STUTTGART, Germany, Nov. 29, 2013 – The U.S. men finished fifth in the qualification round at the 2013 DTB Cup Acaa Team Challenge in Stuttgart, Germany, just missing advancing to the final round. Tomorrow, the DTB World Cup, an all-around competition, begins with the women’s competition featuring the event’s defending champion Elizabeth Price of Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes.
The men’s team earned a total of 173.850 in the qualification round, slipping behind Great Britain after the sixth rotation. Japan turned in the top men’s score in the qualification round at 176.450, followed by China at 175.750. Host Germany was third with 174.700, with Britain taking the fourth spot at 174.250. The top four of the 12 competing teams advanced to the finals on Saturday, which uses the same format. The event format is a four-man team, with three competing on each event and the top two scores count. The USA did not enter the women’s team competition.
The U.S. Men’s Team featured: Akash Modi of Morganville, N.J./Monmouth Gymnastics, Jacob Dastrup of Parson, Utah/Ohio State University, Paul Ruggeri of Manlius, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center), and Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./U.S. Olympic Training Center Dastrup replaced Eddie Penev of Penfield, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (Stanford), who withdrew from the team.
On Sunday, 2012 Olympian John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center), will compete in the DTB World Cup, which is part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series.
The USA is also competing in Acapulco, Mexico this weekend. Yesterday, the USA won both the men’s and women’s team titles, as well as swept the top two spots in the men’s and women’s all-around, at the International Junior Mexican Cup. At the Mexico Open, a senior all-around competition, Josh Dixon of Mountain View, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center, Peyton Ernst of Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, and Maggie Nichols of Little Canada, Minn./Twin City Twisters, will represent the USA.
The U.S. Junior Men’s Team in Acapulco included John Jacobson of Syracuse, Utah/USA Gymnastics World; Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics; Kiwan Watts of N. Chesterfield, Va./Above the Bar Gymnastics Academy; and Alec Yoder of Indianapolis/InterActive Academy. Emily Gaskins of Coral Springs, Fla./Cincinnati Gymnastics, Lauren Hernandez of Old Bridge, N.J./MG Elite, Veronica Hults of Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, and Bailie Key of Montgomery, Texas/Texas Dreams, made up the junior women’s squad.