Alexander Artemev

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 15, 2007—2006 U.S. all-around champion Alexander Artemev of Morrison, Colo., and David Durante of Garwood, N.J., are tied for first and lead the men’s senior all-around competition at the 2007 Visa Championships at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The final round is Friday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. PT. Scores from both days of competition are combined to determine the final all-around and individual event rankings.

 

Competition at the 2007 Visa Championships continues tomorrow with women’s artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics competition.

 

“I feel all right after tonight’s competition,” Artemev said. “I was a little shaky here and there, and was kind of surprised by my pommel horse mistake.”

 

“I started off a little slow tonight, but showed myself, the crowd and the judges that I’m a fighter,” Durante said. “In the past, I might have let early mistakes get the best of me, but not tonight. I’m so proud of that.”

 

The first day of senior men’s competition was anybody’s game.  By the end of six rotations, five gymnasts had either held or tied for the all-around lead. At the conclusion of tonight’s competition, Artemev and Durante were tied at 89.500. In the last rotation, Artemev scored a 15.550 on his triple twisting Yurchenko vault to move from third into a tie for first with Durante. Durante scored a 14.500 on his final event, a high bar routine that included a double-twisting, double-layout dismount.

 

Guillermo Alvarez of Denver is on their heels, finishing third with a score of 89.450. Local Stanford University gymnasts Sho Nakamori of Albany, Calif., and David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., are fourth and fifth, respectively.

 

Paul and Morgan Hamm of Waukesha, Wis., competing for the first time since the 2004 Olympic Games, competed in two events, pommel horse and floor exercise. Paul Hamm posted the highest score of the night on floor exercise with a 15.700.

 

Two gymnasts lead the individual events they won last year at the Visa Championships: Sender on vault and Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif., on still rings. The highest scores of the night in the senior men’s competition were: Paul Hamm, floor exercise, 15.700; Sender, vault, 16.000; Nakamori, pommel horse, 15.000; Durante, parallel bars, 15.450; Tan, still rings, 16.400; and Yewki Tomita of Tuscon, Ariz., horizontal bar, 14.650.

 

From today’s competition, 36 men advanced to the final day of competition based on a points system that awards credit based on performances.

 

Tickets are still available for the Visa Championships, the national championships for artistic, rhythmic and a