INDIANAPOLIS, April 4, 2021 – Megan Chu of San Diego, Calif./Emerald City Academy finished the first day of competition at the 2021 International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament Sofia (Bulgaria) Cup in seventh in the junior all-around with a 38.400 to lead U.S. athletes. The 13-year-old’s 19.650 in ball has also earned her the opportunity to compete in Tuesday’s apparatus final. Fellow junior gymnast Gemma Gow of Newton, Mass./Nelys School of Rhythmic Gymnastics topped U.S. athletes in the hoop competition. Her 19.850 was the third-highest score of the day and has qualified her to the final. Senior Lennox Hopkins-Wilkins of Puyallup, Wash./Evergreen Rhythmics will also compete Tuesday, having earned a place in the senior ball final with a score of 20.150.

Hopkins-Wilkins (37.400) finished the day in 17th position in the senior all-around competition, while Alexandria Kautzman (34.300) of Westlake Village, Calif./California Rhythms is 24th. In the junior division, Gow sits in 14th with a 37.000. Rin Keys of Porter Ranch, Calif./Burlo Gymnastics (35.550) and Sarah Mariotti of San Diego, Calif./Emerald City Academy (34.550) are 19th and 26th, respectively.

Bulgaria’s Tatyana Volozhanina (47.050) leads the senior all-around at the midway point in the competition. Volozhanina bested the field in both the hoop (23.050) and ball (24.000) apparatus on Day 1. Alice Taglietti of Italy sits atop the junior all-around standings with a 40.800. Taglietti took the top spot in ball with a 20.700. Poland’s Liliana Lewinska earned the high score in the junior hoop competition with a 21.100.