Australia’s BMX Freestyle squad revealed for Olympic qualifiers

AusCycling has announced the BMX Freestyle team that will compete in the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) as the ARA Australian Cycling Team’s bid to secure a place at the Paris Olympic Games begins to take shape.

The OQS is a new competition that offers direct qualification to the Games. The top six men and top six women in the rankings will book their tickets to Paris, provided that each nation can only send up to two men and two women.

The OQS events will take place in Shanghai on May 16-19 and Budapest on June 20-23.

Five athletes were selected by the National Selection Panel in accordance with AusCycling’s selection policies.

Men

• Alec Danelutti
• Logan Martin
• Jaie Toohey

Women

• Natalya Diehm
• Sarah Nicki

Noting that only three selection spots were available in each gender, the panel nominated Brandon Loupos as a male reserve.

Loupos, who is returning from injury, will continue to train with the athletes nominated to compete in the OQS, and could ride himself into the qualifying series if one of the selected riders is unable to compete, or if results at the UCI World Cup event in Japan next month merit a change.

AusCycling Executive General Manager of Performance Jesse Korf, who convened the panel, said Australia was well-positioned to qualify for the Games.

“With the announcement of this OQS team, the road to Paris is coming into sharp focus. We have selected a remarkably strong BMX Freestyle team, and we can now look forward to the Qualifier Series events in Shanghai and Budapest with a sense of anticipation,” Korf said.

“We know that earning a place at the Olympics is incredibly difficult, and the athletes and their support staff will have the full support of AusCycling and the Queensland Academy of Sport as we set out to maximise our representation in Paris.”

More information about AusCycling’s selection criteria is available on the AusCycling website.

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Main image: UCI