1992 Olympians Kerri Strug and John Roethlisberger won the 1996 McDonald’s American Cup in Ft. Worth, Texas, March 2, at the Tarrant County Convention Center.

Roethlisberger, who is a two-time McDonald’s American Cup champion said, “I was very optimistic about coming here today. This meet served as a trial for my new routines and I’m glad I hit them.” Roethlisberger is from Minneapolis, Minn., and trains at the University of Minnesota.

Strug, from Tucson, Ariz., and training at Karolyi’s Gymnastics in Houston, Texas, said, “I’m really excited about my performances this is a great way to start 1996. It really helped my confidence.”

Jair Lynch from Washington, D.C. and training at Stanford University took second all-around and said, “This is my first time to compete at the McDonald’s American Cup and it is a great event. It was a good opportunity for me to display the routines I will use for Atlanta.”

Belarus’ Svetlana Boguinskaia, who trains in Houston, Texas, at Karolyi’s Gymnastics, took second all-around. Two-time Olympian Boguinskaia said, “I’m so excited I was second. Last year was not good for me because it was my first time competing in a long time. This year is a good beginning.”

Coach Bela Karolyi said, “It’s ironic that 20 years ago a young Nadia Comaneci won this event and now what everyone is calling the ‘old ladies’ are up here in the spotlight. Kerri is 18, Svetlana is 23, Oksana is 20, and they are all 1992 Olympians. It is great to see these athletes up here and I think not only do they win but the sport of gymnastics wins, too.”

This is the 11th time a Karolyi athlete has won this event. Kristy Powell from Colorado Springs, Colo., took eighth after falling twice on floor. Powell said, “I felt like I was running in one place and not getting anywhere on floor. I felt slow on both tumbling passes.”

The total purse for the McDonald’s American Cup is $38,000. The distribution of funds is as follows: 1st place $5,000, 2nd place $3,000, 3rd place $2,000, 4th place $1,500, 5th place $1,000, 6th place $750 and 8th place $250.

Athletes from 23 countries competed February 29-March 2 in the 14th annual McDonald’s American Cup competition.

The athletes will be traveling to Atlanta, Ga., for the McDonald’s International Gymnastics Championships on March 5, at the Omni. The event has a unique format utilizing a male, female and rhythmic gymnast.

Below are the results from the McDonald’s American Cup:

MEN’S FINAL RESULTS
# Name Country FX PH SR VT PB HB AA
1 John Roethlisberger USA 9.587 9.587 9.700 9.325 9.625 9.787 57.611
2 Jair Lynch USA 9.650 9.687 9.400 9.375 9.025 9.750 56.887
3 Llia Giogadze GEO 9.300 9.562 9.075 9.612 9.525 9.600 56.674
4 Andrei Kan BLR 9.375 9.250 9.250 9.475 9.450 9.437 56.237
5 Valeri Belenki GER 9.275 9.025 9.575 9.300 9.637 9.300 56.112
6 Oleg Kuzmin RUS 9.350 8.900 9.500 9.200 9.512 9.475 55.937
7 Sigeru Kurihara JPN 9.325 8.775 9.637 9.250 9.450 9.375 55.812
8 Adrian Ianculescu ROM 8.925 9.700 9.125 9.450 8.675 9.300 55.175

WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS
# Name Country VT UB BB FX AA
1 Kerri Strug USA 9.731 9.812 9.750 9.837 39.130
2 Svetlana Boguinskaia BLR 9.638 9.662 9.737 9.650 38.687
3 Oksana Chusovitina UZB 9.599 9.712 9.737 9.587 38.635
4 Alexandra Dobrescu ROM 9.218 9.450 9.687 9.700 38.055
5 Yvonne Tousek CAN 9.462 9.075 9.612 9.712 37.861
6 Joanna Juarez Roura ESP 9.449 9.625 9.075 9.687 37.836
7 San Lan CHN 9.637 9.362 9.200 9.625 37.824
8 Kristy Powell USA 9.706 9.750 9.675 8.575 37.706