usa #1 uci points

here is a copy of the bmx news section of the uci newsletter in case anyone was interested. final points show usa is #1 in mens ( 305 pts) over netherlands( 217) and the women are sitting in 3rd. i dont usually follow the points but thought since the finals were next week some people may want to see where we are ranked.

BMX

Jason Richardson (Carlsbad, Calif.) scored the U.S. National Team’s third medal at the XV Pan American Games with a victory in the men’s BMX competition on July 15. The 33-year-old Richardson made his way to the eight-man main where he lined up in the start gate with Jonathan Suarez (VEN), Jose Primera (VEN), Herrera A. Castro (COL), Caicedo A. Jimenez (COL), Mauro Aquino (BRA), Cristian Becerine (ARG), and Ramiro Marino (ARG). Although the American wasn’t a favorite to win the final run, he took advantage of an amazing start to grasp the lead in the first turn and hold off his rivals until the end. Suarez and Primera followed him in second and third respectively. In the women’s event, reigning USA Cycling BMX National Champion Krystal Hime (San Antonio, Texas) narrowly missed out on a fourth cycling medal for the U.S. In the eight-woman main, she joined compatriot Rachel Smith (Gahanna, Ohio), who along with Hime, is responsible for the U.S. being ranked third in the world in women’s BMX racing. In the final, Hime finished fourth and Smith seventh. The gold medal was won by Argentina’s Gabriela Diaz.
American athletes are gearing up for the 2007 UCI BMX World Challenge and World Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, July 27-29. A complete list of American entries for the amateur “Challenge Classâ€ÂÂ￾ is available at the USA Cycling website by clicking here. Fifty-six world-class pro men and women were also named to the team in the “Championship Classâ€ÂÂ￾ categories. To view a complete list of those athletes, click here.
The UCI released the latest version of its international BMX Rankings in which the United States is ranked number one in the world in men’s BMX and third in women’s competition. The U.S. men have 305 points over the Netherlands (217), Colombia (207), Australia (200) and Argentina (184). The women have 214 points and currently sit behind Argentina (251) and the Czech Republic (234) and ahead of France (201) and New Zealand (201). Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) retained his number-one ranking in the world while Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) remains second and Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.) is 19th. In the women’s individual standings, Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.) is the top American in eighth, followed by Rachel Smith (Gahanna, Ohio) and Krystal Hime (San Antonio, Texas) in 13th and 14th respectively.

The latest version of the UCI BMX Rankings are as follows:
Men’s Individual Rankings
1. Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) 107
2. Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) 98
3. Robert De Wilde (NED) 85
19. Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.) 58
21. Matt Pohlkamp (Cincinnati, Ohio) 55
31. Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas) 42
31. Brandon Meadows (Sacramento, Calif.) 42
36. Danny Caluag (Chino, Calif.) 37
39. Jason Rogers (Mesquite, Texas) 34
48. Jason Richardson (Carlsbad, Calif.) 27
51. Derek Betcher (Boulder City, Nev.) 26
53. Jarrett Kolich (Santa Barbara, Calif.) 25
65. Aaron Johnson (Murrieta, Calif.) 18
73. Nate Berkheimer (Boulder City, Nev.) 15
73. Bubba Harris (Goodyear, Ariz.) 15
84. Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) 13
85. Mike Brabant (Oak Hills, Calif.) 12
85. Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.) 12
95. William Greathouse (Oil City, Pa.) 10
106. Joey Backus (Mesa, Ariz.) 8
114. Vance Wiesendanger (El Cajon, Calif.) 7
120. Corey Reid (Ucon, Idaho) 6
128. Dustin Armstrong (Moorpark, Calif.) 5
145. Paul Lange (Citrus Heights, Calif.) 3
145. Barry Nobles (Wetumpka, Ala.) 3
156. Kyle Cushman (Santa Barbara, Calif.) 2
156. David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) 2
156. Joe Szurek (Corona, Calif.) 2

Women’s Individual Rankings
1. Gabriella Maria Diaz (ARG) 84
2. Sarah Walker (NZL) 84
3. Aneta Hladikova (CZE) 80
8. Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.) 72
13. Rachel Smith (Gahanna, Ohio) 64
14. Krystal Hime (San Antonio, Texas) 63
18. Stephanie Barragan (Mont Clair, Calif.) 52
28. Cassie Bushnell (Spanaway, Wash.) 34
32. Afton Schrimpf (Minneapolis, Minn.) 31
36. Tara Llanes (Los Alamitos, Calif.) 24
43. Kelly Hutto (Odessa, Fla.) 19
47. Arielle Martin (Cedar Hills, Utah) 17
56. Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) 12
56. Ashley Stamper (New Lebanon, Ohio) 12
60. Kayla Gaddis (Kingston, N.Y.) 9
63. Melissa Hartley (Longmont, Colo.) 8
67. Carley Young (Spring Hill, Fla.) 7
73. Samantha Allen (Redford, Mich.) 5

Men’s Nation’s Rankings
1. United States 305 *************************************
2. The Netherlands 217
3. Colombia 207
4. Australia 200
5. Argentina 184

Women’s Nation’s Rankings
1. Argentina 251
2. Czech Republic 234
3. United States 214 **************************************
4. New Zealand 201
5. Australia 201

* For complete UCI BMX Rankings, click here.