American Greco-Roman wrestler (born 1994)

Alejandro Sancho is an American Greco-Roman wrestler.

References

  1. 1 2 "U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program" Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine . thearmywcap.com.
  2. ↑ Army Regulation 215–1 Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Archived 11 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine . army.mil
  3. ↑ "WCAP Entry Standards" Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine . thearmywcap.com.
  4. ↑ "Meet the Soldier-athletes competing at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games :: WCAP". www.armywcap.com. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Abreu • •, Danielle. "From Defending Their Country to Representing It: These are the Armed Service Members Competing in Tokyo". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Meet the 7 US Soldiers Going For Gold at the Winter Olympics Archived 12 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine , 'Task & Purpose', 8 February 2018.
  7. ↑ 4 Kenyan-born U.S. Army runners represent their adopted country at Rio Games Archived 21 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine , Military Times
  8. ↑ US Army sends off 7 athletes, 4 coaches to London Olympics [ dead link ], AP in Washington Post, 16 July 2012
  9. ↑ "U.S. Army FMWRC Official Image Archive". Flickr.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "US Army Olympians". Goarmy.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Teela sits out Olympic 20k Individual Biathlon". United States Army. 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  12. ↑ "Bobsledding Soldiers attention turns to Olympic four-man event". United States Army. 24 February 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  13. ↑ "Soldier-Olympians share tales with Army leaders". United States Army. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Melson wins U.S. boxing quarterfinals". USA Today. 9 March 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "Army wrestler wins first World Championship medal". DVIDS.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.