Many athletes dream of representing their country as olympians at the International Olympic Games. These athletes train hard for four years, but there’s no guarantee their dreams will be fulfilled. The training is endless, and for many, they still have full-time jobs and family lives to balance. Once the person makes the commitment to train, they must set priorities.

Every four years, there are a handful of Army athletes chasing their dreams while fulfilling a military commitment. The U.S. Army will have 13 Olympic athletes this year, four of which will be distance runners. The soldiers are members of the World Class Athlete Program. The distance soldier-athletes include Sgt. Hillary Bor (3,000-meter steeplechase), Spc. Paul Chelimo (men’s 5,000-meter), Spc. Shadrack Kipchirchir (men’s 10,000-meter), and Spc. Leonard Korir (men’s 10,000-meter).

The U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) provides soldier-athletes the opportunity to compete toward qualifying for the United States Olympic team. Qualified soldiers must be nationally ranked in their chosen sport and be certified by the United States Olympic Committee at a world-class level. Athletes join the program at least three years before the Olympic Trials. To be eligible for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, soldiers must currently be a member of the Active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. Soldiers must also be eligible to represent the USA in international competitions and demonstrate the potential to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team or U.S. Paralympic Team.

Here’s more about these incredible athletes:

Sgt. Hillary Bor

Bor (Eldoret, Kenya) attended Iowa State University and was a four-time All-American and two-time Big 12 conference champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Bor joined the U.S. Army in 2013. At the annual Army Ten-Miler, Bor finished in seventh place in 2014 (48:52) and in 2015 he placed fifth (48:31).

“I was not running when I joined the military, then I started running for fun just to represent the Army at the Army Ten-Miler and in cross country,” stated Bor, who became a naturalized American citizen in 2013 after graduating from Iowa State University. “Last year is when I thought I had a chance (at making the U.S. Olympic Team).”

“You always hope, but I wasn’t trusting that I was going to make the team,” he said. “I worked very hard training from 6 to 9:30 a.m., then went to work from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. I’d done that for the last seven weeks when my unit told me to just relax and train for the trials.”

“It’s a long process,” he said. “I train with Coach Simmons in Colorado Springs, and we started doing long tempo runs and a lot of running. In 2014, I ran 8:38. It wasn’t a good year. Last year, I ran 8:45—it wasn’t a good year. And coming in this year, I was actually scheduled to deploy with my unit, but my (Army) brothers deployed instead of me.”

“That changed my mindset, that I needed to work out, because you don’t take anything for granted,” Bor added. “I started training hard, and I realized that I had a chance”.

“It’s a privilege, “he said. “I can’t believe I’m going to the Olympics. My body is still trembling. It’s exciting.”

Spc. Paul Chelimo

Chelimo (Iten, Kenya) graduated in 2014 from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro where he was s four-time NAIA National Champion and five-time NCAA All-American. He is the first Spartan to qualify for the Olympics. Chelimo joined the U.S. Army in 2014.

At the 2015 Army Ten-Miler, Chelimo took first place.

“It’s always tough for the guy who is trying to cover all the moves,” Chelimo said. “I think that wore me out a bit, but all in all my goal was to qualify and call myself an Olympian. Actually, my main goal was to represent the United States, and being an Olympian is the best way to represent the United States.”

Spc. Shadrack Kipchirchir

Kipchirchir (Eldoret, Kenya) attended Western Kentucky University and graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2014. He is a four-time NCAA All-American. Kipchirchir joined the U.S. Army in 2014.

At the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Kipchirchir placed second in a time of 28:23.31. At the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, he took fifth place with a time of 29:01.55. He earned a qualification to attend the World Championship in Beijing in the 10,000 meters, where he placed 16th with a time of 28:16.30.

At the 2015 Army Ten-Miler Kipchichir placed third with a time of 48:20.

Spc. Leonard Korir

Korir (Iten, Kenya), a 2012 graduate of Iona College, was the first NCAA Indoor Champion at the 5,000-meter (13:26.01 – 2011) and first NCAA Outdoor Champion at the 10,000-meter (28:07.63 – 2011). Korir is an eight-time All-American. Korir joined the U.S. Army in 2015.

At the 2015 New York City Half Marathon Korir took first place with a time of 1:01:06.

In reviewing the road to Rio, Korir started off in 22nd place and dropped as far back as 26th. He slowly progressed to fourth place. Over the last mile, Korir made his way into third position and held a grip. He maintained that determination in third place with a time of 28:16.97 and the ticket to Rio as an Olympian.

Maj. Dan Browne, Head Distance Coach

Having a guiding voice to offer support and motivation can make a difference when you least expect it. The soldier-athlete is trained to execute the plan to achieve the mission. It’s about winning, but more importantly, it’s about giving the best effort. Mission failure occurs when the effort is lacking.

The guiding voice for the WCAP athletes belongs to Major Dan Browne of the Oregon National Guard and a former WCAP athlete and two-time Olympian. Browne serves at the Head Distance Coach for WCAP.

“I have been coaching with WCAP since the fall of 2013. It’s been an exciting ride and I’ve always believed very strongly in my vision for this program. We’re now starting to see the fruits of our labor in terms of setting the conditions for success! It’s very important to train hard and to stay healthy. If you can do those two things well then you’ll have a good chance at performing strongly,” stated Browne.

The WCAP athletes were once below the radar and not seen as a threat. “I think that my soldiers we’re a little under-rated going into the Trials and from my perspective I’m fine with that because even though I knew they were going to do well it was less pressure for them and it gave us lots of upside potential. SPC Kipchirchir made the World Outdoor Championships last year in Beijing and SPC Chelimo made the World Indoor Championships this year in Portland. Their continued success this year is a result of consistently executing a successful plan.”

Browne has been able to share his valuable experience, “I believe my experiences as a competitive athlete have helped to shape my coaching style and also my training methodology. I offer a lot of very solid advice to these soldiers because I’ve been where they’re trying to go and had many experiences, positive and negative, that can help them. It’s like having an experienced guide show you the way to a place you’ve never been.”

My vision for this program is to showcase the tremendously talented soldiers that are within the organization of the U.S. Army.  These soldiers are ambassadors for the service and embody the discipline, tenacity, and work ethic that all soldiers strive for. — Dan Browne

By George Banker and Tim Hipps, U.S. Army IMCOM. There is additional information on the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command website.