Two gymnasts that won Olympic gold medals for the United States at the recent 2012 Summer Games in London will be participating in the 2013 P&G U.S. men’s and women’s gymnastics national championships in Hartford at the XL Center this coming weekend.
Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney will be the top women in the competition. The top gymnasts in the country and vying for national titles and berths on the U.S. National Team.
Bailie Key, who recently won the junior all-around title at the recent Secret U.S. Classic, is one of five U.S. Junior National Team members in the field. The remaining four are: Nia Dennis (Ohio); Laurie Hernandez (New Jersey); Amelia Hundley (Ohio); and Polina Shchennikova (Colorado).
Competition begins Thursday and continues through Sunday.
- Thursday, Aug. 15 – women’s gymnastics, juniors at 1 p.m. and seniors at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Aug. 16 – men’s gymnastics, juniors at 1 p.m. and seniors at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 17 – women’s gymnastics, juniors at 2 p.m. and seniors at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 18 – men’s gymnastics, seniors at 11:30 a.m. and juniors at 6:30 p.m.
On the men’s side, Steve Jaciuk (Wisconsin) has been added to the men’s field. Jaciuk is replacing 2008 Olympic silver medalist Jonathan Horton (horizontal bar) of Houston, who withdrew because he is still working toward competition readiness following surgery late last year. Jaciuk was the next male gymnast in the men’s program rankings, which are used to determine who qualifies to the event.
Four of five members of the men’s 2012 U.S. Olympic Team are expected to compete in Hartford: Jake Dalton (Nevada), Danell Leyva (Florida); Sam Mikulak (California) and John Orozco (U.S. Olympic Training Center), the defending U.S. national all-around champion.
In addition to Maroney and Ross, eight other members of the U.S. women’s national team are expected to compete in the senior competition: Kennedy Baker (Texas), Simone Biles (Texas); Madison Desch (Kansas); Brenna Dowell (Missouri), Peyton Ernst (Texas); Maggie Nichols (Minnesota); Elizabeth Price (Pennsylvania) and Lexie Priessman (Ohio).
In addition to competing, Maroney and Ross, as part of the Fierce Five, will be inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and will be recognized during the Olympic celebration scheduled for the evening session on Aug. 17.
Hartford is hosting the national championship and USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show for the second time in four years. Hartford first hosted the event in 2010.
Tickets are available through several different avenues: Ticketmaster.com; calling 1-800-745-3000; or the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center. For group tickets, please call 860-548-2000.
For more information about the event, go to pgchamps.com.
Activities for fans during the 2013 P&G U.S. national gymnastics championships in Hartford.
Roster of athletes scheduled to compete at 2013 P&G national gymnastics championships
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