TORONTO, Ont., Canada – July 13, 2015 – Two-time U.S. champion Sam Mikulak of Newport Beach, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center), won the men’s all-around title today at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada. Mikulak’s win ended a 28-year drought in the event for Team USA. Amelia Hundley of Fairfield, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, and Madison Desch of Lenexa, Kan./GAGE, compete later today in the women’s all-around finals at 6:50 p.m. ET (Watch live on ESPN3). The USA’s Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton (USOTC), finished sixth.
Mikulak tallied an 89.650 in the all-around, just .050 ahead of Cuba’s Manrique Larduet’s 89.600 total. Jossimar Calvo Moreno of Colombia took the bronze with an 89.400 total. Whittenburg’s total was 86.750.
Beginning his all-around final on the floor exercise, Mikulak tumbled a back two-and-a-half twist to double front and a tucked front full to a Randi to open. Closing with a clean triple twist, he posted a 14.850. Mikulak came off the pommel horse early in his routine but recovered well, finishing with a clean triple Russian on the end and a smooth handstand dismount for a 14.250. On the still rings, Mikulak improved his qualification score by .250, nearly sticking his double-double dismount and scoring 15.000.
After three events, Mikulak took the lead and never let it go. On vault, Mikulak was straight down the middle on his Kasamatsu one-and-a-half. He earned a 14.950. Mikulak was dynamic on the parallel bars, moving effortlessly through a straddled front flip directly into a Moy. Finishing with a Stutz to a double front, he scored a 15.800. Mikulak closed on the high bar with a 14.800, winning the first U.S. gold in the event since Scott Johnson in 1987.
Whittenburg got also underway on the floor, opening with a stuck one-and-a-half to double front. He received two 0.100 penalties for stepping outside of the floor area but closed with a strong piked half-in, half out for a 14.700. Whittenburg earned a score of 13.350 on pommel horse. He was spectacular on the still rings, opening with an Azarian Maltese, bounce cross, and push planche sequence to open. Nearly sticking his layout double-double dismount, he was rewarded with a 15.650. He was dynamic on vault with a Dragulescu giving him a 15.000. On the parallel bars, he scored a 15.500 after executing a front toss, peach-half, peach to one bar, peach sequence. He closed out his competition with a 12.550 on the high bar after missing his Cassina release move.
The remaining artistic gymnastics schedule is: July 14-15 – men’s and women’s individual event finals.
Trampoline follows on the heels of artistic gymnastics, with men’s and women’s qualifications and finals on July 18-19. The U.S. squad features: men – Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy; and women – Charlotte Drury of Laguna Niguel, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Clare Johnson of Huntsville, Ala./The Matrix.
For rhythmic gymnastics, Jazzy Kerber of Highland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, and Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, are competing, along with the senior rhythmic group. The members of the rhythmic gymnastics group, who train at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, are: Kiana Eide of Northbrook, Ill.; Alisa Kano of Glencoe, Ill.; Natalie McGiffert of Northbrook, Ill.; Monica Rokhman of Northbrook, Ill.; Jennifer Rokhman of Northbrook, Ill.; and Kristen Shaldybin of Chicago. Rhythmic qualifications are July 17-18, with finals on July 19-20.
For more information, go to Toronto2015.org.
ESPN and ESPN2 will present live 66 hours. ESPN’s telecasts will kick off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. – marking the first English-language live presentation of the ceremony in 30 years – and wrap up with a five-hour live window on July 26 for the closing day of the Games, starting at 1:00 p.m. Between July 11- 25, ESPN2 will present two to six hours of daily live coverage focused on men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball, diving, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, track and field, and soccer. The network will also present daily highlights of all medal winners and the action across every venue.
ESPN3 will carry 580 hours of Pan American Games programming, with live access to almost every competition in more than 15 different disciplines, including basketball, gymnastics, swimming, diving, soccer, volleyball, karate, taekwondo, track and field, and many others.
Every Pan American coverage option on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Longhorn Network, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+ will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.