WINNIPEG, Can.- Cuban gymnasts dominated Pan American men’s gymnastics competition which took place July 24-27 in Winnipeg Arena, but the U.S. men gained valuable experience, earning the team silver medal.

 

"I was very impressed with the level of gymnastics at the Pan Am Games. I was especially proud of our performance in the team competition," said Head Coach Mark Williams of University of Oklahoma/Bart Conner School of Gymnastics.

 

Team Competition- July 24

The U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Pan American Team finished second in team competition with a score of 216 behind Team Cuba’s score of 222.375. They narrowly edged out Canada, the hometown crowd favorite.

"It was great to steal the silver after trailing all meet," said Williams.

Team Results

1.  Cuba           222.375
2.  United States  216.000
3.  Canada         215.150
4.  Venezuela      207.625
5.  Argentina      204.825
6.  Puerto Rico    204.400
7.  Brazil         202.925

All-Around Competition- July 2

5 Cuba claimed three of the top four spots in the men’s gymnastics all-around competition. U.S. gymnast Stephen McCain (Houston, Texas) placed highest for the United States, finishing seventh with a score of 53.625.
Veteran Cuban gymnast Eric Lopez won the all-around scoring 56.275, followed by Canadian Alexander Jeltkov who scored 55.000. Lazaro Lamelas and Adonis Vazquez of Cuba placed third and fourth with scores of 54.950 and 54.325, respectively.
American gymnast Michael Moran (Windsor, Conn.) placed fourteenth in the all-around with a score of 50.950, followed by teammate Michael Dutka (Fairless Hills, Pa.) in seventeenth who scored 49.975.

Event Finals Competition- July 27

Cuba was superior throughout the competition, placing first in four of the six event finals. Eric Lopez won the pommel horse, rings and parallel bar events while Abel Driggs won the vault apparatus.
No medals were earned by U.S. gymnasts, but McCain, Dutka and senior newcomer Raj Bhavsar (Houston, Texas) provided solid performances.

UPCOMING MEN’S GYMNASTICS SCHEDULE

August 25-28 – John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sacramento, California. September 15-18 – World Team Trials, Kansas City, Missouri October 8-16 – World Championships, Tiajnin, China