Berwerbungen » He has played in the top division in the Czeech R

BMX seems like a sport added to the Summer Games with American audiences and athletes in mind. Yet, no American has won gold in BMX Olympic cyclings short history.The United States was shut out entirely in 2012 after taking a silver and two bronze medals in BMXs debut in 2008.A strong, deep field of U.S. riders would like to make the jump at the Rio de Janiero Games.Its a U.S.-born sport. We should be doing (well) ... we need to bring home medals, said Corben Sharrah, who is headed to Rio after winning the U.S. Olympic trials. Understand the pressure, but dont let it get to you.As an athlete, do your own thing, have fun and ride the bike, he added.BMX, which stands for bicycle motocross, was born around the early 1970s in Southern California. In the Olympics, cyclists compete on a course of primarily finely-groomed dirt that winds down a roughly quarter-mile track, strewn with jumps and sharp turns. Eight riders gather at the starting gate set up at the top of a steep ramp.Olympian Alise Post, the top-ranked American in the womens world rankings, likened a BMX race to a cross between horse racing and a roller coaster ride . Its the kind of thrill-a-minute activity that should appeal to millennials.Everybody thats out there doing this has a very competitive, aggressive side, said the 25-year-old Post. Riding since she was 6, Post loves the adrenaline.Other riders in other countries started getting the rush too. Olympic organizers added BMX to the Beijing Games as a way to attract younger viewers and participants.At the elite level, BMX is the most competitive its ever been, said 23-year-old Connor Fields. BMX is so good, its insane.Fields, a strong medal contender, is going to his second Olympics after finishing seventh four years ago in London.Ever since it was announced it was put into the Olympics, the level of the sport has risen exponentially. All of a sudden, programs get created, money gets thrown at it, said Fields, referring to international growth.In the United States, cycling in general has not been a top funding priority, regardless of the discipline . Money distributed by the U.S. Olympic Committee typically goes to gymnastics, swimming, and track and field -- the sports that TV viewers typically watch in prime time.Getting shut out in London in 2012 didnt help the BMX program. Some crashes for U.S. riders led to bad luck, said USA Cycling president Derek Bouchard-Hall. Four years earlier, the United States took the bronze in the womens race, and the silver and bronze in the mens race after finishing within 1 second of gold-medal winner Maris Strombergs from Latvia.I dont think, with just two Olympics to go by, you can say this is a trend, said Bouchard-Hall when asked if the rest of the world had passed the United States in BMX.At the same time, many other countries are pouring resources into BMX because they view it as medal opportunities, Bouchard-Hall added.On the mens side, Strombergs is going for his third straight gold at Rio. Mariana Pajon, who won the womens gold in 2012, is such a star in her home country of Colombia that a track was named in her honor.And while the sport was invented by us and we were the best for a while, the competition has come up, Bouchard-Hall said. And its a sport where with a little tiny difference you go from first to fifth really quickly, and thats the game.So much can happen during a frantic race that nearly anyone who has qualified for one of the eight spots in a final has a chance to medal.Fields and Post might be favorites, but the three other BMX bikers on Team USA, including Sharrah, are contenders as well.Nic Long finished third at the world championships in May. On the womens side, Brooke Crain advanced to the finals in London, finishing eighth.Its the best possible team that the United States could field. All except Sharrah competed in London, where Sharrah was an alternate.We make do, work our butts off, said Jamie Staff, USA Cyclings BMX director, who is trying to cultivate a positive attitude.When Staff hears talk about the pressure on the United States to produce in BMX, he turns that into motivation.Some people look at it like that. I dont. I flip it over, Staff said. Compared to some nations, we are underfunded ... I see us as the underdogs, not the other teams.---AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this story.---Online:AP Summer Games site: http://summergames.ap.org/ Muggsy Bogues Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Terry Rozier Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. https://www.cheaphornets.com/115l-adam-morrison-jersey-hornets.html . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Raymond Felton Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. Percy Miller Jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net.Brighton have completed the signing of Czech Republic international Jiri Skalak from FK Mlada Boleslav for an undisclosed fee. The 23-year-old forward has penned a three-and-a-half year deal at The Amex and becomes Brightons sixth acquisition of the January window.Skalak passed his medical earlier on Monday and is in contention to debut for Brighton against Brentford on Friday evening, live on Sky Sports 1, subject to international clearance. Manager Chris Hughton said: Jiri is a versatile forward, who is capable of scoring goals. He is a player who is able to play in any of the forward positions, and increases our attacking options for the second half of the season.Hes a skilful and technical player, a full international, and has represented his country at every level. He has played in the top division in the Czeech Republic and the Europa League.dddddddddddd.He is also someone we have been monitoring for some time, so we are delighted to have completed the transfer and to welcome Jiri to the club.Skalak began his career with Sparta Prague, signing his first professional contract with the club in 2010.After a number of loan moves early in his career - including season-long spells with FC Zbrojovka Brno and Boleslav - Skalak made a permanent switch to Boleslav last summer.Skalak, who has been handed the number 38 shirt and will meet up with his new team-mates tomorrow, has scored six goals in 16 games so far this season. Also See: Brighton video Brighton fixtures Brighton stats Bet ￡5 Get ￡20 Free ' ' '