INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2013 – Katelyn Ohashi of Plano, Texas/WOGA, and Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/Bannon’s Gymnastix, will represent the USA at the 2013 AT&T American Cup in Worcester, Mass., scheduled for March 2 at 11:30 a.m. ET. at the DCU Center. 2012 Olympic team gold-medalist Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, has withdrawn from the competition because she is recovering from a bruised heel. The AT&T American Cup is an International Gymnastics Federation World Cup event.
"Kyla has been nursing a bruised heel for several weeks and reduced her training to allow it to heal," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "Kyla’s heel is much better, however she is not ready to compete on four events at this time, and her safety is of the utmost importance.
"The American Cup has a history of introducing new faces to the world," said Penny, "and both Katelyn and Simone are ready to go in their first international event as seniors. This is an exciting moment for them and for USA Gymnastics, and we look forward to welcoming two bright and talented athletes to this level of competition."
Ross will travel with the delegation to Worcester to support her teammates and be a part of the weekend. Although she has officially withdrawn from the competitive field, Ross may perform an exhibition routine on the balance beam, which will be decided in Worcester.
Ohashi had international success as a junior. In 2012, she won the junior all-around, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise gold medals at the Kellogg’s Pacific Rim Championships, as well as helped the U.S. team to the team title. She also was on the gold medal team at both the 2011-12 City of Jesolo Trophy competitions, as well as three individual junior gold medals (2012 – uneven bars, balance beam; 2011 – floor exercise.
Biles is making her international debut at the AT&T American Cup. At the 2012 Visa Championships, she won the junior vault title and was third in the all-around. She also won the junior all-around title at the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic.
The AT&T American Cup, a part of the FIG’s all-around World Cup series, kicks off the road to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The field features many of the top athletes from last summer’s Olympic Games in London, including the USA’s Danell Leyva of Miami/Universal Gymnastics, who won the Olympic all-around bronze medal, and his Olympic teammate Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma.
Canada’s Maegan Chant is replacing Japan’s Koko Tsurumi, who withdrew due to injury. The complete field is as follows.
- Women
Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/Bannon’s Gymnastix
Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas/WOGA
Vanessa Ferrari, Italy
Gabrielle Jupp, Great Britain
Maegan Chant, Canada
Victoria Moors, Canada
Elisabeth Seitz, Germany
Asuka Teramoto, Japan
Men
Jake Dalton, Reno, Nev./University, Oklahoma
Danell Leyva, Miami/Universal Gymnastics
Hiroki Ishikawa, Japan
Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez, Colombia
Marcel Nguyen, Germany
Sergio Sasaki, Brazil
Kristian Thomas, Great Britain
Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine
Tickets for the American Cup range in price from $39.50-$150 and may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; through participating gym clubs; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Ticket prices include facility fees and taxes but do not include convenience fees.
The American Cup, one of the most prestigious international invitationals, features many of the world’s top all-around gymnasts. The reigning champions are Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA, who was a member of The Fierce Five (2012 Olympic team champion), and Leyva. The American Cup was held in Worcester in 2010 when Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, won the women’s title and Russia’s Maxim Devyatovskiy took top honors for the men.
The list of former champions comprises some of the sport’s best-known names, including Bart Conner, Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Leyva and Wieber.
Scheduled for March 1, the Nastia Liukin Cup showcases some of the USA’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts. The participants for the Nastia Liukin Cup qualify through 19 of the country’s top invitationals that are included in the Nastia Liukin Cup Series, which runs from January through February. The Nastia Liukin Cup is held the night before the American Cup, and its proceeds benefit the Nastia Liukin Fund, a charitable fund within the National Gymnastics Foundation. Tickets for the Nastia Liukin Cup will go on sale at a later date.
The City of Worcester and the SMG-managed DCU Center, in conjunction with Destination Worcester, worked together to attract the American Cup and the Nastia Liukin Cup to central Massachusetts.
Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (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 (2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (2007, 2011); Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009); and Worcester, Mass. (2010, 2013).
Background Information
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DCU Center. A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000, the DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR… Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.
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Destination Worcester. Destination Worcester is a destination marketing organization whose primary focus is on selling the City of Worcester as a destination to meeting and convention planners, and event and sports organizers. Acting as a single point of contact, Destination Worcester provides enhanced communications and a streamlined process for booking events in Worcester.
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International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: gymnastics for all, men’s artistic, women’s artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, aerobic and acrobatic. It counts 133 national member federations and boasts a 27-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne, Switzerland, host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).