British Cycling can today announce the best of British BMX racers who will represent Great Britain at the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in their final major event before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Taking place from Friday 17 to Saturday 18 May 2024 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA, current Olympic and world champion Beth Shriever will lead the 11-strong team. Shriever will aim to defend her jersey at the championships, following a strong start to the season which has seen her take third and second place at the first two world cup rounds in New Zealand, and most recently won the Paris test event on the modified Olympic track.
Flying the flag for Britain in the elite men’s category will be Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte, who after an injury-ridden 2023 has shown impressive form so far this season, with a world cup win and back-to-back European cup round wins. He will be contesting the rainbow jersey alongside Ross Cullen, who earlier in the season took his first ever world cup medal; a silver in Brisbane. He will be joined by Paddy Sharrock who, alongside Cullen and Whyte made up a GB podium at the UEC BMX Racing European Cup third round in Zolder in March. Quillan Isidore completes the four-man squad that will compete over two days of racing.
Last year’s under-23 women’s silver medallist Emily Hutt has continued on an upward trajectory so far this season, taking a bronze medal at the Brisbane world cup and will be aiming for the top step at this year’s world championships. In the men’s category, Callum Russell will return to his first international competition of the year following a recent injury and will be joined by teammate Matt Gilston.
Sienna Harvey and Betsy Bax will represent the junior women in Rock Hill, following a string of European Cup podium appearances, including one win each, while Mark Fletcher will contest the junior men’s title.
Stephen Park CBE, Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, said:
“Following on from an impressive 2023 season which saw Beth Shriever reclaim the elite women’s rainbow jersey on home soil, the GBCT BMX racing squad has gone from strength to strength, delivering impressive results across all categories at European and world cup level.
“These performances have continued to push us up the nation’s rankings and the world championships acts as the final opportunity for our British riders to confirm to the world what they’re capable of and solidify as many Olympic spots as possible to build on the incredible success we saw in Tokyo.
“It is also an opportunity for our younger talent to build in confidence at a major event as our fantastic team continues to develop their abilities to see them potentially representing Team GB at the LA 2028 Olympic Games and beyond.”
The 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships starts on Sunday 12 May with challenge events running until Wednesday 15 May before the elite, under-23 and junior categories take to the stage from Friday 17 May for two days of competition.
Great Britain Cycling Team squad for the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships:
Elite women
Beth Shriever
Elite men
Ross Cullen
Quillan Isidore
Paddy Sharrock
Kye Whyte
Under-23 men
Callum Russell
Matthew Gilston
Under-23 women
Emily Hutt
Junior men
Mark Fletcher
Junior women
Sienna Harvey
Betsy Bax
