BIRMINGHAM, England (November 10, 2023) – USA Gymnastics’ men’s double-mini team topped the podium, while the women’s tumbling team earned bronze Friday at the 2023 T&T World Championships in England as Americans continued advancing in qualifying rounds.

Two team medals for the U.S.

The American men’s double mini team clinched the first U.S. gold of the championships when Ruben Padilla (Bluffdale, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling), Dylan Kline (Syracuse, Utah/Flipside Tumbling), Tomas Minc (Chevy Chase, Md./Dynamite Gymnastics) and Simon Smith (Springville, Utah/Utah Valley Trampoline & Tumbling) put up 12 points to land atop the podium ahead of Spain (11) and Great Britain (9).

The U.S. also secured a bronze medal in women’s tumbling competition. The team of Hope Bravo (Frisco, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy), Miah Bruns (Crete, Ill./World Champions Centre), Nastia Katchalova (Lakeland, Fla./Elite World Gymnastics) and Tia Taylor (Knoxville, Tenn./Premier Athletics Knoxville) posted a total of 11 points in a competition won by Great Britain (12) with France second, matching the 11 points of the U.S. The tie was broken by determining which team had the three higher difficulty scores during finals.

Also competing in team finals were the U.S. women’s double mini team and the men’s tumbling team, who each landed fourth in their divisions. In the double mini final, Aliah Raga (Denton, Md./Dynamite Gymnastics), Gracie Harder (Archdale, N.C./Carolina Elite Trampoline Academy), Jackie Kent (Downers Grove, Ill./Element Tumbling and Trampoline) and Shelby Nobuhara (Mapleton, Utah/High Altitude), won six points to place behind Britain (14), Portugal (10) and Canada (10).

In the team tumbling final, Kaden Brown (Herriman, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling), Kaleb Cave (Columbia, Md./Dynamite Gymnastics), Dominic Dumas (Athens, Ala./Air Extreme) and BJ Mensah (New York, N.Y./Cavu Trampoline and Tumbling), earned eight points to land just off the podium. Azerbaijan was first (13), Britain second (12) and Denmark third (8).

Finals are in sight

Following a gold medal-winning performance at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, the U.S. pair of Padilla and Aliaksei Shostak (Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express) scored a 50.110 to advance to Sunday’s synchronized trampoline final in the 4th spot. Also coming off a Pan Ams gold, Nicole Ahsinger (Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express) along with partner Sarah Webster (Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express) took the third-highest qualification spot in women’s synchro with a 48.500 to qualify to the final. The top eight pairs, limited to two per country, advanced to finals.

Isaac Rowley (Allen, Texas/Eagle Gymnastics Academy) and Cody Gesuelli (Huntsville, Ala./Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy) also competed in the second round of men’s synchro qualifications and was 15th with a 5.660 after an early fall in their routine.

Women’s double mini athletes Raga, Harder and Kent all moved onto Round 2 of qualifications on the apparatus. Raga was second qualifier with a 51.100, Harder fifth with a 50.700 and Kent sixth with a 50.400. Nobuhara, the 2021 World champion and 2022 World silver medalist, was 11th with a 49.900.

After winning the 2021 World bronze medal in tumbling, Brown looks to improve on his performance in Birmingham – scoring a 56.300 in Friday’s men’s tumbling qualifications to qualify in third to the second round of qualifications. He will be joined by Cave, who was 14th with a 54.100, and Dumas, who took the 17th spot with a 52.300. Mensah was 28th with a 46.500.

On tap for Saturday is Round 2 of qualifications in men’s and women’s individual trampoline, tumbling and double mini, followed by finals in each division. All information, including results, are available on the FIG microsite. American fans can watch T&T World Championships final competition on Peacock.



Men’s Double Mini Champions


Women’s Tumbling Bronze Medalists