Aarhus, Denmark is serving up everything but predictability as the iQFOiL World Championships get underway, and Australian Olympic silver medallist Grae Morris is ready to assert his place at the top of the new Olympic cycle.

Morris, a New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship holder who took silver in Paris last year, has already proven he’s more than up to the challenge of 2028. With two golds and a silver under his belt this season, the 21-year-old is eyeing nothing short of a podium finish.

More than 200 of the world’s best windsurfers from over 40 nations have descended on Denmark for the first World Championships of the new Olympic quad, and with Olympic medallists from both Tokyo and Paris in the fleet, the intensity is high and so is the pressure.

The six-day regatta, running through to July 11, opened with a punch. A fading westerly breeze created an unpredictable and tactical racecourse that kept even the most seasoned sailors guessing. Despite the chaos, Morris remains firmly in the hunt among the 116-strong men’s fleet.

“It was a pretty shifty day,” said Australian coach Arthur Brett. “Winds ranged from 6 to 12 knots with 20-degree shifts on the men’s course. Four races were completed, with Grae finishing seventh, second, fourth, and 23rd. The Race Committee has since made the interesting decision to discard race three, three hours after its completion – due to the fickle nature of the conditions.”

Australia’s depth in the class is also growing, with three other men in the field, including rising Queenslander Rory Meehan, who’s showing real promise. “Rory had some solid races and is developing nicely,” Brett added.

In the Women’s division, Australia is represented by Samantha Costin and Anna Cripsey, who are both continuing to build valuable international experience.

This World Championship also marks the first Worlds to feature the newly introduced smaller sail sizes. The change, which was implemented after the Paris Olympics, aims to make the class more accessible to lighter athletes and broaden competitiveness across the fleet. The men’s sail has shifted from 9 to 8 square metres, with the women’s moving from 8 to 7.3.

“We still don’t have enough data on whether this has achieved the outcome it was introduced for,” Brett explained. However, the lighter rigs will certainly be put to the test in Aarhus. “The forecast for the regatta is for light winds, and the team is looking forward to the remaining races,” he added.

Qualifying continues over the next two days before the fleet splits into Gold and Silver for the final stages. The regatta culminates in a high-stakes elimination final on July 11, with global livestreaming from July 9 to 11 giving fans around the world the chance to follow the action.

Full list of results here: https://2025iqworldsaarhus.sailti.com/en/default/races/race-resultsall

Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Pathway Team (ASPT), Australian Sailing Futures (ASF) and other Australian (AUS) results after day 1 at the World Championship:

iQFOiL Men – 117 Entries
10th – Grae Morris (AST)
30th – Rory Meehan (ASF)
82nd – Philip Cripsey (ASF)
99th – Jarrod Jones (ASF)

iQFOiL Women – 79 Entries
61st – Samantha Costin (ASF)
69th – Anna Cripsey (AUS)

What a day 3 at AAU Boys Nationals.  Incredible matches, big upsets, teams working overtime to get to the championship bracket.  It has been an amazing 3 days and tomorrow promises to be super exciting as the last official day of 2024-25 Boys Club Volleyball Season!

17 Open – Results

Wow is all that one can say.  Its been quite a season of parity and interesting results and it has continued at these nationals.  Here are all the finalists for tomorrow’s championship round.

MVVC B 17 Red  – #1 seed coming into the tournament is now 7-1 and has not been tested a lot aside from a lone loss to Academy 17O Under Armour.  They had a relatively easy time in their challenge match as they beat SMASH Boys 2-0 (25-17, 25-19).  Tomorrow they will be taking the surprise team of this tournament MOD B17 Blue
C2 Attack Boys 17-1 Elite – #2 seed powered through their challenge matches in quick fashion taking out Bay to Bay and WPVC in quick order (2-0 both matches).  They have looked very strong this whole week with a lone loss to 630 Volleyball leaving them 2nd in the pool and pushing them to play 2 challenge matches for the gold bracket.  This team is peaking at the right time as they recently won the SoCal Cup Showcase, beating MVVC in process.  They will be taking on Triangle Boys 17 Black in the first round.
COAST Boys 17-1 Pat – #4 Seed have only lost 2 sets and 1 match this whole tournament and that was after wrapping up the #1 seed in the pool.  They beat Academy 17O Under Armour this afternoon in their Championship bracket challenge match 25-23, 25-18.  
Balboa Bay 17Blue – #6 Seed – Balboa Bay has a couple of losses in this tournament but they won a classic challenge match this afternoon against a great 949 team.  Balboa had a couple of match points at 14-12 in the 3rd set after a tough lift/throw call against 949 that would have made it 13-13.  However 949 managed to climb back to even the game at 14-14 but Balboa made a couple of nice defensive plays and won the match 16-14.
Triangle Boys 17 Black – #10 Seed – No Demps no problem should be this team’s mantra.  Without their star player, they remain the only undefeated team and they have dropped only 1 set in this tournament.  They beat AZ Fear this afternoon in the gold challenge match and will be taking on C2 attack tomorrow morning.
SouthCoastVolleyball 17-1 – #15 Seed – This team pushd Triangle to the limit in pool play losing 19-17 in the third set and they have proven they can play with anyone.  They do have 3 losses already but they managed to beat Warren Sixpack in 3 in their first challenge match and then proceeded to beat 630 Volleyball 2-0.  I watched this team at the Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic in February and they looked really good.  I could see them causing an upset tomorrow as they take on Balboa Bay tomorrow morning. 
Legion 17 Elite Gold – #25 Seed – I know not many people thought this team would be in this spot especially after they lost their first 2 matches in pool play.  Instead of folding this team rallied together and has won their last 7 matches culminating with wins against Milwaukee Sting and Rockstar this afternoon to make it into the Gold bracket.  They will be taking on Coast tomorrow morning.  
MOD B17 Blue – #44 Seed – Likely nobody had MOD making it all the way to Gold bracket starting from an 8th seed.  They have played 3 sets in their last 5 matches culminating with a win over Pinnacle 17-Amado this afternoon to make it to the gold bracket.  Powered by a pair of excellent outside hitters Oliver Potterfield and Kai Kroth and a great libero Aldis Kins these guys are dangerous and will be a tough out for anyone.  

Matchups Tomorrow:

MVVC B 17 Red vs. MOD B17 Blue

Legion 17 Elite Gold vs. COAST Boys 17-1 Pat

Triangle Boys 17 Black vs. C2 Attack Boys 17-1

Balboa Bay 17Blue vs. SouthCoastVolleyball 17-1

15 Open – Results

Team Rockstar 15 Rockstar – #1 seed has not lost a match so far and has gone to 3 sets only twice.  They defeated SNVF U15 MOUNT ADAMS in a quick fashion today.  With their great defense and serving they will be a tough out for anyone and MB Surf will try to take a crack at their Southern California foe tomorrow morning.  
MB Surf ASICS 15’s 1 – #4 has had a great tournament and aside from one loss in pool to COAST Boys 15-1 Chris they have beaten all of their other opponents.  They dont have a lot of size but they have dynamic hitters and incredible ball control.  The match vs. Rockstar tomorrow should be a classic one.  
Bay to Bay 15-1 – #5 seed is undefeated and played and incredible last pool match this morning against their Northern California neighbors MVVC (17-25, 37-35 (yes you read that right :), 15-10).  This win allowed them to have only 1 challenge match and they defeated Academy 15O Under Armour in straight sets.  Tomorrow they will face COAST Boys 15-1 Chris in the quarterfinals in what’s sure to be a great matchup of 2 very dynamic and physical teams.  
Balboa Bay 15Blue – #7 seed is one of three remaining undefeated teams.  They have only lost 1 set to another tall and physical team AZ Fear 15 SB.  Balboa is looking very strong and has not been pushed much in this tournament and beat GVA Boys 15u Pink who were beset with injuries coming into this tournament pretty quickly in their challenge match.  Tomorrow morning they take on SC Legends.
COAST Boys 15-1 Chris – #9 COAST is also undefeated and has only been pushed to 3 sets once in this tournament.  This is another very physical, dynamic team and their match against Bay to Bay tomorrow should be a good one to watch.  
MOD B15 Blue – #11 MOD came into this tournament with some injuries but has really jelled and has dropped only 4 sets and 1 match to this point.  They won a great match against GVA in this morning’s pool play where they fell behind early 18-25 in the first set but then turned it around with 26-24, 15-13 to put themselves in first place in the pool.  They then proceeded to avenge their losses to HPSTL B15 Royal at Windy City Roundup and SoCal Open Championships and earned their way into the Championship bracket.
SC Legends 15-Elite – #18 – SC legends have the most losses of all the teams in the Championship Bracket but have won all the right matches to put themselves in contention.  They beat Milwaukee Sting 15-1 and 630 Volleyball 15-1 in their challenge matches and are now going to face Balboa Bay again.  SC Legends lost to Balboa Bay 2-0 earlier in the tournament and will look to change some things up to hopefully generate a better result. 
BORINQUEN COQUI 15-1M – #22 Borinquen has lost one match and has only gone to 3 sets in their win over Miami United.  This is a great ball control team and today they beat much bigger teams APEX1 and AZ Fear in the challenge rounds.   They will have an interesting matchup with MOD B15 Blue tomorrow in the quarterfinals.  

Follow the nationals here!

AAU Nationals Wave 1 – Orlando, Florida – Schedule | Watch 

AAU Nationals Wave 2 – Orlando, Florida – Schedule | Watch 

Qatari Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan secured their second title in three Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour events this season on Sunday, triumphing at the prestigious Elite tournament held in Gstaad. The Asians topped the podium at the Swiss Alps for the first time in their careers and had by their sides second-placed Swedish Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson and third-placed Dutch Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot. This triumph further cements Qatar’s standing among the world’s top beach volleyball nations and adds to an impressive string of achievements by the duo this season. page 12

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2036 ● India sent a large delegation of nearly 20 officials to Lausanne to meet with the International Olympic Committee in its quest to land the 2036 Olympic Games, and was told – according to a report – that it had work to do:

“Sources told The Indian Express that during the meeting – the first of its kind after India expressed interest to host the mega event – the IOC flagged concerns over governance issues at the Indian Olympic Association (IOA); the rampant doping menace; and the country’s poor performance at the Olympics. At last year’s Paris Games, India finished at 71st spot with just six medals.”

India is pitching Ahmedabad as its candidate city, and is among more than a dozen cities, regions or countries discussing bids for 2036, 2040 or 2044 with the IOC. There is no present timetable for naming a 2036 host, as the IOC is revisiting its selection procedures.

● World University Games 2025: Rhine-Ruhr ● The International University Sports Federation (FISU) posted a Friday statement on the eligibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes for the 2025 WUG in Germany, explaining, “FISU will continue to follow the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the respective International Federation (IF).”

Russian or Belarusian athletes can only compete as “Individual Neutral Athletes” and

● “The invitation to compete at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games was only proposed for certain sports (based on the current participation status of that sport at the IOC and relevant International Federation). None of these sports are team sports.

● “Should the IF allow the participation under the status of Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs), their eligibility will be assessed by the relevant International Federation.”

The number of “AIN” athletes from Russia and Belarus were not specified.

● Cycling ● The Union Cycliste Internationale confirmed that at the UCI Congress in Kigali (RWA) on 25 September, incumbent President David Lappartient (FRA) will run unopposed:

“With regard to the Presidency, only David Lappartient, current UCI President, submitted a candidacy for the position. In accordance with Article 40, paragraph 3 of the UCI Constitution, his election for a third four-year term will be confirmed without a vote.”

● Table Tennis ● World men’s Singles silver medalist Hugo Calderano, who competes for Brazil but travels with a Portuguese passport, reported on his Web site that he was unable to get a U.S. visa to be able to compete at the World Table Tennis U.S. Smash tournament in Las Vegas:

“Hugo submitted his application, but given the longer than usual confirmation time by US authorities, he contacted Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He was then informed that he was no longer eligible for visa waiver because he had traveled to Cuba in 2023 to compete in the Pan American Championships and the qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, events organized by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

“Given the situation, Hugo made every effort to obtain an emergency visa, counting on the support of the United States Table Tennis Association (USATT) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The emergency appointment was approved, but there was no availability for a consular interview that would allow him to arrive in time for the start of the competition.”

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Athletics ● Paris Olympian Martha Araujo (COL) defended her heptathlon title at the World Combined Events Gold Decastar in Talence (FRA), scoring 6,451 to top Americans Taliyah Brooks (6,365) and Michelle Atherley (6,283).

Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme was a clear winner in the decathlon, scoring 6,478 to 8,236 for defending champ Johannes Erm (EST).

● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Canada Open in Markham, third-seed Kenta Nishimoto (JPN) won his third career Tour gold over home favorite Victor Lai (CAN), 21-13, 21-14. Japan’s Manami Suizu completed the Singles sweep with a 21-12, 21-14 win over Thuy Linh Nguyen (VIE) in the women’s final.

Thailand won twice in Doubles, taking the women’s title and the Mixed Doubles, with Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat beating Presley Smith and Jennie Gai (USA), 21-14, 21-17. Chinese Taipei won in men’s Doubles.

● Basketball ● The U.S. scored its ninth win in the FIBA men’s U-19 World Cup in Lausanne (SUI), sailing past Germany, 109-76, in the Sunday final. It’s the fifth win in the last seven tournaments for the U.S., which was really only challenged by Canada in the quarterfinals, winning by 108-102.

In the final, the U.S. was up by 56-47 at the half, but a 28-10 third quarter decided the issue. Michigan center Morez Johnson Jr. led the U.S. with 15 points on 5-6 shooting in the final.

¶

The U.S. overwhelmed its first six opponents at the FIBA women’s AmeriCup in Santiago (CHI), meeting 6-0 Brazil in the final. This was a struggle all the way. The Americans were up, 25-22 at the quarter, down 47-45 at the half, still down 66-65 after three, but got the lead with an 11-3 run at 76-69 and held on to win by 92-84. Indiana Fever forward Damiris Dantas poured in 35 for Brazil, while Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes scored 27 for the U.S.

The American women won their group games by 108-47, 80-43, 80-62 and 104-48, then took playoff wins against the Dominican Republic (110-44) and Canada (65-53) before the final.

● Beach Volleyball ● Top-seeded Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher, the 2023 Worlds bronze medalists, won the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 women’s final in Gstaad (SUI), beating Tina Graudina and Anastaija Samoilova (LAT) by 21-19, 21-18. It’s the eighth World Tour win for Nuss and Brasher together.

Sisters Anouk Verge-Depre and Zoe Verge-Depre won the all-Swiss third-place match, 21-17, 21-11, over Tanja Huberli and Leona Kernen.

The men’s title went to third-seeds Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan (QAT), the Tokyo Olympic bronze winners, winning two tight sets from 24th-seeds Jacob Holting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson (SWE), 21-19, 22-20.

Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot (NED) took third with a 21-23, 21-17, 15-10 win over George Wanderley and Andre Stein (BRA).

● Cycling ● The 112th Tour de France got underway in Lille on Saturday, with the first two stages mostly for the sprinters.

Belgium’s Jesper Philipsen won the opener, the 184.9 km course in and around Lille, in 3:53:11 in a final sprint over Biniam Girmay (ERI) and Soren Waerenskjold (NOR), with the top 33 given the same time. A notable casualty was Italian time trial star Filippo Ganna, who did not finish after a crash; Slovenian star Primoz Roglic, the four-time Vuelta a Espana winner, also had trouble and finished 79th (+0:39). Belgium’s double 2024 Olympic winner Remco Evenepoel had a first-day disaster, in 67th (+0:39).

The slightly hilly, rainy second stage of 209.1 km to Boulogne-sur-Mer ended with a mass sprint of 26, with Mathieu van der Poel (NED) winning his second career Tour stage in a duel with the race favorites, Tadej Pogacar (SLO) and Jonas Vingegaard (DEN), all timed in 4:45:41. That gives van der Poel the yellow leader’s jersey, at least for now.

Stages 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday are both expected to be for the sprinters, with a flat, Individual Time Trial in Caen for stage 5.

¶

The unstoppable Jackson Goldstone (CAN) won his fourth UCI Mountain Bike World Series Downhill in a row in La Thuile (ITA), finishing just ahead of France’s two-time World Champion Loris Vergier, 3:27.134 to 3:27.738, with five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA) third in 3:28.173.

German Nina Hoffmann took the women’s Downhill in 3:57.934, well ahead of World Champion Valentina Hoell (AUT: 4:00.928) and Gracey Hemstreet (CAN: 4:01.130)

● Fencing ● The USA Fencing summer nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin offered championships in division as young as age 10 all the way to past 80. Included were the Division I tournaments for all three weapons for men and women.

This was not a selection “trials” event, so many of the top American stars did not compete. But some did, notably 2023 World Champion Eli Dershwitz, returning to the piste for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He won the men’s senior Sabre title, 15-9, over Samuel Rightler. Henry Lawson won the men’s Epee over Gabriel Feinberg, 15-5, and Borys Budovskyi won Foil over Ethan Gassner, 15-13.

The women’s Epee final had 2024 Pan American champion Hadley Husisian outlasting defending champion Catherine Nixon, 15-11. Katerina Luna won the Foil title over JoJo Conway, 15-4, and the Sabre victory went to Siobhan Sullivan over Aria Bevacqua, 15-3.

● Gymnastics ● At the FIG Trampoline World Cup in Coimbra (POR), Olympic champ Ivan Litvinovich (BLR as a “neutral”) won the men’s title, scoring 66.37 over Paris runner-up Zisai Wang (CHN: 65.77).

Belarus’ Katsiaryna Yarshova (also “neutral”) won the women’s final, 58.06 to 57.41 over Russian “neutral” Anzhela Bladtcheva.

In the non-Olympic Double Mini, American Ruben Padilla won the men’s final at 31.900 and Kennedi Roberts of the U.S. took the women’s gold, scoring 27.300.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The UIPM World Cup Final was in Alexandria (EGY), with happy fans as home heroes won both the men’s and women’s titles.

Moutaz Mohamed, 20, the two-time World Junior champ, took the men’s title, scoring 1,583 points to 1,574 for Matej Lukes (CZE). Moutaz won the swimming, but started the Laser Run in fourth place, down 0:23. But he won the event in 10:00.33 and crossed first.

The women’s gold went to teen star Farida Khalil, 14, who won the obstacle and the swimming and started second (by 0:01) in the Laser Run. But her sixth-fastest time got her to the finish line first, with 1,470 points. That was comfortably ahead of Olympic bronze winner Seung-min Seong (KOR: 1,443) and Blanka Guzi (HUN: 1,440). In her four World Cups in 2025, Khalil finished 1-2-1-1.

● Sport Climbing ● Two Olympic quarterfinalists races for the women’s title at the IFSC World Cup in Speed in Krakow (POL), with Indonesia’s 2023 World Champion Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi winning over American Emma Hunt, 6.27 to 7.56.

The third-place match saw Olympic champ Alexandra Miroslaw (POL) top countrywoman Natalia Kalucka, 6.36 to 6.64.

Indonesia completed a sweep with gold and silver in the men’s final, as Raharjati Nursamsa set an Asian Record of 4.73, over Kiromal Katabin, who fell. Japan’s Omasa Ryo of Japan took the bronze at 5.48 over Zach Hammer of the U.S., who fell off near the top.

● Table Tennis ● Men’s star Kanak Jha tied the record for most men’s national Singles titles with his sixth at the USA Table Tennis national championships in Ontario, California. He defeated Nandan Naresh, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, to defend his 2024 title and add to his wins in 2016-17-18-19.

Nikhil Kumar and Sid Naresh won the men’s Doubles by 3-1 over defending champions Daniel Tran and Nandan Naresh.

The top two seeds met in the women’s final, with no. 2 Sally Moyland winning by 4-1 over Amy Wang, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8, 2-11, 11-8. It’s Moyland’s first national title, in her third finals appearance, and second time against two-time winner Wang.

Wang and Abigail Yu won the women’s Doubles with a 3-0 sweep of Moyland and Jessica Reyes-Lai. For Wang, it was her fifth straight U.S. Doubles title.

¶

★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.

For our updated, 694-event International Sports Calendar for 2025 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

A team of 18 has been selected to represent Australia at the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The ARA Australian Cycling Team, announced by the AusCycling National Selection Panel today, will race on August 2 and 3.

Olympic champion and NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Saya Sakakibara, and fellow Olympians Izaac Kennedy and Lauren Reynolds return for another BMX Worlds campaign, each targeting a maiden elite world title and rainbow jersey.

Joining Kennedy in the elite men’s squad is United States-based Jack Davis and elite national champion and NSWIS athlete Oliver Moran.

A trio of rising stars join Sakakibara and Reynolds in the elite women’s squad.

Reigning junior women’s world champion Teya Rufus, 19, elite national champion and NSWIS scholarship holder Sienna Pal, 19, and U23 national champion Bella May, 19, all could have chased a world title in the U23 women’s category but will instead race amongst the elite women, as they have already done impressively throughout 2025.

Hot off his first UCI BMX Racing World Cup U23 win in Papendal, Josh Jolly will step back into ARA Australian Cycling Team colours in Copenhagen. The last time the Ballarat talent donned the green and gold, he won the 2024 junior men’s world championship in Rock Hill.

Jesse Asmus, who scored two podiums at the Sarrians UCI BMX Racing World Cups a fortnight ago, US-based Jordan Callum and Joel Marsh, the U23 Oceania champion and current AusCycling BMX Racing National Series Superclass leader, complete the U23 contingent.

Preston Murray, Bailey Seckold and Charli Guy have been selected for another tilt at junior glory after competing as first-years in Rock Hill.

Seckold and Guy both raced UCI BMX Racing World Cups in the U23 category last month over in Europe, as did junior Oceania champion AJ Donald, who will race for the first time as a member of the ARA Australian Cycling Team in Denmark.

Imogen Healy and Cameron Gatt, the youngest member of the team for Copenhagen, will also make their ARA Australian Cycling Team debuts at the world championships.

AusCycling National BMX Racing Coach Luke Madill said the recent World Cups highlighted the growth and momentum within the sport.

“It’s inspiring to see Australian riders rising confidently to meet the global challenge,” he said. “This year’s world championships team brings together a powerful blend of emerging talent and seasoned experience, a combination that reflects the strength and future of BMX in Australia.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to be part of this team as we prepare to represent Australia on the world stage.” 

ARA Australian Cycling Team for the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships

Elite Men

• Izaac Kennedy (Nerang BMX Club/QLD)
• Jack Davis (Tamworth City BMX Club/NSW) 
• Oliver Moran (Manning Valley BMX Club/NSW) (NSWIS)

Elite Women

• Bella May (Casey BMX Club/VIC) 
• Sienna Pal (Terrigal BMX Club/NSW) (NSWIS)
• Lauren Reynolds (Bunbury BMX Club/WA) 
• Teya Rufus (Maryborough BMX Club/QLD) 
• Saya Sakakibara (Southlake Illawarra BMX Club/NSW) (NSWIS)

U23 Men

• Jesse Asmus (Nerang BMX Club/QLD) 
• Jordan Callum (Hills BMX Club/WA) 
• Josh Jolly (Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club/VIC) 
• Joel Marsh (Happy Valley BMX Club/SA) 

Junior Men

• AJ Donald (Hawkesbury Hornets BMX Club/NSW) 
• Cameron Gatt (Geelong BMX Club/VIC) 
• Preston Murray (The Cove BMX Club/SA) 
• Bailey Seckold (Ashmore BMX Club/QLD) 

Junior Women

• Charli Guy (Ashmore BMX Club/QLD) 
• Imogen Healy (Tea Tree Gully BMX Club/SA)

Aus Cycling

They play at the Newton Aycliffe leisure centre and are the only team in Division One from the north-east of England.

“We know it is going to be extremely difficult this season and we are putting ourselves in the best position possible,” Mr Pratt said, adding: “We have been dreaming of playing in Division One and winning it.”

Of the 23 team members, 21 grew up within 15 miles of the Sedgefield area and they believe that gives them the team spirit and togetherness to keep winning.

They finished the last season second in Division Two and earned automatic promotion.

A spokesperson for the club said: “The success of the Sedgefield national league team is something that should provide huge pride for everyone in Newton Aycliffe, Sedgefield and the surrounding area.

“The success of the club is a testament to what can be achieved when like-minded people put their mind to something and stick together when things get tough.

“A town the size of Newton Aycliffe with a team in the top division of a British sports league is something that should be celebrated, and Sedgefield will hope to continue to punch above their weight in the coming years.”