LEVALLOIS, France, July 12, 2014 – Team USA’s Kiley Boynton and Ryan Ward, both of Riverside, Calif./Realis Gymnastics Academy, won the mixed pairs bronze medal on the final day of the 2014 World Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships, inside the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois, France. The medal is the first at the World Championships for the United States since Kristin Allen and Michael Rodriguez won gold in 2010.
The Russian pair of Marina Chernova and Revaz Gurgenidze finished first, followed by Great Britain’s Alice Upcott and Dominic Smith.
“I think it was the best performance that we could do – we did what we came to do,” Ward said afterward. “It’s a little surreal. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
Their performance began with an intricate sequence of holds and balances, which received a large ovation from the nearly sold out crowd. Then, Ward caught Boynton as she soared out of a round off, back handspring, and lifted her through a series of complicated throws. They posted their highest score of the championships, a 29.360. Chernova and Gurgenidze scored 29.610, while Upcott and Smith earned 29.520.