Amelia Hundley came into Nationals off of a successful outing at the Pan American Games. After a decent night on day one, it has been reported that she is withdrawing from competition with a slight meniscus tear. Updates will be added if more information comes out.
Earlier, Hundley did an interview with Athletes in Action, where she talked about how her faith and family helped her work through injury as she prepared for the P&G National Championships. It seems she will once again need to rely on these things.
After three subdivisions of competition have been completed, the US women easily claim the team title for the fourth straight time at the Pan American Games. Scoring a 173.8, USA’s talented team won the gold by over seven points. Canada and Brazil both put in valiant efforts, with Canada edging out Brazil for the silver with a 166.5 to Brazil’s 165.4 for the bronze. The US men also won gold, making it the first time in 20 years that the US men and women have claimed the team title in the same year.
USA Women take gold at the 2015 Pan American Games. Photo by Grace Chaui via USA Gymnastics.
Madison Desch of GAGE, Rachel Gowey of Chow’s Gymnastics, Amelia Hundley of Cincinnati Gymnastics, Emily Schild of Everest Gymnastics and Megan Skaggs of Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta made up the gold medal winning team. Each gymnast performed admirably, leading to the top score on all four events. Read here for a full recap.
The first of the individual events begins tomorrow with the men’s and women’s all-around finals. Hundley and Desch qualified in the top two spots for the women’s all-around final. Hundley, scoring a total of 57.65 put up solid routines on every event, with all four scores counting toward the team victory. She posted the highest score of the entire competition on vault, and the second highest event scores on beam and floor. Desch was brilliant on floor, posting the highest floor score of the meet, and the third highest on both bars and vault. However, she slipped off the beam while performing a high difficulty move, losing her lead and ending the meet with a 57.3. Ana Gomez Porras of Guatemala qualified in third just behind Desch with a 57.2 Separated by just 4.5 tenths, the competition for the all-around title will be fierce.
The U.S. women will compete in three individual event finals held July 14-15. None of the US women vied for the Vault final. The vault and uneven bars finals will be on July 14, while the balance beam and floor exercise finals will be held on July 15.
VAULT
Cuba’s Marcia Videaux Jimenez qualified in the top spot with a 14.95 average score, competing two vaults with over a 6.0 start value. Paula Mejias of Puerto Rico was close behind with a 14.75 average, competing slightly less difficult vaults but scoring higher in execution. Yamilet Pena Abreu of the Dominican Republic rounded out the top three with a 14.5 average. She was able to put her feet down before sitting down on her insanely difficult Produnova (handspring double front) vault, making it into the vault final.
Uneven Bars
Gowey led the bars qualifications with a beautifully executed 14.75 routine. She did not make one of her planned connections, giving her opportunity to score even higher in event finals. Hudley qualified behind her with a 14.5. Desch qualified in third, but did not advance to the finals due to the two per country rule. Jessica Lopez Arocha of Venezuela rounded out the top three with a 14.3.
Balance Beam
Flavia LOPES SARAIVA of Brazil edged out Gowey for the top spot on beam with a 14.55 to Gowey’s 14.5. Lopes had a one tenth edge in difficulty, while Gowey scored just a half tenth higher in execution. Ana Gomez Porras of Guatemala qualified in third with a 14.35. With just a two tenth spread, this may be a tight competition! Skaggs qualified in fifth with a 14.05 as the second US qualifier.
Floor Exercise
Desch qualified into the floor finals with the top score of 14.65. She performed a beautiful executed routine that led the field by five tenths in difficulty as well. Hundley qualified in second into her second event final, earning a 14.3. LOPES SARAIVA rounded out the top three with a 14.2. Ellie Black of Canada also scored a 14.2, and with only a four and a half tenth spread from second to eighth, this may be another close final!
Check out the full schedule and results on the official Pan American Games site, toronto2015.org. Full replays of events are being uploaded to the Pan American Games youtube channel. Competition will resume tomorrow with the men’s all-around finals at 12:45 pm EST. The women will take the stage at 6:50 pm EST. Competition for both events can be seen live on ESPN3.
All scores are taken from the official Pan American Games site, toronto2015.org.
Team USA for the Pan American Games at podium training. Photo by Grace Chaui via USA Gymnastics.
The first round of competition for the 2015 American Games started today in Toronto. The women began their Pan Am journey with the team finals and all-around and event finals qualifications in the first subdivision. They will have to wait through two more subdivisions for the results. Madison Desch of GAGE, Rachel Gowey of Chow’s Gymnastics, Amelia Hundley of Cincinnati Gymnastics, Emily Schild of Everest Gymnastics and Megan Skaggs of Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta make up the team.
The format for the team competition is four up, three count. The USA started on floor with Schild, Skaggs, Hundley and Desch. Schild led off with a strong effort, scoring a 13.75. Skaggs went up next, and performed an artistically beautiful routine but struggled on her landings, almost putting her hand down on her last pass. She scored a 13.4. Hundley opened up her first competition in 2015 with a brand new routine that earned a 14.3. Desch finished up with the strongest routine of the rotation scoring a 14.65. Team USA earned a 42.7 on their first event. Desch and Hundley took the top two spots from America on floor, giving them both the opportunity to qualify for event finals.
Maddie Desch takes the top score on floor. Photo by Grace Chaui during podium training via USA Gymnastics
Skaggs, Schild, Desch and Hundley were all up again for Vault. As commentator Elfi Schlegel put it, team USA put on a vault clinic. All four girls performed solid double twisting yurchenkos, with scores that built along the line-up. Skaggs earned a 14.9, Desch a 14.95, Schild a 15.05 and Hundley led the team with a 15.1. A 45.1 event score put team USA at 87.8 at the half-way point.
The line-up on Uneven Bars was Skaggs, Hundley, Desch and Gowey. Skaggs started off the event with a solid bar routine earning a 13.75. Hundley came up next with a solid routine chocked full of release moves and a tiny hop on landing for a 14.5. Desch performed a beautiful bar routine. Her release moves floated through the air with a beautiful swing in between for a 14.45. Gowey anchored the team with a very strong routine for her first outing in 2015 scoring a 14.75. Gowey and Hundley were the top two USA scores and team USA finished the event with a 43.7.
Gowey dominates bars. Photo by Grace Chaui during podium training via USA Gymnastics.
The USA ended on balance beam, with Hundley, Skaggs, Desch and Gowey competing. Hundley led off with a solid routine with just a few wobbles for a 13.750. Skaggs went up next with a nice flowing routine but had a deep bend on her dismount for a 14.05. Desch brought out a beautiful routine and but fell on a difficult hand-spring step out, hand-spring two feet to layout full, scoring a 13.25. Gowey ended the competition with a true Chow style routine- slow and steady, nary a wobble, with beautiful fluidity to score a 14.5. USA earned a 42.3 on beam, and Gowey and Skaggs were the top scoring Americans.
Rachel Gowey is gorgeous on beam. Photo by Grace Chaui during podium training via USA Gymnastics.
Team USA leads after subdivision one with a 173.8. Hundley and Desch are currently one-two in the all-around with a 57.65 and a 57.3 respectively, which is impressive for Desch with a fall. Hundley and Gowey are both in the running for two event finals, with Desch and Skaggs each in the hunt for one. Final results will be determined after two more subdivisions, including Canada and Brazil.
Amelia Hundley qualifies in first into the all-around from team USA. Photo by Grace Chiu via USA Gymnastics.
Full replay videos are being uploaded to the Pan American Games youtube channel. The Women’s all-around final will be held tomorrow at 6:50 pm EST. You can watch live on ESPN3. Official Results of subdivision one via Toronto2015.org:
Simone Biles made what everyone already knows official. At this point in USA gymnastics, she is in a league of her own. She decisively won back to back U.S. National Championship titles, this time by over four points – with a fall. Over a two day competition, she looked incredibly strong, relaxed and consistent until the very end of her beam routine where she fell. And when you are so far ahead that you are competing with yourself, that is frustrating. But on the scoreboard it hardly mattered. Biles also walked away with the national title on floor and vault.
Kyla Ross won her second silver national all-around title, as well as her second national beam title. Ross is also in a league of her own this year firmly capturing the silver despite two uncharacteristic falls on night one. Ross proved to everyone that she is indeed human on the first day of competition with a fall on floor and on bars. Her almost inhuman consistency and perfection are marveled at around the world, and they returned in full force on night two, where she earned the highest execution score total.
Maggie Nichols, the only gymnast on the medal podium to hit eight for eight routines, took the bronze. At this championship, Nichols put an exclamation point on her statement from the U.S. Secret Classics. She is a consistent all-around gymnast who can be depended upon to hit on any event. She also won the bronze on bars, an important event in USA gymnastics.
Apart from the three all-arounders, Ashton Locklear made quite a splash at this competition, easily winning the uneven bars national title. Between the national championships and classics earlier this month, she has posted the highest bar’s scores in the world this year with her incredibly clean and difficult bar routine.
The top six all-around gymnasts were automatically added to the national team. Additionally, four more gymnasts who were named to the Pan American Games team were also added. Ross and Biles, who have loads of international experience were left off the team, letting other gymnasts gain much needed international competition experience.
U.S. Senior National Team
Alyssa Baumann, Plano, Texas/WOGA, Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, Madison Desch, Blue Springs, Mo./GAGE, Brenna Dowell, Odessa, Mo./GAGE, Amelia Hundley, Fairfield, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, Madison Kocian, Dallas/WOGA, Ashton Locklear, Huntersville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, Maggie Nichols, Little Canada, Minn./Twin City Twisters, Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max and MyKayla Skinner, Gilbert, Ariz./Desert Lights.
The gymnasts leaving on a bus on Sunday to Canada to represent the USA at the Pan American Games are Baumann, Desch, Hundley, Kocian, Locklear, Nichols and Skinner.
The results for the all-around top six and the even medalists are as follows.
The 2014 U.S. Classics went surprisingly without a lot of surprises for this point in the Olympic cycle and in the year. A few gymnasts brought new upgrades, but it was not crash after crash or fall after fall as it can sometimes be. Adding some of the future junior stars to the senior session was a great success, as it let many fans who don’t follow gymnastics as closely start to get to know some of the players on the road to Rio. Plus, they are just so cute! Let’s start with the seniors however.
Simone Biles of World Champions Centre began her bid to defend her World All-Around title with a bang. The Secret US Classics are just a warm up meet for the rest of the season. But Biles looked ready to win another all-around and floor title tonight. Competing what is probably the best floor routine she has ever done, she started the night with a whopping 15.8. That score includes a US only sticking bonus which added .2 to her score. She went on to rock a powerful first vault and managed to hold on to her second vault. She had a little rough start on bars, but came through with a great routine. She ended the night with a solid beam routine and easily won the all-around with a 61.7.
Simone Biles – Floor – 15.8
Simone Biles – Vault – 15.9
Simone Biles – Bars – 14.75
Simone Biles – Beam – 15.25
Kyla Ross of Gym-Max continues to be an important player in the world of US gymnastics. The undeniable team leader, she is one everyone can count on both on and off the floor. She started the evening by adding a new upgrade to her floor routine. It was actually nice to see Ross take a risk of competing something that is not yet perfect. That is exactly what the US Classics are for, but it left her with a slightly lower score than usual. Ross moved on to vault, where she competed her beautiful DTY and stuck the landing. A back injury earlier in the season has kept Ross from competing at as high of a difficulty level on bars as she has the last two years, but she holds on to every point with beautiful execution. A solid, steady, quintessential Ross beam routine easily clinched the silver for her, and helped her to break that 60 all-around score barrier with a 60.05
Kyla Ross – Floor – 14.6
Kyla Ross – Vault – 15.2
Kyla Ross – Bars – 15.0
Kyla Ross – Beam – 15.25
Maggie Nichols of Twin City Twisters took third with a 57.6. Nichols was steady on all four events, taking advantage of other athletes falls and falters. She looked clean and confident and competed very well.
Maggie Nichols Bars – 14.7
Maggie Nichols – Beam – 14.1
Maggie Nichols Floor – 14.3
Maggie Nichols Vault – 14.5
Rachel Gowey of Chow’s Gymnastics was very impressive. Making her senior elite debut at these Classics after being out for a year due to injury, Gowey made a splash. Beautiful long lines and the ever clean form that is the mark of all of Chow’s gymnasts made her a standout, and her difficulty on top of that make her a strong contender for this years world’s team. She fell on her amanar, but made enough of them during training that it would seem she will have the vault in time.
Rachel Gowey – Beam- 14.85
Rachel Gowey – Floor – 14.15
Rachel Gowey – Vault – 13.85
Rachel Gowey – Bars –
not yet uploaded
Amelia Hundley of Cincinnati Gymnastics was a junior standout, and her senior debut has been long awaited. So it was a dissapointment to many fans that she was not shown during the broadcast at all. Hundley is a steady athlete on all four event, but really shines on floor. The calm girl becomes an animated performer.
Amelia Hundley – Floor – 14.25
Amelia Hundley – Vault- 13.9
Amelia Hundley – Bars – 13.8
Amelia Hundley – Beam – 13.5
Ashton Locklear of Everest Gymnastics missed most of last year with injuries. However, her incredibly clean lines and beautiful technique stood out clearly on bars. Her bars were some of the most impressive gymnastics of podium training, and brought in a huge score during the competition.
Ashton Locklear – Bars – 15.7
Madison Kocian of WOGA began the competition first up on her best even. Kocian has good all-around potential, but her real spot on a world’s team will come on bars. She did not disappoint, with a clean, difficult, fluid bar routine. However she fell off the beam and then scratched the rest of the meet sitting on the sidelines with ice on her ankle. Fans are hoping it’s nothing serious as it was the same ankle that kept her out of competition last year.
Madison Kocian – Bars- 15.4
MyKayla Skinner of Desert Lights Gymnastics has been working hard to improve her execution, form and artistry. Though she has a ways to go, you can definitely see the progress. Known as the daredevil of the US, she brings incredibly difficult skills to the table. However a fall on floor and lower execution scores all around left her out of the running for the podium.
MyKayla Skinner – Floor – 13.4
MyKayla Skinner – Vault – 15.0
MyKayla Skinner – Beam –
Brenna Dowell of GAGE sprained her ankle a few weeks ago and only planned to compete bars at this competition.
I dare you to find an unpointed toe or a bent leg amongst these sparkling juniors. In this group, great form and beautiful performances are the rule and not the exception. Watching this meet felt like watching a senior meet, except with floor routine after floor routine that were delightfully performed. Below are the results and a video of the top scoring routine from the two nights. And at the bottom are our new Junior National Team members! All photos and videos are from USA Gymnastics (Photos by John Cheng and Geoff Bolte).
The top scoring vault was a delightful vault by Ariana on day 2. She scored a 9.6 execution score (15.4) with a vault that was most definitely one of the highlights of the entire competition.
Bars
1. Amelia Hundley 28.55
2. Lauren Hernandez 28.45
3. Polina Shchennikova 28.3
The top scoring bar routine of either night was Veronica Hults, who scored a 14.65 on day 2.
Beam
1. Bailie Key 30.9
2. Norah Flatley 29.96
3. Laurie Hernandez, Alexis Vasquez 29.4
The top scoring beam routine was Bailie Key’s routine on day 2, scoring a whopping 15.5.
Floor
1. Bailie Key 29.75
2. Laurie Hernandez 29.1
3. Amelia Hundley 29.0
Bailie Key scored a 14.8 on day 1 and Laurie Hernandez scored the same on day 2. So here are both delightful routines.
All Around
1. Bailie Key 118.55
2. Laurie Hernandez 116.65
3. Amelia Hundley 113.75
Your New Junior National Team
The top eight all-arounders were named to the Junior National team. It is not uncommon for Marta to add more.
Floor was quite a treat! I think the next few years we are going to see quite a change in the US floor offerings. We are seeing quite a few girls who can tumble AND dance in the mix! Not to be missed is my favorite routine of the meet – Laurie Hernandez and McKayla Maroney’s new floor routine.
The Junior Competition was exciting as many different people were showing strong performances. The balance beam took many of the possible champions down, but overall it was a really great competition. Thanks to USA Gymnastics, we have videos of every routine!
Third Time’s a Charm for Bailie Key – All-Around Champion.
Bailie has been on the elite scene since 2010 – qualifying Junior Elite at just 11 years old. A member of the Junior US National Team since 2011, she already has a significant amount of international experience. At 14, She carries herself like a veteran, with two years to go until her senior debut! She won with an all-around score of 58.250 in her third US Classics. She had a beautiful meet, and what is more amazing is that rumor has it that she did it with the stomach flu.
Going it Alone and Still Going Strong. Amelia Hundley – Silver Medalist
Amelia and Lexie Priessman are two names that always go together. We haven’t seen one without the other in training videos much less competition in their elite careers. One year older, Lexie moved on to the senior ranks. But Amelia did just fine and took the silver medal with a 57.950.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race for Nica Hultz – Bronze Medalist
Nica has been slowly, but surely climbing her way through the ranks over the past few years. She took the bronze medal with a 56.800 her final year as a Junior.
Beam Dreams 