© Mark Sims

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 10, 2014 – The United States qualified for a berth to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, in men’s and women’s trampoline and individual rhythmic gymnastics, based on the results at the 2014 the Junior Pan American Championships at the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Ocean Center. USA’s Nicole Ahsinger of San Diego, Calif./SoCal TTC, won the women’s trampoline title, and Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, took top honors in the rhythmic all-around. The Junior Pan Am Championships wraps up on Sunday with rhythmic gymnastics individual and group event finals.  The 2014 Stars & Stripes Cup, which features international trampoline and tumbling competition and Junior Olympic Levels 5-6 in rhythmic gymnastics, also concludes on Sunday.
 
The top two countries in men’s and women’s trampoline, three in the all-around for individual and the first group gymnastics team qualified for the Youth Olympic Games:  women’s trampoline – USA and Mexico; men’s trampoline – Mexico and USA; individual rhythmic gymnastics – USA, Mexico and Brazil; and group gymnastics – Canada.
 
In women’s trampoline, Ahsinger was the last woman to compete and clinched the Youth Olympic Games berth for the USA when she scored a 51.550 to move in front of Mexico’s Karina Cantu Martinez to win the title.  Martinez was second at 50.685, and Canada’s Frederike Breault was third with 50.300.  Maggie Gallagher of Coto de Caza, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, was fourth with 49.615.
 
The men’s trampoline gold went to Mexico’s Luis Armando Loria Cetin of Mexico, who scored a 54.480. Cody Gesuelli of Middletown, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, earned the silver medal with his 51.710, which qualified the USA to the Youth Olympic Games, and Spencer Reed of Tulsa, Okla./Oklahoma Extreme, was the bronze medalist at 50.200.
 
For individual rhythmic gymnastics, Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, the reigning U.S. junior rhythmic gymnastics all-around champion, easily won the all-around crown with her 60.650 to secure the USA’s berth to the Youth Olympic Games. Her individual event scores were: 13.850, clubs; 15.550, ribbon; hoop, 15.650; and ball, 15.600.  She will compete in all four event finals. Nicole Kaloyanov of Woodbridge, Va./Gymnastics World, was second in the all-around with her 56.900 (clubs, 13.700; ribbon, 14.100; hoop, 14.600; ball, 14.500).  She advanced to the event finals for hoop and ball.  Edna Garcia of Mexico was third with 54.800. Camilla Feeley of Lincolnshire, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, had the third best all-around score (56.400) in the all-around, however due to international rhythmic rules, only two per country are eligible for all-around medals.  Feeley’s event scores for the all-around were: clubs, 13.750; ribbon, 14.450; hoop, 14.450; ball 13.700.  She will participate in the clubs and ribbon finals.
 
The USA also won the team competition, with a total of 146.550.  Mexico was second at 130.650, followed by Canada with 125.000.
 
In addition to Zeng and Feeley, the other event finalists from today are:  clubs – Edna Garcia of Mexico, Athena Tsaltas of Canada, Ledia Juarez of Mexico, Cindy Huh of Canada, Mayra Tiago Sineriz of Brazil, and Barbara Godoy Domingos of Brazil; and ribbon – Garcia, Marina Malpica of Mexico, Sineriz, Katherine Uchida of Canada, Huh and Domingos.
 
Canada won the group rhythmic gymnastics with a 26.950 two-event total.  Brazil was second at 25.050, with the USA in third at 23.250.  In today’s event of 10 clubs, the USA had the highest score at 14.800. Canada posted a 13.850, with Brazil at 11.650 and Venezuela at 10.500.  
 
The members of the U.S. Junior Rhythmic Team are:  Yelyzaveta Merenzon of Buffalo Grove, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center; Elina Nikerina of Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center; Sophia Popova of Minneapolis, Minn./Twin Cities Rhythmic; Emily Rakhnyansky of Brooklyn, N.Y./MatchPoint; Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Ill./M & N Rhythmic Academy; and Nicky Wojtana of Plano, Texas/Texas Rhythmic Academy.
 
The remaining Junior Pan Am Championships competition schedule is event finals for individual (hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon) and group (five hoops and 10 clubs) at 4:30 p.m.
 
All-day passes are available at the Ocean Center Box-office.
 
The local partners for these events include the Central Florida Sports Commission, the Ocean Center, Volusia County and the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, and National Travel Systems is a partner for the World Championships and World Age Group Competition.
 
The World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, held annually except in the Olympic year, determines the men’s and women’s World champions in four events: trampoline, synchronized trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline. The World Age Group Competition showcases the world’s best boys and girls in those four events in four age groups: 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 years of age. The two events are expected to showcase more than 1,100 athletes.
 
 
Background information

  • Central Florida Sports Commission. The Central Florida Sports Commission strategically solicits, creates and supports marquee sports-related events and businesses that enhance our community’s economy. The Sports Commission represents the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia, as well as the City of Orlando. For more information, visit www.centralfloridasports.org.

  • International Gymnastics Federation. The International Gymnastics Federation is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. It is the oldest established international sports federation and has participated in the Olympic Games since their revival in 1896. The FIG governs seven disciplines: Gymnastics for All, Men’s Artistic, Women’s Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Aerobic and Acrobatic. It counts 135 national member federations and boasts a 27-person staff at its international seat in Lausanne (SUI), host city of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

 
2014 Junior Pan American Championships
Daytona Beach, Fla.
May 9, 2014
First of three days of competition

 
Trampoline preliminaries (top eight, with 2 per country, advance to finals)
Women

1.  Nicole Ahsinger, San Diego, Calif./SoCal TTC, 51.550
2.  Karina Cantu Martinez, Mexico, 50.685
3.  Frederike Breault, Canada, 50.300
Other U.S. finish
4.  Maggie Gallagher, Coto de Caza, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, 49.615
 
Men
1.  Luis Armando Loria Cetin, Mexico, 54.480
2.  Cody Gesuelli, Middletown, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy, 51.710
3.  Spencer Reed, Tulsa, Okla./Oklahoma Extreme, 50.200
 
Rhythmic gymnastics
Individual
All-around

1.  Laura Zeng, Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, 60.650
2.  Nicole Kaloyanov, Woodbridge, Va./Gymnastics World, 56.900
3.  Edna Garcia, Mexico, 54.800
NOTE: Due to international rhythmic rules, only two per country are eligible for all-around medals; Camilla Feeley of Lincolnshire, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, had the third best score (56.400) but did not receive a medal.
 
Clubs
1.  Laura Zeng, Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, 13.850
2.  Camilla Feeley, Lincolnshire, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, 13.750
3.  Nicole Kaloyanov, Woodbridge, Va./Gymnastics World, 13.700
 
Ribbon
1.  Laura Zeng, Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, 15.550
2.  Camilla Feeley, Lincolnshire, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, 14.500
3.  Edna Garcia, Mexico, 14.400
Other U.S. finish
4.  Nicole Kaloyanov, Woodbridge, Va./Gymnastics World, 14.100
 
Team
1.  United States, 146.550
2.  Mexico, 130.650
3.  Canada, 125.000
 
Group
All-around

1.  Canada, 26.950
2.  Brazil, 25.050
3.  United States, 23.250
 
10 clubs (part of the all-around)
1.  United States, 14.800
2.  Canada, 13.850
3.  Brazil, 11.650
4.  Venezuela, 10.500