The United States swept the men's and women's team competition at the 2010 Pan American Championships Thursday and Friday, easily qualifying for team berths to the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The U.S. women topped Canada by a margin of almost 20 points, 232.03-213.463 and was followed by Brazil (212.99), Mexico (211.96), Venezuela (210.59), Colombia (207.96) and Cuba (197.73). The top seven teams qualified to the Pan American Games next October.
For the American women, this competition was a chance for a very strong junior team to gain more international experience. They were led by two-time junior national champion Kyla Ross, who had another super consistent meet, going four-for-four for the third time in the past month.
Ross scored 15.1 on vault for her double-twisting Yurchenko, 14.56 on uneven bars, 14.26 on beam and 14.06 on floor to top teammate Sabrina Vega in the all-around by a little more than three tenths (57.998-57.633).
Vega posted the U.S. team high on balance beam (14.8) and scored 13.9 for her beautifully choreographed floor routine. She added a 14.7 on vault for a well-done Yurchenko 1.5 and hit her bar routine (14.23).
Venezuelan star Jessica Lopez finished third (57.09), followed by Mexico's Elsa Garcia (56.23).
Fourteen-year-old Gabrielle Douglas, fourth all-around at the junior U.S. Championships in August, was fifth overall in Mexico (57.633) after a fall from the balance beam (12.53). Douglas's highest score was 15.1 on vault.
U.S. newcomer Sarah Finnegan had a rough outing on floor (12.33) but hit beam (14.4). Her Great American Gymnastics Express teammate Brenna Dowell performed only on vault (14.63) and uneven bars (14.4).
American women posted the top scores on all four events going into this weekend's event finals. Californian McKayla Maroney dominated on vault with her Amanar (15.45) and also posted the highest score of the competition on floor (14.5), more than four tenths ahead of Ross (14.06), the only other woman to break 14 on the event. Ross had the top score on bars, Vega on beam.
The Pan American Championship was a chance for the Canadian women's world team to show what it was capable of as it begins the two-year process of qualifying for the Olympics as a team. Team Canada has to place in the top 24 at the World Championships in October (which won't be a problem) and in the top 12 at the 2011 Worlds to lock in a team berth to London.
The Canadians were led by Stanford signee and national champion Kristina Vaculik, who finished sixth all-around (54.83) and qualified for all four event finals. Guatemala's Ana Sofia Gomez, who had a breakout competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore a little more than a week ago, posted another strong result, placing seventh (54.29) despite problems on balance beam (12.96).
The U.S. men's team -- Dylan Akers, Glen Ishino, Bryan del Castillo, Jake Dalton, Alex Buscaglia and Wes Haagensen -- coasted to an easy first-place finish over Canada and Brazil, who tied for second. The U.S. was the best team on the floor in terms of team floor and high bar numbers and second on rings, vault and parallel bars and third on pommel horse.
Newcomer Daniel Corral of Mexico won the all-around title en route to helping his team to a fifth-place finish. Corral (88.75) finished ahead of Ishino (88.15) and 30-year-old Jorge Hugo Giraldo of Colombia (87.45), who faltered on pommel horse (13.4). Chile's Enrique Gonzalez, a World floor finalist in 2009, finished just out of the medals (86.45), tied with Haagensen, who had a much stronger meet than he did at last month's U.S. Championships.
Gonzalez posted the top score on floor (15.5 with 0.1 neutral deduction), while Ishino led event finals qualifying on pommel horse (14.7). Venezuela's Regulo Carmona was the best on rings during the first day (15.65). Puerto Rican Luis Rivera had the top score on vault (16.05 average for two vaults worth 6.6) and Canada's Ken Ikeda was posted the high on parallel bars (15.05). Buscaglia led the qualification on high bar (15.25).
Colombia and the U.S. were the only teams to place three men in the top 12 in the all-around. Both Brazil and Canada's men's teams are likely to be very pleased with their performances here as well as they prepare for October's World Championships.
Related: Gymnastics results from the Pan American Championships
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