2016 Men's Olympic TrialsJun 22, 2016 by Justine Kelly
U.S. Men’s Olympic Team to be Named This Weekend
U.S. Men’s Olympic Team to be Named This Weekend
This week, St. Louis will host the men’s Olympic Trials—the final step before naming the team that heads to Rio. The first night of competition will take pl
This week, St. Louis will host the men’s Olympic Trials—the final step before naming the team that heads to Rio. The first night of competition will take place on Thursday, June 23, followed by the final night of competition on Saturday, June 25. The five-member Olympic team will be named on Sunday.
If the top two all-around finishers from P&Gs and the Trials also finish in the top three on three events, they will receive automatic Olympic berths. Currently, none of the gymnasts fit this bill after P&Gs. Sam Mikulak finished as the national champion for the fourth time in a row, but he only finished in the top three on pommel horse and parallel bars. In second place was Chris Brooks, who also finished in the top three, but only in two events: parallel bars and high bar.
The Top All-Arounders
A strong all-around competitor, Mikulak is favored to finish in one of those top two spots at Trials as well. Floor, parallel bars and high bar are three of his best events. This weekend, he’ll look to stay consistent on floor and high bar, where he’s had some struggles throughout the season. He had an issue with one of his release moves on high bar on Day 2 of P&Gs, but his performance on Day 1 was spectacular—relive his routine below:
Video by USA Gymnastics
Another gymnast vying for that second top all-around spot is Chris Brooks, who was an alternate on the 2012 Olympic team. Brooks was also a member of the 2015 Worlds team, although he only competed high bar and had some issues in the event final. His performance at Nationals was a huge step forward for him. He put up top performances on his best events—parallel bars and high bar—and was consistent on both days on the remaining events. Check out his performance on parallel bars from Day 2 of P&Gs:
Video by USA Gymnastics
Other challengers for the all-around spot include Donnell Whittenburg and Jake Dalton. Whittenburg is especially strong on still rings, vault and parallel bars, but he’ll aim for clean performances on the remaining events to stay competitive in the all-around. Dalton, a 2012 Olympian, is back this year after suffering a shoulder injury last year. He competed recently at the Olympic test event in Rio and put up strong performances on still rings and vault. He finished third at the P&G Championships this year, and has proved himself to be a solid all-around competitor.
Other competitors to watch include gymnasts who are strong in one or two events and could medal in an event final. Alex Naddour is one of them, given his strength on pommel horse; a historically tough event for the U.S. men. He was a member of the 2015 Worlds team, and also brought in solid numbers for the U.S. on floor, still rings and vault. But the challenge for Naddour will be consistency—he had the highest score in the event on Day 2, a 15.7, but struggled on the first day of competition after he fell on his dismount. See his high-scoring routine below:
Video by USA Gymnastics
On pommels, Marvin Kimble is also a gymnast who could contribute. His D-score is just below Naddour’s at 6.7. Interestingly, he also struggled on Day 1 of competition at P&Gs, but he put up a high number of 15.6 on Day 2. Kimble is also capable of putting up decent numbers on parallel bars and high bar.
Brandon Wynn is another one to watch for on still rings due to his high difficulty level on the event. He did well at P&Gs, but was not as strong as some of his competitors, such as Whittenburg, Dalton and U.S. silver medalist on the event CJ Maestas. Maestas is also capable of putting up big numbers on high bar and is a consistent competitor on parallel bars.
It’s also worth considering Olympians Danell Leyva and John Orozco. Leyva competed at 2015 Worlds and contributed big numbers on parallel bars and high bar. He still holds the highest D-score on high bar for the U.S. team (7.3), but did not achieve his highest scores at P&Gs. In fact, Orozco actually put up a stronger performance with a 15.55 on Day 2. Orozco demonstrated a stunning comeback since his injury last year, but his numbers from P&Gs were not quite at the same level as some of his teammates.
Lastly, 2015 Worlds team member Paul Ruggeri is still in the hunt. Ruggeri finished eighth in the all-around at P&Gs, but he demonstrated a lot of strength high bar and vault, especially. He scored a 16.0 on high bar on Day 2 of competition. See his routine below:
Video by USA Gymnastics
Be sure to tune in to see these Olympic hopefuls take aim at their ultimate goal starting on Thursday at 7PM CST.
Related:
Podium Predictions for 2016 P&G Championships
If the top two all-around finishers from P&Gs and the Trials also finish in the top three on three events, they will receive automatic Olympic berths. Currently, none of the gymnasts fit this bill after P&Gs. Sam Mikulak finished as the national champion for the fourth time in a row, but he only finished in the top three on pommel horse and parallel bars. In second place was Chris Brooks, who also finished in the top three, but only in two events: parallel bars and high bar.
The Top All-Arounders
A strong all-around competitor, Mikulak is favored to finish in one of those top two spots at Trials as well. Floor, parallel bars and high bar are three of his best events. This weekend, he’ll look to stay consistent on floor and high bar, where he’s had some struggles throughout the season. He had an issue with one of his release moves on high bar on Day 2 of P&Gs, but his performance on Day 1 was spectacular—relive his routine below:
Video by USA Gymnastics
Another gymnast vying for that second top all-around spot is Chris Brooks, who was an alternate on the 2012 Olympic team. Brooks was also a member of the 2015 Worlds team, although he only competed high bar and had some issues in the event final. His performance at Nationals was a huge step forward for him. He put up top performances on his best events—parallel bars and high bar—and was consistent on both days on the remaining events. Check out his performance on parallel bars from Day 2 of P&Gs:
Video by USA Gymnastics
Other challengers for the all-around spot include Donnell Whittenburg and Jake Dalton. Whittenburg is especially strong on still rings, vault and parallel bars, but he’ll aim for clean performances on the remaining events to stay competitive in the all-around. Dalton, a 2012 Olympian, is back this year after suffering a shoulder injury last year. He competed recently at the Olympic test event in Rio and put up strong performances on still rings and vault. He finished third at the P&G Championships this year, and has proved himself to be a solid all-around competitor.
Looking at individual events
Other competitors to watch include gymnasts who are strong in one or two events and could medal in an event final. Alex Naddour is one of them, given his strength on pommel horse; a historically tough event for the U.S. men. He was a member of the 2015 Worlds team, and also brought in solid numbers for the U.S. on floor, still rings and vault. But the challenge for Naddour will be consistency—he had the highest score in the event on Day 2, a 15.7, but struggled on the first day of competition after he fell on his dismount. See his high-scoring routine below:
Video by USA Gymnastics
On pommels, Marvin Kimble is also a gymnast who could contribute. His D-score is just below Naddour’s at 6.7. Interestingly, he also struggled on Day 1 of competition at P&Gs, but he put up a high number of 15.6 on Day 2. Kimble is also capable of putting up decent numbers on parallel bars and high bar.
Brandon Wynn is another one to watch for on still rings due to his high difficulty level on the event. He did well at P&Gs, but was not as strong as some of his competitors, such as Whittenburg, Dalton and U.S. silver medalist on the event CJ Maestas. Maestas is also capable of putting up big numbers on high bar and is a consistent competitor on parallel bars.
It’s also worth considering Olympians Danell Leyva and John Orozco. Leyva competed at 2015 Worlds and contributed big numbers on parallel bars and high bar. He still holds the highest D-score on high bar for the U.S. team (7.3), but did not achieve his highest scores at P&Gs. In fact, Orozco actually put up a stronger performance with a 15.55 on Day 2. Orozco demonstrated a stunning comeback since his injury last year, but his numbers from P&Gs were not quite at the same level as some of his teammates.
Lastly, 2015 Worlds team member Paul Ruggeri is still in the hunt. Ruggeri finished eighth in the all-around at P&Gs, but he demonstrated a lot of strength high bar and vault, especially. He scored a 16.0 on high bar on Day 2 of competition. See his routine below:
Video by USA Gymnastics
Be sure to tune in to see these Olympic hopefuls take aim at their ultimate goal starting on Thursday at 7PM CST.
Related:
Podium Predictions for 2016 P&G Championships