Winter Cup’s status for inconsistency was blown out of the water at this yr’s meet, particularly when it got here to the boys’s competitors.
The boys’s program, fueled by their latest success on the 2023 World Championships, is clearly hungrier than ever to return to the Olympic podium in lower than six months, and it confirmed by the use of glorious gymnastics throughout the board in Louisville this weekend.
The winners of the two-day meet had been decided by combining particular person scores from Friday and Sunday’s meets. With nationwide crew spots on the road, every athlete knew they needed to give it their all on Day 2.
After Day 1, Olympian Shane Wiskus had the general lead, with an enormous 84.850 after battling a again damage and lacking out on worlds and Pan Am Video games final yr. Wiskus’ Olympic teammate and world medalist Yul Moldauer was proper behind him in second with an 84.450, and Cameron Bock was in third with an 82.950.
Coming into Sunday’s competitors, a good race between Wiskus and Moldauer was anticipated, however Moldauer took the lead and ran with it proper from the beginning. He drilled his Kas 1.5 in Rotation 1 to earn a 14.500 and seize the lead by 0.150. That momentum continued with an enormous 15.400 on parallel bars, and his lead steadily elevated all through the evening as he hit six-for-six and threw in some upgrades.
When Moldauer was requested about taking extra dangers on Day 2, he stated, “I wished to indicate despite the fact that I did routines on the primary day that I’m able to go even more durable the second day; I’m not going to be drained. My mindset is that is the Olympic yr. Everybody needs to be able to go from this meet and ahead.”
That perspective paid off, coming from behind to seize the all-around and flooring titles, with Day 2 scores of 85.300 (169.750 mixed) and 14.400, respectively.
Regardless of Moldauer coming in first, he had already solidified his spot on nationwide crew due to the crew’s medal-winning efficiency at worlds, which means the battle for second to sixth could be brutal as that will assure a spot on nationwide crew.
Together with his efficiency on Friday, Wiskus was sitting comfortably on prime, and he in the end completed in second place, only a couple factors shy of Moldauer with an 82.600 (167.450 mixed). Bock didn’t have his greatest day on Sunday, with some uncharacteristic errors on parallel bars and excessive bar, permitting Riley Loos to sneak into third with a 164.400 mixed complete (81.800/82.600) whereas he completed fourth with a 163.850 (82.950/80.900).
The combat for these remaining two spots got here all the way down to the final rotation between Fuzzy Benas, Donnell Whittenburg, and Jeremy Bischoff. Bischoff gave it his all on the finish, nailing his Kas full for a 13.700, however it wasn’t sufficient to edge Benas or Whittenburg, who earned matching 163.600s. Whittenburg’s huge 14.650 on rings within the final rotation landed him in fifth, and Benas went from eighth to sixth after his glorious efficiency on Day 2.
Fortunately for Bischoff, who was seventh with a 163.000, he was capable of snag a spot on the crew via the 10-Level Program (full choice procedures could be discovered right here) after stellar performances on excessive bar (second place) and within the all-around. Becoming a member of him from the 10-Level outcomes had been Josh Karnes, Taylor Burkhart, Curran Phillips, and none aside from Brody Malone.
After a devastating knee damage final yr, the chances appeared in opposition to Malone to even be competing for a spot on this yr’s crew, not to mention competing at this stage so early within the season.
“I’m blown away by his restoration,” USAG Males’s Excessive Efficiency Director Brett McClure stated. “I used to be anticipating an damage petition for Brody to attempt to get again on Nationwide Workforce for the following few months earlier than U.S. Championships… I’m in awe that he’s competing right here and competing so properly.”
Malone had a unbelievable meet as he returned to the U.S. elite stage, ending fourth on pommel horse (excessive of 14.250), third on parallel bars (excessive of 15.000), and put his dismount to his ft on rings on Sunday to earn a 14.050.
Phillips was unstoppable this weekend, blowing away the sphere on parallel bars and excessive bar. He earned a 15.950 on parallel bars Friday and wasn’t utterly glad along with his routine.
“I had some wobbles within the routine – somewhat little bit of errors – however, what, I’ll take it,” Phillips stated after Day 1. “It’s all the time good to look again and have a pair issues to enhance on for Day 2. In order that’s what I’m gonna set my thoughts on and attempt to assault on Sunday.”
And he did simply that, hitting a monster set capped off with a caught double entrance half dismount to attain a 16.100. He grabbed the title there and on excessive bar, the place he earned matching 14.300s for his two units. Consistency is essential for gymnasts within the Olympic yr, and for Phillips, who’s a three-event specialist (together with vault), his path to the Olympic crew is by way of consistency. The medal-contending problem? No downside.
Rounding out the brand new additions to the nationwide crew are two pommel horse specialists: Air Pressure’s Patrick Hoopes received the pommel title after hitting each days (14.850/14.750), rising to the event after a fall from 2021 world champion Stephen Nedoroscik on Day 2 (15.200/14.250).
Nedoroscik was the ultimate addition to the nationwide crew after the Senior Choice Committee met to resolve the twentieth and remaining spot.
Landen Blixt retained his spot on the Senior Growth Workforce, whereas first-year senior Kai Uemura was added to the SDT.
These named to the crew will retain their spots via nationals, that are set for Might 30-June 2, the place a brand new crew shall be named and chosen athletes will then advance to Olympic Trials on the finish of June. These on the crew now shall be eligible for worldwide assignments this spring, together with the Baku World Cup, Doha World Cup, DTB Pokal Workforce Problem and Blended Cup, and Pacific Rim Championships. Assignments shall be introduced on Monday.
Be aware: Though not competing at Winter Cup, Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Fred Richard, Colt Walker, and Shane Wiskus retained their spots on the nationwide crew as members of the bronze medal successful crew at worlds final fall.
Senior Males’s Winners – 2024 Winter Cup
- All-Round: Yul Moldauer – 169.750 (84.450/85.300)
- Ground Train: Yul Moldauer – 28.800 (14.400/14.400)
- Pommel Horse: Patrick Hoopes – 29.600 (14.850/14.750)
- Rings: Alex Diab – 29.200 (14.750/14.450)
- Vault: Kameron Nelson – 27.675 (14.050/13.625)
- Parallel Bars: Curran Phillips – 32.050 (15.950/16.100)
- Excessive Bar: Curran Phillips – 28.600 (14.300/14.300)
Full all-around outcomes could be discovered right here. Full occasion outcomes could be discovered right here. The ten-Level outcomes are right here.
Junior Males’s Occasion Winners – 2024 Winter Cup
Qualifying junior males from Saturday’s Elite Workforce Cup and all-around remaining had the chance to compete alongside the seniors on Sunday as they participated in occasion finals. They held their very own and gave followers a glimpse into the super way forward for the U.S. males’s program.
- Ground Train: Kyle Jordan – 14.626
- Pommel Horse: Maksim Kan – 14.052
- Rings: Adam Lakomy – 13.761
- Vault: David Ramirez – 14.505
- Parallel Bars: Nathan Roman – 13.761
- Excessive Bar: Danila Leykin – 13.976
Full outcomes could be discovered right here.
2024 Senior Males’s Nationwide Workforce following Winter Cup
- Fuzzy Benas — College of Oklahoma
- Jeremy Bischoff — Stanford College
- Cameron Bock — College of Michigan
- Taylor Burkhart — Stanford College
- Asher Hong — Stanford College
- Patrick Hoopes — U.S. Air Pressure Academy
- Paul Juda — College of Michigan
- Josh Karnes – Penn State
- Riley Loos — Stanford College
- Brody Malone — EVO Gymnastics
- Yul Moldauer — 5280 Gymnastics
- Stephen Nedoroscik — EVO Gymnastics
- Curran Phillips — EVO Gymnastics
- Fred Richard — College of Michigan
- Colt Walker — Stanford College
- Donnell Whittenburg — Salto Gymnastics Middle
- Shane Wiskus — EVO Gymnastics
- Khoi Younger — Stanford College
Senior Growth Workforce:
- Kai Uemura – Lakeshore Academy
- Landen Blixt – College of Michigan
