07/03/2010

* Complete Team Results

TOKYO, Japan, July 3, 2010 – The U.S. men won the team bronze medal at the 2010 Japan Cup at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, site of the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships, in Tokyo, Japan, today. Competition continues tomorrow, July 4, at 3:20 p.m. JST with the men’s all-around finals.

With a score of 265.400, the U.S. men’s team took the bronze medal in the team competition, earning the second highest score on parallel bars (44.550), still rings (44.400) and high bar (45.100). Japan won the team gold medal with a score of 276.100, scoring the top marks on pommel horse (44.500), still rings (45.000), vault (48.250), parallel bars (45.550) and high bar (47.750). Germany took the silver at 266.900, posting the top score on floor exercise.

The U.S. team was comprised of five members: Chris Brooks of Houston/University of Oklahoma; Chris Cameron of Winter Haven, Fla./University of Michigan; Jonathan Horton of Houston/Cypress Academy; Alex Naddour of Mesa, Ariz./University of Oklahoma; and Paul Ruggeri of Manlius, N.Y./University of Illinois. Tom Meadows and Yuan Xiao are coaching the U.S. team. John Orozco of Bronx, N.Y./World Cup Gymnastics, was the alternate.

The men’s all-around is scheduled to begin at 3:20 p.m. on July 4. The top 12 gymnasts based on performances during the team competition, with a maximum of two per country, advanced to the all-around finals. All times are Japan standard time, which is 11 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

The Japan Cup featured an eight-team field that included France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Korea, Romania, Russia, and the United States. In the team competition, three gymnasts competed on each apparatus and all three scores count toward the team score, just like in the finals of the World Championships and Olympic Games.

Beth Tweddle, three French gymnasts lead after day one at French International
France’s Samir Ait Said and Cyril Tomassone thrilled the French fans in the stands by qualifying first on still rings and pommel horse, respectively. Ait Said scored 15.45 (6.8, 8.65), ahead of Kazakhstan’s Timur Kurbanbayev (6.5, 8.7) and Uzbekistan’s Anton Fokin (6.3, 8.8). World champion Kohei Uchimura was fourth (15.05, 6.4, 8.65), followed by Jonathan Horton of the U.S., who stuck his double twisting double tuck dismount (15.05, 6.7, 8.35).
Complete article

Tweddle, Host Nation Shine at Paris World Cup
World all-around champion Kohei Uchimura was the top qualifier in an outstanding high bar field. Other qualifiers include Olympic silver medalist Jonathan Horton (U.S.), former world champion Aljaz Pegan (Slovenia), reigning European champion Yann Cucherat and world silver medalist Epke Zonderland (Netherlands).
Complete Article

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., April 1, 2010— USA Gymnastics began its 2010 international competition season with the Tyson American Cup on March 6 in Worcester, Mass., and “USA Gymnastics: Behind the Team presented by AT&T” lets fans experience first-hand what it’s like to compete in America’s most prestigious invitational. The newest episode of “Behind the Team” is now available online only in the AT&T Fan Zone at http://fanzone.att.net/teamusa/sport/gymnastics.

Reigning U.S. champion and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver-medalist Jonathan Horton of Houston, Olympic horizontal bar bronze-medalist Fabian Hambuechen of Germany, and 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Daniel Keatings of Great Britain talk about the strength of the 2009 Tyson American Cup field and why it’s important to do well against high level of competition before the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Also in this episode, 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas, newcomer Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass., and 2010 Winter Cup all-around champion Chris Brooks explain what it’s like to grow up around and train with an Olympian. Fans will get a recap of all the action from 2010 Tyson American Cup, including highlights of the men’s competition that went down to the final apparatus, a 1-2 American women’s sweep, interviews with the medalists, and a glimpse of the post-event celebration.

So check out the AT&T Fan Zone and enjoy the second 2010 episode of “USA Gymnastics: Behind the Team presented by AT&T.” While you’re there, sign-up to receive e-mail alerts each time a new “Behind the Team” episode is launched.

Official American Cup 2010 Results:
Men’s All Around Results

Watch the Webcast!
American Cup 2010 Photos:
2010 American Cup Photos at USA-Gymnastics.org

Articles from various press sites:
Russia’s Devyatovskiy slips past Horton to win American Cup

High bar rivalry

The latest news from the USOC—March 9
The gymnastics week in review

All from USA-Gymnastics Youtube Channel:

and:
Jonathan Horton interview—Competing at the 2010 Tyson American Cup

“At this year’s meet, 136 gymnasts will be on hand to display their power, strength and sheer will. Three of those 136 will be 2008 Olympians Alexander Artemev, Jonathan Horton and Kevin Tan. And of those 136, only 14 will be considered good enough to make the elite squad. It all comes down to two days of competition — just 12 routines, little more than 12 minutes per gymnast.”

Full article here

“The Winter Cup Challenge, which begins today in Las Vegas, Nev. is the Groundhog Day of gymnastics meets. It’s a a time when members of the U.S. men’s team and those who would like to be members of the U.S. men’s team emerge from their gyms after a couple months hibernation from competition to see if they can still stay on the apparatus in a meet.”

Full article here

Click here for a start list plus a list of participants with competitor numbers. For more information on the 2010 Winter Cup Challenge, click here.