Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney and Glen Ishino
© Guadalajara 2011

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Sept. 4, 2010 –The United States won three gold and one bronze medal on the first day of the individual event finals at the 2010 Pan American Championships at the Lopez Mateos Sports Center in Guadalajara, Mexico. The three U.S. gold medalists are: Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va., uneven bars; McKayla Maroney of Laguna Niguel, Calif., vault; and Glen Ishino of Santa Ana, Calif., pommel horse. Jake Dalton of Sparks, Nev., claimed the men’s floor exercise bronze. Men’s and women’s individual event finals wrap up Sept. 5.

Maroney, who trains at All Olympia, won the vault title with her 15.387. Brazil’s Daniele Matias Hypolito was second at 14.425, followed by Colombia’s Jessica Gil Ortiz.

The uneven bars title went to Douglas, who trains at Excalibur Gymnastics and scored a 14.225. Jessica Lopez of Venezuela was second at 14.150, and the bronze was earned by Canada’s Kristina Vaculik at 14.075. Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, posted a 13.350 for sixth.

Ishino captured the pommel horse title with his routine that earned a 15.175. Colombia’s Jorge Peña Castiblanco was second at 14.775, and Canada’s Casey Sandy was third at 14.650. Bryan Del Castillo of Laguna Niguel, Calif./University of California – Berkeley, finished sixth at 13.375.

For men’s floor, Dalton, who trains with the University of Oklahoma, scored a 15.050 for the bronze medal. Santiago Lopez Viana of Mexico was first at 15.125, with Chile’s Enrique Gonzalez Sepulveda finishing second at 15.075. Ishino was fifth at 14.900.

Wes Haagensen of Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Olympic Training Center, just missed the still rings medal podium, finishing fourth at 14.925. Regulo Carmona of Venezuela won the gold with his 15.575. Tommy Ramos of Puerto Rico placed second at 15.225, with Federico Molinari of Argentina third at 15.100.

Earlier in the competition, the U.S. men and women won both team titles. Ross and Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y./Dynamic Gymnastics, won the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women’s all-around. Ishino captured the men’s all-around silver medal.

The U.S. men competing in the last three individual event finals are: vault – Alex Buscaglia of Cary, Ill./Stanford University, and Dalton; and horizontal bar – Buscaglia and Haagensen. Dalton is the second reserve athlete for parallel bars. The women competing in the final two events are: balance beam –Sarah Finnegan of Lake Latawanna, Mo./GAGE, and Vega; and floor exercise – Maroney and Ross.

The individual event finals wrap up on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 4 p.m. (women’s balance beam, men’s vault) and 6 p.m. (women’s floor exercise, men’s parallel bars and horizontal bar).

The Pan American Championships, held every two years, includes teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

2010 Pan American Championships
Guadalajara, Mexico
Sept. 4, 2010
First of two days of individual event finals

Men’s events

Floor exercise
1. Santiago Lopez Viana, Mexico, 15.125
2. Enrique Gonzalez Sepulveda, Chile, 15.075
3. Jacob Dalton, USA, 15.050
Other U.S. finish
5. Glen Ishino, USA, 14.900

Pommel horse
1. Glen Ishino, USA, 15.175
2. Jorge Peña Castiblanco, Colombia 14.775
3. Casey Sandy, Canada, 14.650
Other U.S. finish
6. Bryan Del Castillo, USA, 13.375

Still rings
1. Regulo Carmona, Venezuela, 15.575
2. Tommy Ramos, Puerto Rico, 15.225
3. Federico Molinari, Argentina, 15.100
U.S. finish
4. Wesley Haagensen, USA, 14.925

Women’s events

Vault
1. McKayla Maroney, USA, 15.387
2. Daniele Matias Hypolito, Brazil, 14.425
3. Jessica Gil Ortiz, Colombia, 14.125

Uneven bars
1. Gabrielle Douglas, USA, 14.225
2. Jessica Lopez, Venezuela, 14.150
3. Kristina Vaculik, Canada, 14.075
Other U.S. finish
6. Kyla Ross, USA, 13.350