KOPER, Slovenia, May 14, 2017 – 2016 Olympic team alternate Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./U.S. Olympic Training Center, won the gold medal on the parallel bars and the silver on vault today at the Koper (Slovenia) World Challenge Cup. Eddie Penev of Penfield, N.Y./U.S. Olympic Training Center, just missed the podium in the vault final, finishing fourth.
On vault, Whittenburg executed a front handspring double front half-out, called a Dragulescu, for a 14.700. His second vault, a Kasamatsu one-and-a-half, earned him a 14.500 for a 14.600 average. Israel’s Andrev Medvedev took the gold at 14.975, while the Netherland’s Casimir Schmidt was third with a 14.575 average. Penev finished fourth with a 14.475 average score, executing a Yurchenko half-on, double full off and a Yurchenko two-and-a-half twist.
Whittenburg added his third medal overall and first gold of the weekend in the parallel bars final. He performed a Peach to Peach half, and a front uprise double back to immediate straddled front one-and-a-quarter. He stuck his double front half-out dismount for a 14.750. Jossimar Calvo Moreno of Columbia was second (14.100), followed by Cypress’ Marios Georgiou (13.950).