© John Cheng

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 28, 2018 – 2016 Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles of Houston/World Champions Centre picked up where she left off nearly two years ago. In her first event since the 2016 Olympic Games, she won the senior all-around crown at the 2018 GK U.S. Classic at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Leanne Wong of Overland Park, Kansas/Great American Gymnastics Express, won the junior all-around title. Four seniors and seven juniors qualified for the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Aug.16-19, at Boston’s TD Garden.

Biles took the senior all-around title with a 58.700 total, which is reportedly the highest all-around posted this year. Riley McCusker of Brielle, N.J./MG Elite, tallied a 57.500 for second, with 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd of Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics, rounding out the top three at 56.350.

Biles also won two of the four event titles, balance beam, 15.200, and floor exercise, 14.750. 2017 World vault silver-medalist Jade Carey of Phoenix, Ariz./Arizona Sunrays, won the vault title, with a 14.450 for her two-vault average. McCusker won the uneven bars gold with a 15.000.

Biles’ performance also punched her ticket to the 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Three other seniors also qualified: Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics; Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics; and Jaylene Gilstrap, McKinney, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics.

In the junior division, Wong won the all-around with a 55.350 total. Kayla DiCello of Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, earned the all-around silver at 54.000, and Jordan Bowers of Lincoln, Neb./Solid Rock Gymnastics, was third at 53.850.

The junior event champions were: Wong – vault, 14.650, and floor, 13.400; DiCello, uneven bars, 14.300; and Sunisa Lee of St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, balance beam, 14.000.

The junior athletes who advanced to the U.S. Championships are: Sophia Butler, Houston, Texas/Discover Gymnastics Inc.; Kailin Chio, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics; Claire Dean, Oakland, Calif./Head Over Heels; Selena Harris, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics; Alexis Jeffrey, Warrensburg, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express; Brenna Neault, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Precision Gymnastics; and Katelyn Rosen, Boerne, Texas/Mavericks at Artemovs.

The complete women’s field for the U.S. Gymnastics Championships will be announced in the near future.

Senior Division
Event scores for the top five in the all-around rankings.

  • Simone Biles, 58.700 total: 58.700, all-around; 15.400, vault; 15.200, uneven bars; 13.350, balance beam; 14.750, floor exercise.
  • Riley McCusker, 57.500 total: 57.500, all-around; 14.350, vault; 15.000, uneven bars; 14.550, balance beam; 13.600, floor exercise.
  • Morgan Hurd, 56.350 total: 56.350, all-around; 14.400, vault; 14.700, uneven bars; 13.400, balance beam; 13.850, floor exercise.
  • Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio/Future Gymnastics Academy, 54.900 total: 54.900, all-around; 14.550, vault; 13.850, uneven bars; 13.200, balance beam; 13.300, floor exercise.
  • Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo./5280 Gymnastics, 53.900 total: 53.900, all-around; 13.900, vault; 14.900, uneven bars; 13.400, balance beam; 11.700, floor exercise.

Gymnasts who qualified for the U.S. Championships

  • Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre
  • Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
  • Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
  • Jaylene Gilstrap, McKinney, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics

Junior Division
Event scores for the top five in the all-around rankings.

  • Leanne Wong, 55.350 total: 55.350, all-around; 14.650, vault; 13.600, uneven bars; 13.700, balance beam; 13.400, floor exercise.
  • Kayla DiCello, 54.000 total: 54.000, all-around; 14.600, vault; 14.300, uneven bars; 12.050, balance beam; 13.050, floor exercise.
  • Jordan Bowers, 53.850 total: 53.850, all-around; 13.950, vault; 14.200, uneven bars; 13.750, balance beam; 11.950, floor exercise.
  • Tori Tatum, Chanhassen, Minn./Twin City Twisters, 53.850 total: 53.850, all-around; 14.400, vault;13.500, uneven bars; 13.050, balance beam; 12.850, floor exercise.
  • Sunisa Lee, St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, 53.250 total: 53.250, all-around; 13.300, vault; 13.800, uneven bars; 14.000, balance beam; 12.150, floor exercise.

Junior women who qualified for the U.S. Championships at GK U.S. Classic

  • Sophia Butler, Houston, Texas/Discover Gymnastics Inc.
  • Kailin Chio, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics
  • Claire Dean, Oakland, Calif./Head Over Heels
  • Selena Harris, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics
  • Alexis Jeffrey, Warrensburg, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express
  • Brenna Neault, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Precision Gymnastics
  • Katelyn Rosen, Boerne, Texas/Mavericks at Artemovs

GK, a long-time partner of USA Gymnastics, recently became the title sponsor for the GK U.S. Classic and the GK Hopes Championships. The Schottenstein Center, in partnership with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, is playing host to two events. Columbus has held the 2012 and 2016 post-Olympic tour, as well as the 1992 U.S. Championships.

Background information

  • GK – Elite Sportswear. Elite Sportswear is the combination of the worlds’ leading sports specialty apparel brands including, GK Gymnastics, Dreamlight Gymnastics, All Star Cheer, Omni Cheer and Dolfin Swimwear. Distributed in over 35 countries, Elite Sportswear products have been worn by Olympians and World champions for over 35 years. Employing over 500 people between two locations in Reading, Pa. and San Diego, Calif., Elite Sportswear continues its commitment to American-made quality and continuous innovation in designs with unprecedented fit, form and function. For more information about Elite Sportswear, visit www.gkelite.com.
  • Schottenstein Center. Located on the campus of The Ohio State University, the Schottenstein Center is a 770,000 square-foot multipurpose venue. Home to the men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s basketball Buckeyes, it is the largest arena in the Big Ten. Averaging over 1 million guests per year, the building has hosted The Rolling Stones, Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships in wrestling and girls and boys basketball, The Frozen Four and the McDonald’s All-American basketball game amongst a variety of sporting and special events. A nationally recognized sports and entertainment center, the Schott continues a tradition of making memories.
  • Greater Columbus Sports Commission. Since 2002, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has been a catalyst in transforming Columbus into one of the world’s best sports destinations, booking 427 new sporting events for the Columbus Region and generating an estimated $535 million in visitor spending. Our mission is to rally Columbus to compete and win sporting events, providing a singular athlete and fan experience and positively impacting our image, economy and lifestyle. For more information, visit columbussports.org.
  • USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that empowers and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has already taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its safe sport policies and procedures. The organization’s disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and gymnastics for all (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to usagym.org.