ANADIA, Portugal, June 21, 2013 – Led by four top-eight finishes by 2012 Olympian Sam Mikulak of Corona del Mar, Calif./University of Michigan, the U.S. team earned six finals berths today at the International Gymnastics Federation’s World Challenge Cup – Portugal 2013 in Anadia, Portugal. Mikulak qualified to the floor, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar finals. Eddie Penev of Penfield, N.Y./Stanford University, floor, and Brandon Wynn of Columbus, Ohio/Ohio State University, still rings, also advanced.
Competition continues tomorrow with finals on the floor exercise, pommel horse and still rings. The titles for vault, parallel bars and high bar will be decided on Sunday, as the competition concludes.
Penev was the top qualifier on the floor exercise with a 15.175, while Mikulak qualified seventh, scoring 14.700.
Wynn earned a 15.250 on the still rings to finish sixth and move on to the finals.
Mikulak posted scores of 14.800, vault, 14.800, parallel bars, and 14.525, high bar, to advance to each of the finals. He ranked eighth on vault, fifth on parallel bars and third on high bar.
Mikulak and Penev also performed on the pommel horse but did not advance to the final.
The event, which has a field of 170 athletes from 33 countries, is part of the FIG’s World Cup series and features individual event competition.