KATY, Texas, Jan. 19, 2020 – The U.S. junior men’s team won the team silver medal and claimed seven individual event medals (2 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) over the weekend at the 2020 RD761 Junior International Team Cup, which was held at the Leonard Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

In the team competition, the United States’ 236.050 total gave them the silver medal, behind Japan’s 237.150. France won the bronze with a 226.950. Khoi Young of Bowie, Md./Sportsplex Gymnastics won silver in the all-around, with teammate Isaiah Drake of Los Angeles/Gymnastics Olympica USA, tying for fourth.

The U.S. team consisted of Drake, Asher Hong of Tomball, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics, Ian Lasic-Ellis of Dover, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy and Young.

USA fought very hard to win 7 more medals in the individual events with everyone on the team winning at least one medal. The USA men continued to exhibit a high level of difficulty equal to that of Japan throughout the tough second day of competition.

In the floor exercise final, Young took the silver medal with a 13.250, behind Japan’s Azusa Emata’s 14.200. Drake was eighth. Young nabbed a second silver on the pommel horse, scoring a 13.150, just behind Japan’ Reo Kurata, who won the title with a 13.200. Lasic-Ellis placed eighth.

On the still rings, Lasic-Ellis won the title with a 13.450. Drake just finished off the podium in fourth, scoring 13.150. In the vault final, Young’s two vaults netted him an average of 13.225 and a bronze medal. Brazil’s Yuri Guimaraes won the title with a 13.325 average followed by Kurata’s 13.275.

Drake and Hong competed in the parallel bars and horizontal bar final taking home three medals. Drake won the horizontal bar gold, edging Kurata 13.200 to 13.100. Hong finished in eighth. On the horizontal bar, Drake’s 13.150 and Hong’s 12.350 gave them the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Japan’s Kazuma Kotoge won the gold with a 13.200.

The RD761 International Junior Team Cup is named in honor of U.S. Junior National Team member Ricky Deci, who tragically passed away in 2001. The annual RD761 age group invitational competition supports the Ricky Deci Memorial Fund, which in turn funds a USA Gymnastics elite development training camp held each summer at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. For more information, go to rd761.com.