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 United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American athletes have w ...

. 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 The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, 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. Nat ...

and

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

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 Beij ...

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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

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, Nordic Combined * Spc. Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Spc. Frank Del Duca, Two and Four-Man Bobsled

2020

During the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

twelve soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXII Olympiad. * Staff Sgt.

Naomi Graham Naomi Melissa Graham is an American middleweight boxer. She is a staff sergeant and ammunition specialist in the United States Army. Graham is the first female active duty service member to fight for the U.S. at the Olympics. Life Graham was b ...

, Boxing * Staff Sgt.

Sandra Uptagrafft Sandra Uptagrafft (born April 12, 1971 in Singapore) is an American sport shooter. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the Women's 10 metre air pistol, and finished in 28th place. She also competed in the Women's 25 metre pistol even ...

, Shooting * 1st Lt. Amber English, Shooting * Staff Sgt. Nickolaus Mowrer, Shooting * Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks, Paralympic Swimming * Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen, Paralympic Shooting * Staff Sgt. John Joss, Paralympic Shooting * Sgt. Ildar Hafizov, Wrestling * Spc. Alejandro Sancho, Wrestling * Sgt. Amro Elgeziry, Modern Pentathlon * Sgt. Samantha Schultz, 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 , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

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 Seou ...

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

Nick Cunningham Nick Cunningham (born May 8, 1985) is an American bobsledder who has competed since 2008. Nick Cunningham is a Sergeant in the New York Army National Guard in the 1156 Engineering Company, Vertical, and his job is a Construction and Masonry Engi ...

, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Sgt

Justin Olsen Justin Bradley Olsen (born April 16, 1987) 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 event ...

, Two and Four-Man Bobsled * Sgt Emily Sweeney, Women's Singles Luge * Sgt Taylor Morris, Singles Luge * Sgt Matthew Mortensen, Doubles Luge

2016

The program sent four Kenyan-born soldier-runners to compete at the Rio

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. * Sgt.

Hillary Bor Hillary Bor (born November 22, 1989) is a Kenyan-born American track and field athlete. He qualified for the 2016 Olympics by finishing in second place in the 3000 meters steeplechase at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field), 2 ...

, 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, etc ...

* Spc. Shadrack Kipchirchir, 10,000 m run * Spc.

Leonard Korir Leonard Essau Korir (born December 10, 1986) is a Kenyan-born American long-distance runner who competes over distances from 5000 meters to the marathon. He was twice NCAA champion, winning an indoor 5000 m title and outdoor 10,000 meters ti ...

, 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 former ...

, 50 km racewalk

2012

The program sent seven athletes and four coaches to the London

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. * Sergeant First Class

Dremiel Byers Dremiel Byers (born September 11, 1974) 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, B ...

, Greco-Roman wrestling, 120 kg * Sgt. 1st Class Keith Sanderson, rapid fire pistol * Sgt. 1st Class

Daryl Szarenski Daryl Szarenski (born March 14, 1968) is an American sport shooter who competes in pistol events. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he finished 23rd in the qualifying round, failing to make the cut for the final. He has also competed at the 2000, 2 ...

, pistol * Staff Sgt.

, 50 km racewalk * Spc. Justin Lester, Greco-Roman wrestling, 66 kg * Sgt. Spenser Mango, Greco-Roman wrestling, 55 kg * Spc.

Dennis Bowsher Dennis Bowsher (born April 7, 1983) is an American modern pentathlete. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi- ...

, Modern Pentathlon

2010

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

Jeremy Teela Jeremy Scott Teela (born 27 October 1976) is a former American biathlete and a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. Life and career Teela is a three-time Olympian, having competed in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics. Teela retired ...

(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 Ioann ...

(Bobsled) :-4-man USA Sled II Pilot * 1LT Christopher Fogt (Bobsled) :-4-man USA Sled II Brakeman * SGT William Tavares (Team USA Bobsled Coach)

2008

During the Beijing

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

two WCAP athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIX Olympiad: * MAJ Michael Anti (Shooting) :-50m Rifle Competition * SSG

(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 ch ...

(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