© John Cheng

GREENSBORO, N.C., March 2, 2019 – Leanne Wong of Overland Park, Kansas/GAGE, and defending American Cup champion Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colo./University of Oklahoma, won the women’s and men’s titles, respectively, at the 2019 American Cup, the USA’s most prestigious international event and part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series, at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex. The Elite Team Cup, a team event with many of the USA’s top junior men, wraps up the weekend at 6 p.m. ET.

The USA went one-two in both the men’s and women’s competition. In the men’s competition, it came down to the horizontal bar, the last event, and the last routine. When the chalk dust settled, Moldauer, the last male gymnast to compete, had slipped by Sam Mikulak of Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Olympic Training Center, for the title, 85.932 to 85.931. China’s Ma Yue was third at 84.465.

Wong won her first international title with her 56.765 all-around total. Grace McCallum of Isanti, Minn./Twin City Twisters, was on Wong’s heels at 56.465. Ellie Black of Canada and Mai Murakami both earned a 55.732, but Black took third via a tie-breaker.

Individual event scores

Men

  • Moldauer (1): all-around, 85.932 (1); floor exercise, 14.500; pommel horse, 13.800; still rings, 14.200; vault, 14.733 (top score); parallel bars, 14.966; and horizontal bar, 13.733.
  • Mikulak (2): all-around, 85.931 (2); floor exercise, 14.733 (top score); pommel horse, 14.433 (top score); still rings, 14.100; vault, 14.433; parallel bars, 14.066; and horizontal bar, 14.166 (top score).
  • Ma (3): all-around, 84.465; floor exercise, 13.300; pommel horse, 14.033; still rings, 14.333 (top score); vault, 14.566; parallel bars, 14.333; and horizontal bar, 13,900.

Women

  • Wong: all-around, 56.765 (1); vault, 14.666 (top score); uneven bars, 14.100; balance beam, 14.066 (top score); and floor exercise, 13.933.
  • McCallum: all-around, 56.465 (2); vault, 14.566; uneven bars, 14.200; balance beam, 13.833; and floor exercise, 13.866.
  • Black: all-around, 55.732 (3); vault, 14.433; uneven bars, 14.266; balance beam, 13.800; and floor exercise, 13.233.

The Elite Team Cup is a regional team event with nine teams of six gymnasts, who were chosen by each of the respective regions. The event’s field includes 13 members of the U.S. National Team: Lazarus Barnhill, Houston, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics; Fuzzy Benas, Richmond, Texas/EnRich Gymnastics and Dance Academy; Landen Blixt, Fowlerville, Mich./Infinity Gymnastics Academy; Brandon Briones, Gilbert, Ariz./Aspire Gymnastics; Taylor Burkhart, Morrison, Colo./5280 Gymnastics; Isaiah Drake, Los Angeles, Calif./Gymnastics Olympica; Raydel Gamboa, Phoenix, Ariz./North Valley Gymnastics; Nicolas Kuebler, Seattle, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics; Ian Lasic-Ellis, Dover, Mass./MEGA – Massachusetts; Riley Loos, El Dorado, Calif./Technique Gymnastics; Luke McFarland, East Hartford, Conn./Daggett Gymnastics; Colt Walker, Cedar Park, Texas/AcroTex Gymnastics; and Khoi Young, Bowie, Md./Sportsplex. For more information and the complete field roster, go to americancup.com/eliteteamcup. For fans who cannot attend in person, the Elite Team Cup has a live webcast via the USA Gymnastics YouTube Channel.

The impressive list of former American Cup champions also includes Simone Biles, Bart Conner, Tim Daggett, Gabby Douglas, Paul Hamm, Jonathan Horton, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Carly Patterson, Danell Leyva, Shannon Miller, Mary Lou Retton, Kurt Thomas, Peter Vidmar, Jordyn Wieber and Kim Zmeskal-Burdette. Past sites for the American Cup include: New York, N.Y. (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008, 2012); Ft. Worth, Texas (1981, 1996-98); Indianapolis, Ind. (1985); Fairfax, Va. (1986-90, 2003); Orlando, Fla. (1991-94, 2000-02); Seattle, Wash. (1995); St. Petersburg, Fla. (1999); Uniondale, N.Y. (2005); Philadelphia, Pa. (2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (2007, 2011); Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009, 2018); Worcester, Mass. (2010, 2013); Greensboro, N.C. (2014); Arlington, Texas (2015); and Newark (2016-17).

Background Information

 

  • Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit governmental authority whose mission is to aggressively market Greensboro’s assets, maximizing economic impact while providing excellent visitor service. Guilford County ranks third in the state in travel and tourism expenditures, with over $1.2 billion generated in 2015 and more than 13,000 people employed in travel-related jobs. For more information: www.visitgreensboronc.com.
  • Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is a multi-building facility designed to serve the citizens of Greensboro and the surrounding area through a broad range of activities, including athletic events, cultural arts, concerts, theater, educational activities, fairs, exhibits, and public and private events of all kinds including conventions, convocations and trade and consumer shows. The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is one of the most actively booked facilities in the country hosting more than 1,100 events on an annual basis. With its incredible versatility, the Complex has gained worldwide acclaim from promoters, producers, event planners and patrons. For more information; www.greensborocoliseum.com.
  • Sports & Properties, Inc. SPI is a sports marketing and sports development firm concentrating in three primary areas of business: major sponsorships, including naming rights; sports tourism; and major events. SPI recent projects include the Raleigh-Durham market’s Major League Soccer Application, the USA Masters Games, greater Asheville sports tourism, and the Seminole County Sports Complex. Event projects include the Africa Youth Games, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and the American Cup. SPI clients include Capitol Broadcasting Company, the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, the North Carolina Football Club, and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, among others. For more information on SPI, visit sportsproperties.com.
  • Greensboro Gymnastics Invitational (GGI) – Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2019, the Greensboro Gymnastics Invitational, hosted by Flip Force Gymnastics, is one of the largest gymnastics events on the East Coast. The event includes competition in men’s and women’s gymnastics, and power tumbling and trampoline. In 2018, GGI hosted over 3,000 athletes and was a Nastia Liukin Cup senior and junior qualifying event. 2018 was also the inaugural year of the GGI State Men’s Team Competition. Held annually at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in February, GGI is directed by Chris Young (Flip Force Gymnastics), Esau Huang (Flip Force Gymnastics), and Sarah Myers (Flip Force Kidsport Gymnastics). GGI is a sponsor of Big Brothers Big Sisters, raising $25,000 for the local chapter. For more information, go to www.greensborogyminvite.com.
  • USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that encourages and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has already taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its safe sport policies and procedures. The organization’s disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and gymnastics for all (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to usagym.org.