© John Cheng

INDIANAPOLIS, July 25, 2018 – 2016 Olympian and four-time U.S. champion Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill., and 2017 World all-around finalist Evita Griskenas of Orland Park, Ill., both of North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, headline the U.S. Team that will compete at the 2018 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, Sept. 10-16 at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria. The U.S. squad for the 2018 Senior Pan American Championships, Sept. 26-Oct. 1, in Lima, Peru, was also named.

2018 World Championships
Joining Zeng and Griskenas in Sofia is their North Shore teammate Camilla Feeley of Highland Park, Ill., the 2018 U.S. all-around bronze medalist.

The U.S. senior rhythmic group, which trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, includes Dasha Baltovick of Highland Park, Ill.; Isabelle Connor of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Ugne Dragunas of Darien, Ill.; Connie Du of Deerfield, Ill.; Elizaveta Pletneva of Caldwell, N.J.; and Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Ill. Kristina Sobolevskaya of Deerfield, Ill., is the alternate.

The 2018 World Championships will award medals for the team, all-around and four events, and the group all-around and both events. The World Championships is the first opportunity for the top three groups to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in group rhythmic gymnastics.

The tentative schedule, which is subject to change, is below. The times listed are local to Sofia, Bulgaria, which is seven hours ahead of Eastern time.

    Sept. 10 – All-day, hoop and ball qualifications

    Sept. 11
    All-day, hoop and ball qualifications
    Finals – hoop, 8:30 p.m.; ball, 9 p.m.

    Sept. 12 – All day, clubs and ribbon qualifications

    Sept. 13
    All day, clubs and ribbon qualifications
    Finals – clubs, 8:30 p.m.; ribbon, 9 p.m.; team medals also awarded

    Sept. 14 – All-around final – 2 p.m., rank 13-24; 5 p.m., rank 1-12

    Sept. 15 – Group, five hoops, and three balls/two ropes – 3. p.m., Group A; 6 p.m., Group B

    Sept. 16 – Finals – 3 p.m., five hoops; 3:50 p.m., three balls/two ropes

Senior Pan American Championships
Nastasya Generalova of Los Angeles/California Rhythms, and Lili Mizuno of Northbrook, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics, and Zeng will compete in the individual competition at the Pan Am Championships. The senor group is comprised of Baltovick, Connor, Dragunas, Du, Pletneva and Sladkov. Sobolevskaya is the alternate.

The Senior Pan Am Championships is the qualifying event for the 2019 Pan American Games, which will also be held in Lima. The schedule will be available closer to the event.

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that empowers and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has already taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its safe sport policies and procedures. The organization’s disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and gymnastics for all (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to usagym.org.