Reigning world champion Sam Willoughby and recently crowned national champion Caroline Buchanan will headline the 22 junior and elite riders selected to represent Australia on the world stage, at the upcoming UCI World Championships in Zolder, Belgium from July 21-25.

Willoughby will be keen to make it back-to-back wins and is in fine form having moved into the lead in the UCI SX World Cup series, while junior elite prodigies Brandon Te Hiko and Rachelle Smith will also be keen to put their best foot forward on the world stage.

This year’s team is also set to have a real BMX family element to it with Victorian brothers Bodi and Wade Turner joining Queensland siblings Sarah and Lachlan Harvey. While the pair of siblings is welcomed, the team is set to lose one of its family members, Max Cairns, who has been forced to withdraw due to injury.

BMX Australia Coaching Director, Anita Wells, commended the national selectors on this year’s decisions, highlighting the strength of the team’s chosen.

“We have filled our UCI assigned quotas with our selections across all championship classes, and the caliber of riders selected this year demonstrates Australia’s continued dominance in the sport,” Wells said.

“It highlights the success of BMX Australia’s new Development Academy program and female shadow squad initiative, which underpin a dynamic High Performance program.”

The BMX HPU had their first taste of the Zolder track during a camp last week following the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup event in Papendal, while BMX Australia will be providing pre-event support to Development Academy athletes and riders selected in the lead up to their departure.

BMX Australia will once again send Development Academy coaches to provide additional event support to Australian representative riders, and are again offering travel packages, booking an contact details can be found HERE

To read the selection criteria used to pick athletes in both the High Performance and National team’s, please visit HERE

Hayden Fletcher (VIC) and Connor Pratt (QLD) were also selected to compete in the junior men however are unfortunately unable to attend the event.

Congratulations again to the following athletes:

Elite Men:

• Sam Willoughby (SA)
• Anthony Dean (SA)
• Bodi Turner (VIC)
• Corey Frieswyk (QLD)
• Joshua Callan (VIC)
• Kai Sakakibara (NSW)
• Alex Cameron (NSW)
• Bradley Game (WA)

Elite Women:

• Caroline Buchanan (ACT)
• Lauren Reynolds (WA)
• Melinda McLeod (QLD)
• Rachel Jones (NSW)
• Sarah Harvey (QLD)

Junior Elite Men:

• Brandon Te Hiko (VIC)
• Shane Rosa (SA)
• Joshua McLean (VIC)
• Jayce Cunning (QLD)
• Jye Hombsch (QLD)
• Lachlan Harvey (QLD)
• Wade Turner (VIC)
• Matt White (VIC) 

Junior Elite Women:

• Rachelle Smith (WA)