MAIA, Portugal, May 15, 2022 – U.S. acrobats took gold in men’s pair and added bronze in men’s group Sunday to close out the 2022 Maia World Cup, while junior gymnasts added four silver medals across the 12-18 and 13-19 age divisions at the accompanying Maia International Acro Cup. All U.S. finalists delivered top-five performances on the final day of competition at the Maia Municipal Gymnastics Complex.

Reigning World champions in men’s pair Angel Felix (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Braiden McDougall (Riverside, Calif.) of Realis Gymnastics Academy picked up the first World Cup victory of their careers, outpacing silver medalists Bohdan Pohranychnyi and Danylo Stetsiuk of Ukraine 28.640-28.340. The men’s group of Ethan Chang (Columbia, Md.), Sam Lacy (Columbia, Md.), Cade Shields (Columbia, Md.) and Dorian White (Castro Valley, Calif.) from Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer added a bronze medal to the U.S. haul. Their 27.420 was eclipsed only by 2022 men’s group World champions in the combined and dynamic exercises, Bradley Gold, Archie Goonesekera, Finlay Gray and Andrew Morris-Hunt from Great Britain (30.110), and the reigning World champions in the men’s group balance exercise, Simon de Wever, Jonas Raus, Viktor Vermeire and Wannes Vlaeminck of Belgium (29.160).

The U.S. women’s pair of Katie Borcherding (Pacific, Mo.) and Cierra McKown (Riverside, Calif.) from Realis Gymnastics Academy was fourth with a 25.780. Viktoriia Kozlovska and Taisiia Marchenko from Ukraine captured gold with a 28.740. In women’s group, the trio of Isabel Chang (Columbia, Md.), Sydney Martin (Glenwood, Md.) and Maria Wooden (Derwood, Md.) from Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer delivered a top-five performance in a loaded field. They finished just over a half a point off of the podium with a 27.030. Belgium’s Kim Bergmans, Lise de Meyst and Bo Hollebosch topped the table with a 29.770.

In the 13-19-year-old division of the Maia International Acro Cup, Willow Rose Noble (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Sydney Padios (Moreno Valley, Calif.) from Realis Gymnastics Academy took silver in women’s pair with a 26.830, placing just behind Ukraine’s Angelina Cherniavska and Rusanna Vecheruk who notched the day’s high score of 27.340. The mixed pair of Jaylen Ivey (San Jose, Calif.) and Amaya Rogers (Campbell, Calif.) from WestCoast Training Center posted a 25.390 in the finals to earn fifth. Portugal’s Luis Ferreira and Beatriz Mota paced the field with a 28.800.

All three U.S. finalists in the 12-18-year-old age group garnered silver in their respective divisions as competition concluded in Portugal. Collectively, 12-18 athletes Mia Alvarez (Riverside, Calif.), Ava Cabana (Grand Terrace, Calif.), Andrew Castro (Riverside, Calif.), Catherine Lacy (Columbia, Md.), Abigail Novoseletskiy (Baltimore, Md.), Cecelia Shadrick (Ellicott City, Md.) and Savannah Stagno (Yucaipa, Calif.) also picked up a second-place finish in the team competition based on their performances during qualifications. Their cumulative 156.060 was outscored only by hosts Portugal who claimed the top spot with a 159.300.

The women’s group of Lacy, Novoseletskiy and Shadrick from Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer was nosed by the Portuguese trio of Leonor Carreira, Ema Fernandes and Marta Oliveira 26.690-26.250 to claim second in a field with more than 60 entrants. Sydney Dorais (San Diego, Calif.) and Molly Fox (San Diego, Calif.) from SoCal TTC were the runners up in women’s pair with a 26.450. Portugal’s Mariana Simplicio and Leonor Tomas notched the title with a 27.050. Castro and Stagno posted a 26.750 in the mixed pair final to snag silver. Ukraine’s Veronica Nikitina and Maksym Yushak topped the podium with a 27.500.