Local 7-year-old BMX rider, Damien Comeau, has qualified to join Team USA and represent his country in this year’s UCI BMX World Championships.

To qualify, Comeau finished in the top eight at the World Qualifier race held in Redmond, Ore., April 7. He competed against 24 riders his age and made it through three qualifying races before earning his place on the team and placing fourth in the final race event.

Racing since he was 4 years old, Comeau is used to some tough competition.

“I race the top riders in Canada and the USA from time to time and they are good riders,” says Comeau. “At the qualifier, I was fastest in my turns and passed other racers.”

Only 34 of the more than 2,400 U.S. BMX racers Comeau’s age will be invited to join Team USA. Fewer will join the team. Currently he is the only racer his age from Washington who has qualified for the championship.

The 2017 World Championship race is to be held at Rock Hill, South Carolina in July. This year marks the first time the championship has been held in the United States since 2001. There will be over 3,300 BMX riders competing for the title of world champion in each race category. Among the competition will be the elite of BMX, including Olympic competitors.

Already training for the event, Comeau says he is “so excited to go to the world championship and to wear the red, white and blue Team USA jersey.”

The rest of the year, Comeau races on Northwest Force, the development team for Double Cross bike factory. He finished 2016 ranked 18th in the nation and third in the state.