Biles and Ross to Compete at American Cup
Biles and Ross to Compete at American Cup
(c) Melissa Perenson
2013 World all-around champion Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/Bannon's Gymnastix, 2012 Olympic team gold-medalist and 2013 World all-around silver-medalist Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, and 2012 Olympian Sam Mikulak of Corona del Mar, Calif./University of Michigan, have accepted invitations to represent the United States at the 2014 AT&T American Cup, scheduled for Saturday, March 1, 2014, at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex.
The AT&T American Cup, the most prestigious international gymnastics invitational held in the United States and an International Gymnastics Federation World Cup event, features top male and female all-around gymnasts from around the world.
Biles and Ross finished one-two, respectively, in the all-around at the World Championships, becoming just the third U.S. duo to take the top two all-around World spots. In addition to her all-around title, Biles also won the floor exercise gold, the vault silver and the balance beam bronze medals. Earlier this year, Biles won her first U.S. all-around title and was second at the AT&T American Cup. At Worlds, Ross also earned the silver medals for the balance beam and uneven bars. Ross, who was awarded the Longines Prize for Elegance, won the U.S. titles for the uneven bars and balance beam, as well as finished second in the all-around, at the 2013 P&G Championships. She was a member of The Fierce Five, the U.S. Women's Team that won the team gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.
(c) Melissa J. Perenson
Mikulak finished sixth in the all-around and fourth on the horizontal bar at the 2013 World Championships. He enjoyed an incredible 2013, winning the all-around crown at the Big Ten Championships, NCAA National Championships and the P&G Championships. He also claimed the parallel bars and high bar titles at both the NCAA Nationals and P&G Championships. Mikulak was a member of the U.S. Men's Team for the 2012 Olympic Games, where he competed in the vault finals. A second U.S. man will be named to the field in 2014.
Invitations to compete in the AT&T American Cup are based on performances at the 2013 World Gymnastics Championships. The international field is expected to be announced in early 2014. The American Cup became a FIG World Cup event in 2011 and is part of the FIG's all-around World Cup series.
via USA Gymnastics