TOKYO, Japan — Corben Sharrah of Tucson placed second in the Tokyo Olympics Cycling BMX quarterfinal run on Wednesday and will advance to the event's semifinals.
Sharrah went through the finish line tenths of a second behind three-time world medalist Sylvain Andre of France.
The semifinals of the event will be held on Thursday at 5 p.m. PT. Stream the event live on the NBC Olympics page here.
The Olympian was born and raised in Tucson, graduating from the University of Arizona in 2018 with a degree in science, according to USA Cycling's website.
"Corben Sharrah was only two when his parents brought home a bike that they got from an indiscriminate 'big box' store," the governing body's website said.
"What mattered more to Corben than brand and components were that he could make it go forward and, as he recalls, he jumped on the bike and never stopped riding."
His past Olympic and World Championship Experience include:
- Gold medal in 2017 World Championship
- Team USA members in 2016 Rio Olympic Games
His hobbies include racecar driving, fishing, hunting and building jumping, according to Team USA's website.
"If riding, training and racing weren't enough for Corben, he designed and built a BMX practice track in his backyard to sharpen his skills even more," USA Cycling said.
"Corben is quick to say that the track isn't a full-sized BMX track but his description suggests that the design has been carefully thought-out with respect to competition tracks."
Tokyo Olympics
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