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Five Elite Men Advance to BMX Freestyle Semi-Finals at the 2022 Urban Cycling World Championships

November 11, 2022

Dowell, Fox, Sandoval, Christopher, and Thiem qualified in the top 24, transferring to the next round of the World Championships.

November 11, 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Dowell, Fox, Sandoval, Christopher, and Thiem qualified in the top 24, transferring to the next round of the World Championships.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Competition began on Friday for the Elite Men’s BMX Freestyle Park at the 2022 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships. 63 men started their qualifying runs today, with the top 24 advancing to tomorrow’s semi-finals.

Five Americans transferred to the next round, including Justin Dowell (Virginia Beach, V.A.; Hyper BMX), Brian Fox (Commerce, Ga.; Woodward Camp), Daniel Sandoval (Corona, Calif.; Free Agent Bikes), Marcus Christopher (Canton, Ohio; DK Bicycles), and Jacob Thiem (Kennard, Neb.; Free Agent Bikes).

Dealing with extreme heat and sun, the qualifying rounds of the World Championships were nothing less than exciting. The team was extremely calculated with their runs to do just enough to make it through to the semi-finals.

Dowell was the top American, qualifying fourth, leaving more in the tank for the semi-finals. Fox returned to competition this year, crushing the World Cup circuit, and came into the World Championships more prepared than ever. He placed sixth in qualifying with an average score of 83.35. Sandoval found his flow and scored 80.66, putting him in 13th. 19-year-old Christopher rode exceptionally well for his first World Championship contest finishing just behind his teammate in 16th. Thiem rounded out the qualifiers taking the 20th spot. Tryon was on track for two great runs, but unfortunately crashed in both missing out on the next round.

Elite Men’s Qualifying Results:

1. Rimu Nakamura (JPN) – 89.57

2. Jose Torres (ARG) – 87.45

3. Anthony Jean Jean (FRA) – 86.52

4. Justin Dowell (USA) – 84.53

6. Brian Fox (USA) – 83.35

13. Daniel Sandoval (USA) – 80.66

14. Marcus Christopher (USA) – 80.36

20. Jacob Thiem (USA) – 74.62

43. Bryce Tryon (USA) – 48.60

Up Next

The men are back on the course tomorrow for their semi-finals. Then, on Sunday, 12 men and 12 women will compete in the finals! Watch it live on FloBikes.

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

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

ABOUT USA CYCLING

USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. 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).