INDIANAPOLIS (October 24, 2022) – U.S. rhythmic gymnasts delivered strong showings on the international stage over the weekend. Americans competing at the AmsterdaMMasters in The Netherlands banked a combined 30 medals, while the three-person team comprised of Olympians Evita Griskenas (Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center) and Lili Mizuno (Northbrook, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center) and standout junior Rin Keys (Porter Ranch, Calif./Burlo Gymnastics) secured bronze at the Aeon Cup in Japan.

After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Aeon Cup’s unique team structure lured some of the sport’s biggest names to Tokyo’s Metropolitan Gymnasium for four days of top-tier competition. After leading team qualifications over the event’s first two days with a cumulative 355.650, U.S. gymnasts were joined in the team final by squads from Hungary (342.450) and Latvia (329.150), who rounded out the top-three qualifiers, hosts Japan, and teams from Israel, Italy, and Ukraine, who advanced to the medal round automatically based on their placements in 2019. Mizuno (122.200) and Keys (115.950) also earned berths in the senior and junior all-around finals, respectively.

The U.S. trio garnered a 347.950 en route to the team bronze medal Sunday. They were outpaced only by the Italian (372.750) and Ukrainian (362.800) squads. Keys also captured silver in the junior all-around competition with a 111.600, while Mizuno landed eighth in the senior division with a 118.600. Reigning World all-around champion Sofia Raffaeli of Italy (137.650) pocketed the senior title. Ukraine’s Taisiia Onofriichuk (113.150) led the way among juniors.

On the European front, National Team members Irina Fesyun (Aventura, Fla./IK School of Gymnastics) and Yana Golovan (Las Vegas, Nev./Nevada Rhythmic Academy) secured the senior and junior all-around titles with respective scores of 111.700 and 113.900. Erika Rusak (Auburn, Wash./Evergreen Rhythmics) and Aurora Vitrychenko (Highland Park, Ill./Vitrychenko Academy) were second and third in the junior all-around.

U.S. juniors went on to sweep all apparatus podiums over the weekend in Amsterdam. Golovan clinched the junior hoop (30.300) and ball (30.750) titles and added silver on ribbon (28.350) and bronze on clubs (27.100). Rusak topped the junior clubs (29.050) and ribbon (29.800) fields and collected silver on hoop (28.950) and ball (29.750). Vitrychenko earned bronze on hoop (27.650), ball (28.800) and ribbon (26.150), and Victoria Gonikman (Corcoran, Minn./NorthWest Rhythmic) picked up silver on clubs with a 27.200.

In the senior division, Fesyun added a complete set of gold, silver and bronze during apparatus finals, claiming the top spot on hoop with a 26.650 and finishing second on clubs (29.400) and third on ribbon (25.600). Her IK School of Gymnastics teammate Gabriela Montano (North Miami, Fla.) earned gold on ball with a 29.900 and was second on hoop (26.300). U.S. National Team member Naomi Skotnikov (Flower Mound, Texas/Vitrychenko Academy) struck gold in the ribbon final with a 26.350.

The pre-junior category awarded two-event all-around titles in hoop/ball and clubs/ribbon/floor. Club athletes from NorthWest Rhythmic Emma Shi (Medina, Minn.) and Alexandra Hoyt (Maple Grove, Minn.) were first and third, respectively, in the latter with combined clubs and ribbon scores of 48.500 and 43.550. In the hoop and ball division, Shi finished fifth (43.950), followed by Hoyt in sixth (42.050).

Groups from the IK School of Gymnastics were also in action. The junior squad collected all-around (35.550) and five balls (20.850) bronze and secured the five ropes title with a 22.050. Meanwhile, the senior group collected a gold-medal sweep. Their 41.150 in the all-around bested the runners up from Belgium by an even nine points, and they upped the ante in the finals with improved performances on both five hoops (23.850) and three ribbons and two balls (20.800).



Aeon Cup Junior All-Around Awards Podium – Rin Keys 2nd


Aeon Cup Team Awards Podium – USA 3rd