DOHA, Qatar, Oct. 26, 2018 – After six of 10 qualification subdivisions, the USA is third in the team rankings at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, at the Aspire Dome. Two-time Olympian Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, California/U.S. Olympic Training Center, is currently ranked second in the all-around, with Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colorado/University of Oklahoma, 11th. The women’s qualification round is tomorrow at 6 p.m. Doha time/11 a.m. ET. Fans can watch the qualification rounds live at nbcsports.com/live.
The men’s team includes Akash Modi of Morganville, New Jersey/Stanford University; Colin Van Wicklen of Magnolia, Texas/U.S. Olympic Training Center; Alec Yoder of Indianapolis/Ohio State University; Mikulak; and Moldauer. Allan Bower of Chandler, Arizona/University of Oklahoma, is the alternate.
The qualification round determines advancement to the team, all-around and event finals. The top eight teams from the qualification round compete in the team finals Oct. 29 for the men and Oct. 30 for the women. The top 24 individuals from the qualification round compete in the all-around finals on Oct. 31 for the men and Nov. 1 for the women. For individual events, the top eight on each event from the qualification round advance to the finals (Nov. 2-3). A maximum of two gymnasts per country advances to the finals. The World Championships are held every year, with the exception of the Olympic year.
The U.S. Team earned a total of 250.362 points to land in third place in the team qualification rankings, with four remaining subdivisions. Russia sits at the top of the team ranking with a 258.402, followed by Japan at 253.312. The USA’s team scores by event were: floor exercise, 42.699; pommel horse, 38.833; still rings, 41.466; vault, 43.199; parallel bars, 43.233 and horizontal bar, 40.932. At this World Championships, the three countries that medal in the team competition advance to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“Today, we did not accomplish all of our goals, but we were able to improve certain areas from podium training,” said Brett McClure, the high-performance director for men’s gymnastics. “In some ways, this felt like our performance on the first day at Championships in Boston, a little flat and lacking that fire and intensity. I expect everyone to find their competitive rhythm in the coming days of training and carry that through team finals. I am extremely proud of their fight, and I know that if they continue without backing down from the challenge, it will pay off for not only their performance here, but for the future as well.”
Athlete scores for each event
- Vault: Van Wicklen, 14.600; Mikulak, 14.333; Moldauer, 14.266; Modi, 14.233
Parallel bars: Mikulak, 15.033; Moldauer, 14.500; Yoder, 13.700; Modi, 12.900
Horizontal bar: Mikulak, 14.566; Van Wicklen, 13.200; Modi, 13.166; Moldauer, 12.433
Floor exercise: Moldauer, 14.433; Mikulak, 14.333; Van Wicklen, 13.933; Yoder, 12.666
Pommel horse: Mikulak, 14.133; Yoder, 12.700; Modi, 12.000; Moldauer, 11.500
Still rings: Mikulak, 14.200; Modi, 13.766; Yoder, 13.500; Moldauer, 13.233
In the all-around, Mikulak’s 86.598 landed him in second place after six subdivisions. Russia’s Nikita Nagornyy and Artur Dalaloyan were first (87.098) and third (84.572), respectively. Moldauer is currently in 11th place with an 80.365.
The women’s qualifying round is Subdivision 5 on Oct. 27 at 11 a.m. ET The finals schedule is: Oct. 29, men’s team, 9 a.m. ET; Oct. 30, women’s team, 9 a.m. ET; Oct. 31, men’s all-around, 9 a.m. ET; Nov. 1, women’s all-around; Nov. 2, event finals (men – floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings; women – vault, uneven bars), 9 a.m. ET; and Nov. 3, event finals (men – vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar; women – balance beam, floor exercise), 9 a.m. ET.
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 empowers 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.