LIMA, Peru, Aug. 1, 2019 – At the 2019 Pan American Games, rhythmic gymnastics takes center stage at the Polideportivo Villa El Salvador in Lima, Peru, at 1 p.m. CT on Aug. 2 with the first of two days of qualifications and the all-around finals. Trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics then both run from Aug. 4-5.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
For rhythmic gymnastics, three-time U.S. all-around silver-medalist Evita Griskenas of Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center and her teammate 2019 U.S. all-around bronze-medalist Camilla Feeley of Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, are seeking all-around and individual event medals in individual rhythmic gymnastics. The U.S. group also is seeking all-around and event medals. The members of the U.S. group, which is based at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, are: Isabelle Connor of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Yelyzaveta Merenzon of Buffalo Grove, Ill.; Elizaveta Pletneva of Deerfield, Ill.; Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Ill.; and Kristina Sobolevskaya of Chicago.
In individual, the field of 16 gymnasts includes athletes from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States and Venezuela. Group has a field of seven countries: Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, United States, Venezuela.
In 2015, the USA’s Laura Zeng swept the individual all-around and four event gold medals, and her teammate Jazzy Kerber claimed the all-around, hoop, ball and ribbon silver and the clubs bronze medals. The U.S. group was the 6 clubs/2 hoops gold and all-around and 5 ribbon silver medals.
Competition on Aug. 2-3 is the all-around finals and qualification rounds for event finals. The final all-around rankings are determined at the conclusion of the second day of qualifications, and the top eight ranked gymnasts on each event advance to the respective event’s finals. For group, the final all-around rankings are determined at the conclusion of the two-day qualification round, and the top groups for each event advance to the respective event finals.
The rhythmic schedule is listed below, and all times are Central.
- Aug. 2 Qualification: 1 p.m., individual hoop and ball; group 5 balls
- Aug. 3 Qualification and all-around finals: 1 p.m. individual clubs and ribbon; group 3 hoops/4 clubs; all-around award ceremony for individual and group
- Aug. 4 Event finals: 4 p.m., individual hoop and ball; group 5 balls
- Aug. 5 Event finals: 1 p.m., individual clubs and ribbon; group 3 hoops/4 clubs
Trampoline
Five-time U.S. champion Jeffrey Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy; Ruben Padilla of Oakley, Calif./Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling; 2016 Olympian Nicole Ahsinger of Lafayette, La./Trampoline and Tumbling Express; and 2019 U.S. champion Jessica Stevens of Ellicott City, Md./Fairland Gymnastics, will compete in the qualifications on Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. CT, and the top eight male and female trampolinists, based on the two-routine qualification score, advance to the finals on Aug. 5 at 5 p.m. CT.
Twelve men and twelve women will compete in the qualification round. For the men, the gymnasts are from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru and United States. The women’s field features gymnasts from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, United States and Venezuela.
TV coverage
ESPN Deportes and ESPNU are carrying coverage of the Pan American Games in Lima, and ESPN3 will have coverage of all sports and sessions in Spanish. Below are the times when gymnastics, with some explanation, is listed on the ESPN schedule, which is subject to change. All times are ET.
- Aug. 2 – 4 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics, ESPN Deportes
- Aug. 3 – 4 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics, ESPNU
- Aug. 4 – 1 p.m. – Trampoline qualifications, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU
- Aug. 4 – 5 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU
- Aug. 5 – 11 a.m. – Trampoline look-in, ESPN Deportes
- Aug. 5 – 5 p.m. – Rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU
With Lima as the backdrop, ESPN will bring up to 200 hours of exclusive, live coverage in English and Spanish, across ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, the ESPN App and ESPNdeportes.com. Well-known Olypians Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke are calling the action for gymnastics.
ESPN Deportes will telecast 200 hours of live Pan American Games content, every day starting at 9:30 a.m. ET., featuring soccer, swimming, diving, track & field, boxing, basketball and gymnastics. The live telecasts will be complemented with news and information programming throughout the day, followed by a nightly edition of SportsCenter recapping the top highlights of the day. ESPNU will present over 200 hours of daily live coverage in English, featuring Men and Women’s hoop and volleyball, diving, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, track and field, and soccer. ESPN3 and the ESPN App will carry 900 hours, with live access to almost every competition in Spanish. Select coverage will be available in English.
About the Pan Am Games
The XVIII Pan American Games competition features 31 Olympic sports, plus select non-Olympic sports, and serves as an Olympic-qualifying opportunity in 17 sports. Team USA will be represented in 36 sports during the 17-day competition. The 2019 U.S. Pan American squad features 91 Olympians, including 34 Olympic medalists and 19 Olympic champions. The Pan American Games are held every four years and precede the Olympic Games by one year. The Games are the third largest international multi-sport event in the world, surpassed only by the Olympic Games and the Asian Games in terms of the number of sports and competing athletes.
Coverage of the 2019 U.S. Pan American Team can be found at TeamUSA.org/Lima2019 and on Team USA’s social channels featuring the hashtag #Lima2019. Additionally, visit TeamUSA.org/USADaily to sign up to receive the USA Daily, a digital news blast that provides Team USA results and highlights each night via email during the Games.