t was three up and three down for Sam Mikulak this year. That's the number of all-around competitions he has entered this calendar year. Back in April, he brought home Big 10 and NCAA trophies, and now he gets to take home another one as the U.S. Championships all-around champion. Mikulak's first eleven events this weekend went down as he planned, all were [...more]
It's apparent we are starting to see the changing of the guards in terms of the hierarchy of men's gymnastics. Sam Mikulak, most gym fans' pick to win this weekend's U.S. Championships, did not disappoint. Perhaps it was the bat flying around the XL Center in Hartford which made Mikulak feel right at home, because he was certainly in the zone on Day 1. Last summer, [...more]
Indiana University junior Matthew Rusk completes his preview of the 2013 U.S. Championships with his profiles of Alex Naddour, John Orozco, Eddie Penev, Paul Ruggeri, Donnell Whittenburg and Brandon Wynn. This year's World Championships will feature six-man teams, but the competition will be comprised of only individual events and the all-around--no team competition this year. The selection committee, thus, will have to deal with the dynamic of choosing [...more]
For the fourth year-in-a-row, Matthew Rusk breaks down the top contenders to win the U.S. Championships, and those favored to earn spots on the 2013 World Team. In part one, Rusk takes a look at Jake Dalton, Adrian de los Angeles, Steven Legendre, Danell Leyva, Sam Mikulak and Akash Modi. The year after the Olympics is usually a rebuilding year that gives young upstarts a shot at contending for U.S. titles and earning opportunities to represent Team USA on the world stage. In 2009, Dalton and Leyva [...more]
The entire field is now set for the 2013 U.S. Championships, complete with a new sponsor. Procter & Gamble, the Cincinnati-based behemoth, whose products can be found in virtually every room of the house, is signed on at least through the remainder of the Quad. 2012 Olympian Danell Leyva led the Senior field (87.00) at the weekend Qualifier in Colorado Springs, highlighted by his performances on PB (15.50) and HB (15.85). It was Leyva's first competition since his [...more]
The 2013 Men's JO Nationals concluded with the Level 8/9 JE Division competition. It was technical sequences only for this session, which had many remarking that it looked like a virtual rerun of last fall's Future Stars Championships. Indeed, the winners of that competition ended up being crowned all-around champions at this meet. Davis Grooms, the 13-year-old Future Stars division champ, put together an outstanding set of routines today, scoring a minimum of 9.1-plus on all six events. His performance, on top of [...more]
Marvin Kimble put together two incredible days of powerhouse gymnastics, as he successfully defended his 2012 JO Nationals all-around championship. Day 1 was an incredible masterpiece, blowing up the scoreboard with a mind-boggling 94.05. Even Kohei Uchimura probably perked up after hearing the news. Day 2 was not quite as explosive, given the technical sequences format, but he performed the routines expertly to win the all-around by almost 7 points. Runner-up Yul Moldauer had a spectacular day, putting up a [...more]
Although it didn't quite generate the same fireworks as last night's Level 10 qualifier, Friday's Level 8 and Level 9 optional qualifier produced some historic results. It was the inaugural JO Nationals competition for the newly created age-specific Level 8 division. As it turns out, this was probably the new quad's best change. The Level 8 (age 11-12) division was partly created to increase participation at JO Nationals, and it certainly accomplishes moving more boys into the optional [...more]
It was quite an evening for Swiss Turners, who successfully defended their 2012 National Team Title at the 2013 Men's Jo Nationals in Portland, OR. That was icing on the cake for the team from West Allis, WI. Dmitri Belanovski (89.80) won his much anticipated battle (17-18 division) with Senior National Team member Akash Modi (89.25). Belanovski, just a few weeks ago, became a U.S. citizen, which makes him eligible to compete at the U.S. Championships for the first time in August. But the star of the day was his teammate, [...more]
I've often touted Event Finals at JO Nationals as being the perfect showcase for America's best junior club gymnasts. In fact, I've also clamored for this event to be televised by ESPN, much like their annual Little League World Series coverage. It's a production crew's dream. Historically, it has been eighteen gymnasts (Levels 9 & 10) on six events, America's best juniors being introduced one at a time and taking the podium alone. The whole event takes 90-120 minutes. America's perfect showcase has been kicked [...more]
