U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program

Military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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]

Active1997 – present
Country United States of America
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Quick facts Active, Country ...
U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program
World Class Athlete Program
Active1997 – present
Country United States of America
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Part ofDepartment of Defense

Department of the Army
Installation Management Command

Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command
LocationFort Carson, Colorado
NicknameWCAP
Commanders
CommanderCpt. Robert Cheseret
First Sergeant1st Sgt. Jose Santiago
Close

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:

  • 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[2][3]
  • WCAP is not a developmental program; it targets athletes who have achieved world class status in their sport
  • Army National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program, 2010 Winter Olympics.
    Army National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program, 2010 Winter Olympics.
  • U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, 2004 Summer Olympics.
    U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, 2004 Summer Olympics.
  • U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, 2004 Summer Olympics.
    U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, 2004 Summer Olympics.
  • 2009 U.S. National Boxing Championships.
    2009 U.S. National Boxing Championships.
  • Army World Class Athlete Program, 2010 World Team Trials for USA Wrestling.
    Army World Class Athlete Program, 2010 World Team Trials for USA Wrestling.
  • Army World Class Athlete Program Olympic biathlete Jeremy Teela practicing.
    Army World Class Athlete Program Olympic biathlete Jeremy Teela practicing.
  • U.S. Biathlon World Team Trials in Coleraine, Minnesota.
    U.S. Biathlon World Team Trials in Coleraine, Minnesota.
  • WCAP athletes sign autographs for fans, 2009 AUSA Conference.
    WCAP athletes sign autographs for fans, 2009 AUSA Conference.

WCAP Olympians

2008

During the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics two WCAP athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIX Olympiad:[4]

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.[5]

During the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games three soldier-athletes and one coach represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXI Olympiad.[6]

2012

The program sent seven athletes and four coaches to the London 2012 Summer Olympics.[9]

2014

The program sent six athletes and nine coaches to the 2014 Winter Olympics.[10]

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

The program sent four Kenyan-born soldier-runners to compete at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.[11]

as well as

2018

During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea seven soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIII Olympiad.[12]

2020

During the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan twelve soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXXII Olympiad.[13]

2022

During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China five soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIV Olympiad.[14]

2024

During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France five soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXXIII Olympiad.[15]

A further three individuals partook in the 2024 Paralympic Games:

  • Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks, swimming
  • Sgt. 1st Class John Wayne Joss III, shooting
  • Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen, shooting

2026

During the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy six soldier-athletes and three coaches represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXV Olympiad.[16]

Other notable WCAP alumni

Boyd Melson (right)
-2004 World Military Boxing Championships, gold medal (69-kg. weight class)[17]
  • SSG Jenna Burkert- 2021 World bronze medalist, Olympic Alternate, 4x World Team member.[18]

References

Sources

External links

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI