© John Cheng

EVERETT, Wash., March 17, 2012 – The U.S. men’s gymnastics team won the team gold medal at the 2012 Kellogg’s Pacific Rim Championships at the Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash., after posting a 352.050 total score to Japan’s 344.700 total. China finished in third, winning the bronze medal with a 343.250. Chris Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics), and Sam Mikulak of Ann Arbor, Mich./University of Michigan, claimed the gold and silver medals in the all-around, posting 88.700 and 88.650, respectively. Koji Uematsu of Japan took home the all-around bronze medal with a score of 87.200.

"It’s just an honor to be here. First and foremost, winning the team was the best part," Brooks said. "I was trying to hit my sets for the team, so winning the all-around was a bonus."

"Winning team gold was amazing – that was our number one goal coming out here. We’re all so proud," Mikulak said. "I started to fall into a groove after rings, it was a pretty good meet."

The Americans took to the floor exercise in the final rotation. The team needed to average better than 12.9375 to pass the Japanese, who competed in the first of two subdivisions. Akash Modi of Morganville, N.J./ Monmouth Gymnastic Academy, who won the junior all-around bronze medal with a 84.150, behind Japan’s Kaito Imabayashi (84.900) and Koji Nonomura (84.400), started Team USA off with a 14.000.

"I didn’t expect to win a medal," Modi said after the competition. "This is my first time competing internationally, and to win a bronze, is unreal."

Next, Sean Melton of Orlando, Fla./U.S. Olympic Training Center, scored 14.100. Then, Mikulak and Brooks posted scores of 14.550 and 14.850, respectively, to ensure the team gold medal and the top two places in the all-around. Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma, anchored the U.S. squad, sticking an Arabian double layout mount for a 15.600 to further distance the USA from Japan.

"Our future looks bright. I’m very pleased with how our team looked tonight," said Kevin Mazeika, U.S. men’s national team coordinator.

Team USA started their night on the pommel horse, posting a 53.950 total. Melton led the Americans off with a 12.900. Brooks had the team’s highest score with a 13.850, followed closely by Mikulak with a 13.700.

In rotation two, the U.S. moved to the still rings where Dalton posted the team’s highest score, a 15.150, dismounting with a tucked, double twisting double back. Brooks added a 14.650, performing an Azarian to cross and back uprise to Maltese, while Mikulak posted a 14.250.

The Americans exploded in the third rotation on the vault, posting a 64.150 team total on the event to take control of the competition. Dalton performed a Kasamatsu double twist for a 16.100. Mikulak’s Kasamatsu one-and-a-half earned a 16.050, complementing Melton’s nearly stuck, handspring double front leadoff effort (16.200).

On the parallel bars in rotation four, Melton started the team off strong, scoring 14.350 for a routine that included a peach half to peach. Second up, Modi performed a rare and difficult full twisting double back dismount to score 14.050. Mikulak and Brooks, who nearly stuck his double front dismount, added a pair of 14.850 scores, while Dalton posted a 14.650.

Again, Brooks and Mikulak provided the United States with a 1-2 punch on the horizontal bar in rotation five. Mikulak went first, soaring through the air on his Kolman release move and sticking his double twisting double layout dismount to post a 15.250. Brooks followed with a half Takamoto to layout Tkatchev and a layout Tkatchev with a half turn for a 15.650.

Competition at the 2012 Kellogg’s Pacific Rim Championships concludes tomorrow with individual event finals for men’s and women’s gymnastics and trampoline competition.

The U.S. men will be back in action on tomorrow in the individual event finals, beginning at noon with the junior competition. The American athletes who advanced to the finals are as follows, in ranked order.

    Seniors
    Floor exercise: Dalton, Brooks
    Pommel horse: Brooks, Mikulak
    Still rings: Dalton, Brooks
    Vault: Dalton, Mikulak
    Parallel bars: Mikulak, Brooks
    High bar: Brooks, Mikulak

    Juniors
    Floor exercise: Melton, Kimble
    Pommel horse: Modi, Kimble
    Still rings: Kimble, Modi
    Vault: Melton, Kimble
    Parallel bars: Melton, Modi
    High bar: Kimble, Modi

The competition schedule is as follows.

    Sunday, March 18
    9 a.m. – Trampoline, Junior Prelims, Finals and Synchronized Competition
    12 p.m. – Men’s & Women’s Gymnastics, Junior Individual Event Finals
    2 p.m. – Trampoline, Senior Prelims, Finals and Synchronized Competition
    6 p.m. – Men’s & Women’s Gymnastics, Senior Individual Event Finals
    7 p.m. – Synchronized Trampoline Competition

Held every two years, the Pacific Rim Championships were held in Honolulu in 2004 and 2006; San Jose in 2008; and Melbourne, Australia, in 2010. In 2010, the USA won both the men’s and women’s team titles and three of the all-around titles – John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./U.S. Olympic Training Center, junior men; Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA, junior women; and Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas/WOGA, senior women. Past all-around champions include the USA’s Paul Hamm, Carly Patterson, and Nastia Liukin.

Background information

  • Kellogg Company. For more than 100 years, consumers have counted on Kellogg for great-tasting, high-quality and nutritious foods. Kellogg Company, with 2010 sales of more than $12 billion, is the world’s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods. Kellogg Company’s beloved brands, which are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries, include Kellogg’s®, Keebler®, Pop-Tarts®, Eggo®, Cheez-It®, All-Bran®, Mini-Wheats®, Nutri-Grain®, Rice Krispies®, Special K®, Chips Deluxe®, Famous Amos®, Sandies®, Austin®, Club®, Murray®, Kashi®, Bear Naked®, Morningstar Farms®, Gardenburger® and Stretch Island®. For more information on the Kellogg Company, including our corporate responsibility initiatives, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.

  • Comcast Arena at Everett. The Comcast Arena at Everett, recipient of the International Association of Venue Manager’s (IAVM) prestigious Venue Excellence Award 2010, was developed by the Everett Public Facilities District. The 10,000-seat venue hosts a myriad of events including concerts, ice skating and family shows. The facility is also home to the Everett Silvertips, a Western Hockey League franchise and the 2010 National Lacrosse League Champions, the Washington Stealth. The venue accommodates other sporting events such as basketball, volleyball and international skating competitions. Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the Comcast Arena at Everett, as well as more than 100 other public assembly facilities around the world. Based in Philadelphia, Pa., Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies.

  • Comcast Community Ice Rink. The Comcast Community Ice Rink is used for public skating, hockey leagues, figure skating and much more. The two ice sheets can be converted to form a 57,000 square foot space to host trade shows and special events. The three-story Edward D. Hansen Conference Center includes three 900 square foot executive meeting rooms, and an 11,000 square foot ballroom, which can be arranged in a number of different configurations.

  • Everett, Wash., and Snohomish County. Everett, the county seat of Snohomish County, is home to innovative companies and industries producing everything from large commercial airplanes to tiny microprocessors. Just minutes north of Seattle, Snohomish County and Everett offer a diverse collection of urban delights and rural masterpieces and an endless menu of outdoor recreation and indoor attractions.

  • Everett Community College. Everett Community College educates more than 20,000 students every year at seven learning centers throughout Snohomish County, with most students and faculty at the main campus in north Everett. Students come to EvCC to affordably start their four-year degrees, earn certificates, train for a new job, experience hands-on training in professional and technical programs, learn English, develop basic skills, finish high school, train for a promotion, or to learn just for fun. EvCC is also the home of the University Center of North Puget Sound, which offers more than 25 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. For more information, visit www.everettcc.edu.

  • Production Sports Management. Based in Snohomish County, Production Sports Management is an LLC offering sport national governing bodies, sports clubs and other community groups the support needed to take an event to the next level. Acting as the liaison between the local community and USA Gymnastics for the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships, Production Sports will be the eyes and ears on the ground to assist with marketing, public relations, sponsorships and event logistics. For more information, log on to www.productionsports.net.

  • Tulalip Resort Casino. With exceptionally appointed rooms and suites and a warm, personal brand of hospitality Tulalip Resort Casino makes you feel right at home. In celebration of our Native American heritage our Seattle luxury accommodations feature vibrant Northwest Coast Salish artwork and textures. No modern comfort has been overlooked from complimentary Wi-Fi Internet and 47-inch flat screen HDTVs to stylish furnishings and bathrooms with Italian tile and granite countertops. With 30,000 square feet, our meeting and event spaces are orchestrated to ensure productive, efficient and trouble-free sessions, whether for a committee of 10 or a conference for 1,000. Rooms combine Coast Salish art with complimentary state-of-the-art presentation technology to offer distinctly elegant, highly functional spaces. Our casino boasts a 192,000 square-foot facility featuring nearly every game imaginable. With outstanding catered meals, luxurious rooms, spa and gaming facilities, and nearby shopping, golf and entertainment, it’s easy to see why Tulalip Resort is regarded as one of the most outstanding meeting venues in the Pacific Northwest. Come discover the perfect blend of contemporary style and authentic Pacific Northwest culture at the only AAA-Four-Diamond-rated Washington luxury resort casino.

    In 1855, with the signing of the Point Elliott Treaty, the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish and other Pacific Northwest allied tribes settled what is now the Tulalip Reservation. In the Lushootseed Salish language, the word for Tulalip is dxwlilap, which means "small-mouthed bay," a description of the body of water on the western boundary of our home.