TOKYO, Japan, July 2, 2011 – Earlier today, the U.S. men’s team won the silver medal at the 2011 Japan Cup at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium’s Main Arena, the site of the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships later this year, finishing just 0.9 points behind Japan. Great Britain was third. Jonathan Horton of Houston and Danell Leyva of Miami will compete in the all-around on July 3.
Japan posted a 268.150 to win the team title, followed by the USA at 267.250. Great Britain tallied a 263.500 to round out the top three. The U.S. men had the highest team score for pommel horse (45.150) and horizontal bar (44.050), as well as tied for the highest team vault score at 47.050. The team competition format was three gymnasts on each apparatus and all three scores count.
The members of the U.S. squad are: Horton, Team Hilton HHonors; Steven Legendre of Flower Mound, Texas/Team Hilton HHonors; Danell Leyva, Team Hilton HHonors; Alexander Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./University of Oklahoma; and John Orozco, Bronx, N.Y./U.S. Olympic Training Center.
Mark Williams of the University of Oklahoma and Tom Meadows of Cypress Academy are the coaches for the event.