RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (July 9, 2022) – U.S. junior and senior rhythmic gymnasts collected eight medals Saturday, as the 2022 Pan American Championships continued at Rio de Janeiro’s Parque Olimpico – Arena Carioca 1. Alexandria Kautzman (Simi Valley, Calif./California Rhythms) captured the ball title and added silver on clubs, and the U.S. Senior National Group picked up a pair of bronze medals during senior event finals. Meanwhile, U.S. juniors claimed the top spot in the team competition behind medal-winning all-around performances from Rin Keys (Porter Ranch, Calif./Burlo Gymnastics) and Jaelyn Chin (Aventura, Fla./Bessonova’s School), and the junior group from North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center garnered the bronze medal in the group all-around.

One day after seniors Erica Foster (Chanhassen, Minn./NorthWest Rhythmic), Evita Griskenas (Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center) and Kautzman earned team gold, the U.S. junior quartet of Chin, Megan Chu (San Diego, Calif./Ingenious RG), Keys and Ksenia Pototski (Brooklyn, N.Y./Isadora by Matchpoint) completed the team-competition sweep. They outscored runners up Brazil 282.500-260.200. Mexico was third with a 246.550.

Keys added individual gold in the junior all-around. Her combined 114.450 outpaced Brazil’s Maria Eduarda Alexandre (106.700) by nearly eight points. Chin snared the bronze medal with a 104.400. Keys will compete in the hoop, ball and ribbon apparatus finals Sunday. Chin advanced on ball and clubs. Chu is through on hoop and clubs, and Pototski will vie for the ribbon title.

In the junior group competition, the U.S. group comprised of Goda Balsys (Northbrook, Ill.), Annabella Hantov (Chicago, Ill.), Kristina Lee (Woodridge, Ill.), Isabelle Novoseletsky (Highland Park, Ill.) and Kalina Trayanov (Deerfield, Ill.) posted an all-around score of 40.300 to take bronze. They also advanced to both apparatus finals in the third position. Brazil finished in the top spot with a 51.450 followed by Mexico with 46.600.

After earning the U.S. ball title last month in Des Moines, Kautzman delivered a 30.300 in Saturday’s ball final to clinch her second gold medal of the event. Meanwhile, her 29.450 on clubs was outpaced only by Brazil’s Geovanna Santos da Silva (30.550). Kautzman, who qualified to all four event finals, was also sixth on hoop (27.700) and eighth on ribbon (25.700), while Erica Foster was fourth on ball (29.150) and fifth on ribbon (26.650). Santos da Silva topped the ribbon field with a 29.100. Mexico’s Malpica Ramirez was golden on hoop with a 29.700.

The U.S. Senior National Group, which trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center and consists of Maria Bolkhovitinova (Northfield, Ill.), Gergana Petkova (Barrington, Ill.), Katrine Sakhnov (Sammamish, Wash.), Karolina Saverino (Elk Grove Village, Ill.), Hana Starkman (Plantation, Fla.) and Emily Wilson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), notched back-to-back bronze-medal performances to close out the senior group competition. They posted a 24.550 on three ribbons and two balls and a 26.450 on five hoops – a more-than-three-point increase, cumulatively, over their qualifying scores. Mexico received the day’s high marks on three ribbons and two balls with a 29.500, while Brazil led the way five hoops with a 32.550.

The rhythmic competition will conclude Sunday with junior event finals, beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET.