GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Oct. 21, 2011 – After gaining eight medals between the U.S. rhythmic and trampoline teams, the U.S. men’s and women’s gymnasts take to the competition floor Oct. 24-28 at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

The artistic gymnastics field features 114 male and female competitors from 18 different countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, and Venezuela.

Competition begins on Oct. 24 with the women’s team finals, followed by the men’s team finals on Oct. 25. For both men’s and women’s gymnastics, performances during the team finals determine which athletes advance to the all-around finals on Oct. 26 and the individual event finals, Oct. 27-28. There is a maximum of two athletes per country in the all-around and individual event finals.

 

Women’s competition

Oct. 24 – team finals; Oct. 26 – all-around finals; Oct. 27-28 – individual event finals

The U.S. women return as the defending team champions and a successful competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the 2007 Pan American Games. They swept the all-around and took home the team gold and seven individual medals.

World all-around champions and 2008 Olympic team silver-medalists Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp’s Gymnastics Academy, and Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, will lead the team.

Sloan won the World all-around title in 2009 and was a member of the 2008 Olympic silver medal-winning team; however, this will be her first Pan Am Games and her first major international competition since the 2010 World Championships.

As for Johnson, the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist, this will be her first international competition since her return to competition earlier this year. The Pan American Games, however, is not new to her. At the 2007 Pan Ams, Johnson claimed four of the six available gold medals (team, all-around, uneven bars and balance beam).

Competing alongside Johnson and Sloan are four rising stars. Bridgette Caquatto of Naperville, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics LLC, has competed internationally on several occasions, including the 2009 Junior Pan American Championships where the U.S. Team won the team gold and she was second on vault and fourth in the all-around. The Pan Am Games is the first time that Jessie DeZiel of Rogers, Minn./Twin City Twisters; Brandie Jay of Ft. Collins, Colo./GK Gymnastics; and Grace McLaughlin of Allen, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, have represented the USA in international competition.

At the Pan Am Games, the U.S. women have won the last six all-around titles and 11 of the 13 team gold medals.

 

Men’s competition

Oct. 24 – team finals; Oct. 26 – all-around finals; Oct. 27-28 – individual event finals

The U.S. men’s team is a combination of rising stars, collegiate gymnasts and veterans. At the 2007 Pan Am Games, the U.S. men gained five medals, including gold on pommel horse, silver on still rings and floor exercise, and bronze in the all-around and team competition.

The members of the U.S. Men’s Team are: Donothan Bailey of Lake Forest, Calif./University of California – Berkeley; C.J. Maestas of Corrales, N.M./University of Illinois; Sho Nakamori of Albany, Calif./Champions Academy; Tyler Mizoguchi of Houston, Texas/University of Illinois; Paul Ruggeri of Manlius, N.Y; and Brandon Wynn of Columbus, Ohio/Team Hilton HHonors (Ohio State University).

In addition, 2008 Olympic team bronze-medalist Justin Spring, who is the head coach at the University of Illinois, is one of the men’s Pan Am team coaches and was the 2007 Pan Am parallel bars gold medalist.

In total, the men’s team has medaled at all 13 Pan Am Games, including seven gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.

 

Competition schedule
All times Eastern

Oct. 22 2:00-6:50 P.M. Women’s podium training
    (U.S., Sub 2, 5:00-6:50 p.m.)
Oct. 23 2:00-7:15 P.M. Men’s podium training
    (U.S., Sub 1, 2:00-4:15 p.m.)
Oct. 24 2:00-7:30 P.M. Women’s team finals; qualifications for all- around, individual event finals
    (U.S., Sub 2, 5:00-7:30 p.m.)
Oct. 25 2:00-7:30 P.M. Men’s team finals; qualifications for all- around, individual event finals
    (U.S., Sub 1, 2:00-4:30 p.m.)
Oct. 26 2:00-4:00 P.M. Women’s all-around finals
  6:30-9:00 P.M. Men’s all-around finals
Oct. 27 2:00- 5:00 P.M. Individual event finals
    Men: floor exercise, pommel horse still rings
    Women: vault, uneven bars
Oct. 28 2:00-5:00 P.M. Individual event finals
    Men: vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar
    Women: balance beam, floor exercise

 

Ways to follow the excitement of the Pan American Games in the U.S.

  • TV broadcast

    • ESPN Deportes, U.S. rights holder of the 2011 Pan American Games, is showing between 90-120 hours of live and exclusive footage on both Deportes and ESPN3. The network has been broadcasting a minimum of three hours of live coverage featuring the top events each day and will continue to do so throughout the Closing Ceremony. Coverage will feature a wide range of competitions including baseball, basketball, boxing, soccer, swimming, track & field, volleyball and several others.
    • Live events may not be seen in some areas and the schedule is subject to change. All listed times are Eastern. View the ESPN Deportes broadcast schedule here.
    • ESPN2 is also airing the Pan American Games with 20 hours of English-language coverage throughout the event. View the schedule here.

     

  • Live internet streaming – Fans can watch select events live at deportes.terra.com.

  • Results

    • To view daily schedules and get results from all Pan American Games competitions, visit info.guadalajara2011.org.mx.
    • ESPNDeportes.com/Panamericanos has the latest news and information surrounding the competitions, athletes and each country with exclusive content, video highlights, live chats with the experts on-site, and live scores.

     

  • Team information

    • USA Gymnastics’ Pan American events page, https://usagym.org/panam, and twitter feed @USAGym, will have results, photos and other information on the U.S. Team’s efforts in Guadalajara.
    • Follow @USOlympic on Twitter for breaking news updates on Team USA. Also, follow NGB Twitter feeds for additional coverage: Twitter.com/USOlympic/NGB.
    • Visit TeamUSA.org/events/6958 for the updated U.S. roster (by sport, state and Olympians), the USA Daily newsletter and photos from the Pan American Games.