Reigning Tyson American Cup champion and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar bronze-medalist Fabian Hambuechen of Germany highlights the international list of participants that includes seven 2008 Olympians and four 2009 World medalists for the 2010 Tyson American Cup on March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The all-star international line up will face two men and two women from the United States for the all-around title.
In addition to Hambuechen, other notable gymnasts in the international field include: 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Daniel Keatings of Great Britain, 2008 Olympic all-around bronze-medalist Benoit Caranobe of France, 2009 World vault silver-medalists Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland and Flavius Koczi of Romania, 2009 World all-around fifth-place finisher Maxim Devyatovskiy of Russia, 2009 World vault-finalist Elsa Garcia of Mexico, and World Cup floor exercise bronze-medalist Elisabeth Seitz of Germany.
“The Tyson American Cup is known for showcasing current and rising stars in gymnastics,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “This year is no exception, and this prestigious field is an indication of what will be another exciting showdown for both the men and women.”
These athletes join 2009 World all-around silver-medalist Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas; 2009 World all-around seventh-place finisher Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va.; and 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver-medalist and 2009 U.S. all-around champion Jonathan Horton of Houston, Texas, as gymnasts who have accepted invitations to compete at the 2010 Tyson American Cup. The remaining U.S. woman will be named closer to the event.
The entire field, representing 11 countries, is listed below.
Women
Canada, Dominique Pegg
Germany, Elisabeth Seitz
Japan, Yuko Shintake
Mexico, Elsa Garcia
Romania, Claudia Voicu
Switzerland, Ariella Kaeslin
United States, Rebecca Bross
United States, TBD
Men
Colombia, Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez
France, Benoit Caranobe
Germany, Fabian Hambuechen
Great Britain, Daniel Keatings
Japan, Koji Yamamuro
Romania, Flavius Koczi
Russia, Maxim Devyatovskiy
United States, Jonathan Horton
United States, Tim McNeill
Tickets, which range from $35-125, are on sale now and may be purchased through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; through participating gym clubs; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Visa is the preferred method of payment.
This will be the first time the prestigious Tyson American Cup has been held in Massachusetts. Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City; Ft. Worth, Texas; Indianapolis, Ind.; Fairfax, Va.; Orlando, Fla.; Seattle, Wash.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Uniondale, N.Y.; Philadelphia; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Some of the sport’s biggest names are former American Cup all-around gold medalists, including: men – Fabian Hambuechen (Germany), Jonathan Horton, Jason Gatson, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Vitaly Scherbo (Belarus), Tim Daggett, Peter Vidmar, Mitsuo Tsukahara (Japan), and Bart Conner; women – Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Elena Zamolodchikova (Russia), Kerri Strug, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Kim Zmeskal, Kristie Phillips, Mary Lou Retton, Julianne McNamara, Stella Zakarova (USSR) and Nadia Comaneci (Romania).
About Tyson Foods, Inc:
Tyson Foods, Inc., founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 107,000 Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.
About the DCU Center: A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000, the DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR… Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.