Nine riders from Cochrane BMX have qualified for the 2017 BMX World Championships after earning a place at the Canadian BMX Championships last weekend.

The competition took place in Calgary with over 600 riders in attendance, including 25 from Cochrane BMX. It was the biggest national championship for the sport in Canadian history.

Cochrane BMX President Brad Christensen says the weekend exceeded all expectations.

"We had the top riders from Quebec, Ontario, and B.C. show up, and our kids didn't look out of place with any of them," he says. "There were some very near misses, heartbreak, a couple big crashes, but more joy than anything else. The kids competed hard and left everything on the track and we're proud of every single one of them that went. It was electrifying."

The riders who qualified will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete with the best BMX riders in the world in North Carolina next July and Christensen says the club is beaming with pride.

"It just makes us all at Cochrane BMX so happy to be a part of this club and see these kids succeed at the level they're at."

The riders who qualified for World Championships are:

Caleb Graham (10) N5
Sam Scott (10) N8
Nathan Vlahakis (7) N4
AJ Laurell (8) N4
Jaxon Ross (8) N7
Katie Scott (13) N4
Haylee Laurell (6) N4
Brian Otterson (Cruiser) N4
Ashtynn Forsberg (8) N2

The year end Provincial Race will be held on September 10th in Red Deer and the Alberta Provincial Championships will be head on September 11th.