One of the most exciting sports in the upcoming Paris Olympics is BMX. It takes speed, strength and strategy. Five U.S. riders have qualified for the games, including Tampa resident Felicia Stancil — one of the most decorated BMX riders in the world.
“I ended up winning every single world title until I was 18 years old," Stancil told NBC2.
However, her success has not come without challenges. Her mother passed away when Felicia was just three years old. Stancil says the loss motivated her father to become an even more caring and supportive parent.
Felicia's dad was an avid BMX rider himself. He even raced professionally for a couple of years. So, exactly one year after Felicia's mom passed, he put his daughter on a bike. Stancil was immediately hooked, so much so that she even caused some trouble on the first day.
“We got into a little argument," Felicia said. "I wasn’t going inside until he took off my training wheels.”
Those training wheels eventually came off. Stancil balanced on a bike on her very first day.
“It’s been a journey ever since which is crazy," Stancil said.
It was not long until she found herself at the BMX track with her dad. The sport bonded the two of them in the wake of their loss.
“I think I just fell in love with it at a small age because my dad," Stancil said. "I have a lot of memories of him pushing me and believing in me.”
That belief and a lot of hard work turned Felicia into the best youth rider in the world. She took home 15 world championships while growing up.
“Every single summer came around, and I thought it was my job to try my hardest for a world championship," Stancil said.
Despite all of her hardware and success, Felicia is still missing her most coveted accomplishment — an Olympic medal.
“One of my goals is to give it my all and hopefully get a medal for the country," Stancil said.
Stancil almost accomplished that goal during the 2020 Tokyo games, which was her first appearance at the Olympics. Felicia made it to the finals but finished in everyone's most hated spot — fourth place. She was just 0.41 seconds off from an Olympic medal.
“Ever since Tokyo in 2021, it’s definitely been a big thing in the back of my mind to push my limits further," Stancil said.
With that extra motivation, Stancil moved from where she grew up near Chicago to Tampa where she lives now. The switch was to prioritize year-round training, which she does at Oldsmar BMX Supercross. Every time Felicia takes the track, she envisions her ultimate goal — winning that Olympic medal.
“I hope that I hear the United States national anthem on the podium," Stancil said. "That would be amazing.”
Winning in Paris would be even more meaningful since Felicia's biggest supporter and the person who got her into BMX will be cheering her on in the stands.
“Having my dad be there will honestly make it even more special," Stancil said.
Stancil will go for golf on Aug. 1 and 2.