Team USA poses for a portrait before flying to Hamburg, Germany to compete in the Elite Men's World Championships.
Five For Friday: Beach Volleyball
Six U.S. athletes, including 2016 youth worlds gold medalist Delante “Tiger” Johnson, are in Hamburg, Germany, to compete in the Elite Men’s World Championships.
All six are making their elite men’s world debuts.
In addition to Johnson, who is in the lightweight class, the U.S. team consists of: Duke Ragan, bantamweight; Freddy Rojas Jr., light welterweight; Quinton Randall, welterweight; Troy Isley, middleweight; and Nkosi Solomon, super heavyweight.
Johnson won a silver medal in the Continental Championships in Honduras, losing his final match to Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba, a two-time Olympic medalist and three-time world champion. Randall also won one of three U.S. silver medals.
The world championships include 280 athletes who qualified through continental championship tournaments. Eighteen of them are 2016 Olympic medalists.
Preliminary round bouts begin in five weight classes on Friday, and another five weight classes on Saturday. The round of eight begins on Sunday. Championship matches in all classes are Sept. 2.
Paul D. Bowker is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.