INDIANAPOLIS, June 3, 2021 – U.S. Men’s National Team members will compete internationally for the first time in 2021, as the Senior Pan American Championships kick off Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cameron Bock of Ann Arbor, Mich./University of Michigan, Paul Juda of Deerfield, Ill./University of Michigan, Riley Loos of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Stanford University, and Vitaliy Guimaraes of Norman, Okla./University of Oklahoma are set to represent the U.S. with a +1 quota spot for the upcoming Olympic Games on the line. Veteran World bronze medalist Donnell Whittenburg of New Berlin, Wis./Salto Gymnastics is the fifth member of the team and will act as the alternate in the event that one of the other team members is unable to compete.
The Senior Pan American Championships serve as the continental championships for North and South America. As designated by the International Gymnastics Federation, if an American gymnast finishes in one of the top-two positions in the all-around, the U.S. will earn an individual athlete spot for the Tokyo Olympic Games in addition to the four-person team. This marks the final opportunity for the program to earn a +1 quota spot.
The all-around and team competitions will be decided Friday. Event finals will follow on Sunday.
Because the event overlaps with this week’s U.S. Gymnastics Championships, which will help determine the athletes who compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 24-27 in St. Louis, Mo., all gymnasts representing the U.S. at the Senior Pan American Championships are automatically qualified to the trials.