Lakeside's Nic Long Qualifies For Olympics In BMX Cycling

Lakeside resident Nic Long qualified for his second Olympics in BMX cycling on Sunday with a third-place finish in the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships in Medellin, Colombia.

Long was timed in 38.380 seconds in the final, 0.6 seconds ahead of Jeremy Rencurel of France. Joris Daudet of France won in 36.737 while Niek Kimmann of Netherlands was second in 36.785.

U.S. cyclists needed a third-place finish or better at the world championships to qualify for the Olympics.

The 26-year-old Long won national championships in 2010 and 2013 and a 2010 World Cup race in Chula Vista. He was 17th in the men's BMX race in the 2012 Olympics.