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."U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program" . thearmywcap.com.

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.

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 competitionArmy Regulation 215–1 Morale, Welfare, and Recreation . army.mil"WCAP Entry Standards" . thearmywcap.com. WCAP is not a developmental program; it targets athletes who have achieved world class status in their sport

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:

Maj. Michael Anti, shooting Staff Sgt. Dremiel Byers, Greco-Roman wrestling, 120 kg Staff Sgt. Keith Sanderson, rapid fire pistol Maj. David Johnson, Team USA shooting coach

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, biathlon Sgt. John Napier, bobsled 1st Lt. Christopher Fogt, bobsled Sgt. Bill Tavares, Team USA bobsled coach

2012 The program sent seven athletes and four coaches to the London 2012 Summer Olympics.US Army sends off 7 athletes, 4 coaches to London Olympics, AP in Washington Post, 16 July 2012 Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, Greco-Roman wrestling, 120 kg Sgt. 1st Class Keith Sanderson, rapid fire pistol Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, pistol Staff Sgt. John Nunn, 50 km racewalk Spc. Justin Lester, Greco-Roman wrestling, 66 kg Sgt. Spenser Mango, Greco-Roman wrestling, 55 kg Spc. Dennis Bowsher, modern pentathlon

2014 The program sent six athletes and nine coaches to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Sgt. Nick Cunningham, bobsled Capt. Christopher Fogt, bobsled Sgt. Preston Griffall, luge Sgt. Matt Mortensen, luge Sgt. Justin Olsen, bobsled Sgt. Dallas Robinson, bobsled 1st Lt. Mike Kohn, bobsled coach Sgt. 1st Class Tuffy Latour, skeleton coach Staff Sgt. Bill Tavares, luge coach

2016

The program sent four Kenyan-born soldier-runners to compete at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.4 Kenyan-born U.S. Army runners represent their adopted country at Rio Games , Military Times

Sgt. Hillary Bor, 3,000 m steeplechase Spc. Paul Chelimo, 5,000 m run, won the silver medal Spc. Shadrack Kipchirchir, 10,000 m run Spc. Leonard Korir, 10,000 m run as well as Staff Sgt. John Nunn, 50 km racewalk

2018 During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea seven soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXIII Olympiad.Meet the 7 US Soldiers Going For Gold at the Winter Olympics , 'Task & Purpose', 8 February 2018.

Maj. Christopher Fogt, two and four-man bobsled Sgt. 1st Class Nate Weber, four-man bobsled Sgt. Nick Cunningham, two and four-man bobsled Sgt. Justin Olsen, two and four-man bobsled Sgt. Emily Sweeney, singles luge Sgt. Taylor Morris, singles luge Sgt. Matthew Mortensen, doubles luge

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

Staff Sgt. Naomi Graham, boxing Staff Sgt. Sandra Uptagrafft, 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, athletics

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

Sgt. Emily Sweeney, singles luge Sgt. Ben 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

2024 During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France five soldier-athletes represented WCAP and the US Army in the XXXIII Olympiad. Capt. Sammy Sullivan, rugby sevens Master Sgt. Dennis Bowsher, modern pentathlon Sgt. 1st Class Spenser Mango, wrestling coach Staff Sgt. Leonard Korir, athletics Spc. Kamal Bey, Greco-Roman wrestling

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. Sgt. Frank Del Duca, two and four-man bobsled Spc. Azaria Hill, bobsled Sgt. Ben Loomis, Nordic combined Private 2nd Class Spencer Howe, pairs figure skating Spc. Sean Doherty (biathlete), biathlon Staff Sgt. Deedra Irwin, biathlon

Other notable WCAP alumni

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

References

Sources

WCAP Selection Standards Eligibility and Application Procedures for the Army World Class Athlete Program US Army WCAP Official Website US Army Olympians Seven Soldiers, Alums, Make Team USA for Olympic Winter Games Army Regulation 215–1 Morale, Welfare, and Recreation

External links Army WCAP official website Family and MWR official website WCAP Track & Field team roster Army WCAP Official Image Archive Official Army WCAP Imagery Army WCAP official video US Army Installation Management Command United States Olympic Committee Olympic Games official website 2012 London Olympic Games official website