ORLANDO, Fla., June 7, 2013 – After two days of preliminary competition at the 2013 U.S. Rhythmic Championships, Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics, leads the junior all-around standings. The event, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex’s HP Field House, located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., also determined the individual event national champions.
Nastasya Generalova of Los Angeles, Calif./California Rhythms, won the clubs title, scoring 15.000, while Brigita Budginas of Agoura Hills, Calif./Platinum Academy, picked up the ribbon title with a 14.700. Zeng won the hoop title, while Serena Lu of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora, won the ball gold medal in yesterday’s competition.
Senior individual event finals and all-around preliminaries conclude later tonight, while junior competition wraps up tomorrow with the all-around finals. Each athlete’s preliminary all-around total will be added to their all-around finals title to determine the all-around winners.
Zeng, 59.100, Lu, 57.400, and Budginas, 57.350, hold the top three spots in the all-around competition after the preliminary round. In addition to the top three, the following athletes advanced to Saturday’s all-around finals: Generalova, Nicole Kaloyanov of Woodbridge, Va./Gymnastics World; Gabrielle Lowenstein of Huntington Beach, Calif./Eurogymnastics; Heather Chan of South Pasadena, Calif./Los Angeles School of Gymnastics; Ekatherina Kapitonova of Staten Island, N.Y./Isadora; Camilla Feeley of Lincolnshire, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center; Valeria Sharipova of Livingston, N.J./Athletes At Large; Evita Griskenas of Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center; and Natalie Bourand of Burr Ridge, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center.
This national championship event features the best rhythmic gymnasts in the United States and will determine the all-around and individual national champions, as well as the members of the U.S. National Team. Competition will be held for Levels 4-10, with Level 10 as the elite division.
The competition schedule is as follows.
- June 8
- 8:30 a.m., Level 7 (floor and rope)
11:30 a.m., Level 9/10 team finals
2 p.m., Festival Rhythmic
4 p.m., Level 10, junior elite all-around finals
7 p.m., Level 10, senior elite all-around finals
June 9
- 9 a.m., Level 4, finals
9 a.m., Level 7 (hoop and clubs), awards