INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Jan. 9, 2012 – The 2012 Visa International Gymnastics, part of the London Prepares series and the final gymnastics qualification event for the 2012 Olympic Games, begins tomorrow, Jan. 10. The eight-day event features competition in men’s and women’s gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and men’s and women’s trampoline. The USA is seeking to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in rhythmic gymnastics and men’s trampoline. The United States has already qualified for the Olympics in men’s and women’s gymnastics and women’s trampoline.
Alex Buscaglia of Stanford, Calif./Stanford University, and Steven Legendre of Norman, Okla./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma), will participate in the men’s competition. They compete in Mixed Group 6 in Subdivision 3 and start on the vault on Jan. 10. The top eight men on each apparatus in the preliminary round advance to the individual event finals on Jan. 12-13. The USA did not send athletes for the women’s competition.
In men’s trampoline, Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Ultra Twisters, are seeking to qualify the United States for one of the five remaining Olympic spots. The 16-man field includes 13 vying for the Olympic berths and the top three finishers at the 2011 World Championships — China’s Lu Chunlong and Dong Dong and Japan’s Masaki Ito. Trampoline is scheduled for Jan. 13, and the U.S. men compete in the 14th and 16th spots in the qualification round. The top five finishers after the qualification round, excluding the medalists from the 2011 World Championships, will qualify their countries for the Olympics. The top eight in the rankings advance to the event’s final round. The USA is not entered in the women’s competition.
In rhythmic gymnastics, Julie Zetlin of Bethesda, Md./Capital Rhythmics, qualified for an invitation based on her performance in the all-around at the 2011 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships. Zetlin, the highest place finisher from the Americas at Worlds, is vying for one of the five remaining Olympic spots. Rhythmic gymnastics is scheduled for Jan. 16-18, with the qualification round on Jan. 16-17. The results of the qualification round determine the five available spots for the Olympic Games. The top 10 from the qualification round advance to the finals.
For more detailed information, go to http://www.londonpreparesseries.com/gymnastics/index.html.
Visa International Gymnastics schedule
Times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
Jan. 10
5:25 a.m. Men’s gymnastics qualification – sub-division 1
10:40 a.m. Men’s gymnastics qualification – sub-divisions 2 and 3
Jan. 11
4:30 a.m. Women’s gymnastics qualification – sub-divisions 1 and 2
11:30 a.m. Women’s gymnastics qualification – sub-divisions 3 and 4
Jan. 12
1:30 p.m. Men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals – day one
(Men’s floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings; women’s vault, uneven bars)
Jan. 13
4:30 a.m. Men’s and women’s trampoline – qualification and finals
1:30 p.m. Men’s and women’s gymnastics individual event finals – day two – Live Streaming
(Men’s vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar; women’s balance beam, floor exercise)
Jan. 16
7 a.m. Rhythmic gymnastics – individual qualification round – day one
Jan. 17
7 a.m. Rhythmic gymnastics – individual qualification round – day two
Jan. 18
7 a.m. Rhythmic gymnastics – individual all-around finals