Orlando Metro Gymnastics

Men's field set for 2011 Visa Championships - Inside Gymnastics ...

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Defending U.S. all-around champion Jonathan Horton of Houston, who is also a 2008 Olympic silver medalist and the 2010 World all-around bronze medalist, headlines the men's field for the 2011 Visa Championships, Aug. 17-20, in Saint Paul, Minn. The 91-man field features a combination of veteran and rising stars in the junior and senior divisions. Performances at the Visa Championships will determine both the members of the 2011 U.S. Men's Junior and Senior National Teams and the 2011 U.S. Men's World Championships and Pan American Games Teams.

All six members of the men's 2010 U.S. World Championships Team are on the roster: Chris Brooks of Houston; Chris Cameron of Winter Haven, Fla.; Steven Legendre of Flower Mound, Texas; Danell Leyva of Miami; Brandon Wynn of Voorhees, N.J.; and Horton. All six are members of Team Hilton HHonors. Paul Ruggeri of Manlius, N.Y./University of Illinois, who was the World Championships Team alternate, is also expected to compete.

The 2010 senior U.S. individual event champions in the field are: Daniel Ribiero of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y./University of Illinois, pommel horse; Wynn, still rings; Legendre, vault; Leyva, parallel bars; and Brooks, horizontal bar.

Last year's junior champions who are expected to compete are: Trevor Howard of Columbus, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center, still rings (tie), 16-18; Sean Melton of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, all-around, floor exercise and pommel horse, 14-15; Adrian de los Angeles of Long Beach, Calif./SCATS HB, still rings, 14-15; Stacey Ervin of Taylor, Mich./Mills Gymnastics USA, vault, 14-15; Maximillian Mayr of Miami/Universal Gymnastics Inc., parallel bars; and Kevin Ko of El Centro, Calif./Golden Bear Gymnastics, and Jake Martin of Oviedo, Fla./Orlando Metro, horizontal bar (tie), 14-15.

The field breaks down into 48 seniors and 43 juniors, 21 in the 14-15 category and 22 in 16-18.Twenty-six states are represented in the men's competition. The complete field is listed below. The men compete on Aug. 17 and Aug. 19. For complete event information, please go to www.usagym.org/visa.

The senior men qualified for the Visa Championships via several different avenues: a member of the current senior national team; finished in the top six from the USA in the all-around at the 2011 NCAA Championships; the top 24 athletes from the U.S. Men's Qualifier based on the approved points system; and the top three athletes on each event at the U.S. Men's Qualifier. Some athletes successfully petitioned the Men's Program Committee for inclusion. The qualification options for the juniors were based on performances at the 2011 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships and the 2011 U.S. Men's Qualifier.

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