Danell Leyva
© Lange

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, Nov. 25, 2007 – Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., Mattie Larson of Los Angeles and Danell Leyva of Miami each won gold medals on the final day of individual event finals at the 2007 Junior Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The USA won three gold, two silver and a bronze on the last day of competition, bringing the USA’s total medal count to 19 medals (eight gold, eight silver and three bronze) for the championships.

 

The USA went one-two on the balance beam.  Wieber won the gold medal with 15.100, with teammate Chelsea Davis of Austin, Texas, finishing second at 14.825.  Guatemala’s Emely Monzon was third at 14.425. 

 

Larson’s gold was in the floor exercise, where she scored a 14.925.  Canada’s Christine Lee took second at 14.450.  Wieber was third at 14.300.

 

Leyva won the horizontal bar title with his 15.475.  Teammate Glen Ishino of Santa Ana, Calif., was fourth at 14.275.  Argentina’s Nicolas Cordoba and Brazil’s Pericles Silva were second and third, respectively.

 

Alexy Bilozertchev of Hilliard, Ohio, took the silver medal in the parallel bars at 14.575, finishing behind Colombia’s Fabian Meza’s 14.700.  Leyva was sixth in the parallel bars, as well as just missing the medals podium in vault when he finished fourth at 14.775.  Colombia’s Didier Lugo was the vault champion.

 

Earlier in the championships, the USA won both the women’s and men’s team titles, as well as all three all-around medals for both the men and women. The members of the men’s gold-medal squad are Bilozertchev, Ishino, Leyva and Legendre. The members of the women’s championship team are: Olivia Courtney of Fairfax, Va.; Davis; Wieber; and Larson. 

 

In addition to their team gold medals, the U.S. team won 17 individual medals.

 

Wieber, who trains at Twiststars USA, won four medals:  gold medals in the uneven bars and balance beam; a silver in the all-around; and a bronze in the floor exercise. Larson, who