The Pan-American Games have started off great for the men of Team USA, who won both the team and all-around titles as of yet.

Team Finals

In the team event the U.S. men had the highest scores on floor, pommel horse, and high bar which helped them clench the gold with a 3.700 point margin over the silver winning Brazilian team.

With a 5-compete, 4-up, 3-count format team USA did not have to count any falls towards their team score thanks to a solid showing from the group. Mikulak contributed the highest score on floor from the team, a 15.000 (6.8D/8.200E), where he nailed his back 2.5 twist to double front tuck and his closing back triple. Whittenburg also had a strong showing, contributing a 14.900 (6.8D/8.100E), hitting his double twisting double layout and half-in half-out double pike. Mikulak and Whittenburg qualified to the floor event finals in second and third, respectively.

Whittenburg: could possibly bench press the judges panel if they give him a low score.  

Kimble provided the best showing on the pommel horse where he showcased his great extension and technique for a 15.050 (6.6D/8.450E), qualifying him in second to the pommel horse final where he will be joined by Mikulak. Good to see a rising gymnast with a strong pommel set!

On rings Whittenburg aided the team with a nice 15.450 (6.7D/8.750E) and I think the commentator explained it best with, “Look at those biceps! You can tell what’s about to unfold”! And what unfolded was a great double twisting double layout dismount and a spot in the rings final, just under Brazil’s Zanetti – the reigning Olympic champion on the piece.

For vault both Whittenburg and Ruggeri secured a spot in the vault finals, both of them contributing a 14.900 for the team. Whittenburg vaulted a Dragulescu and a double Kasamatsu with Ruggeri vaulting a RO 1/2 on double twist off (we need to find a shorter way to say that!) and a Shewfelt.

That vault table is probably scared I mean look at that glare!

Expectedly, Mikulak shined on the parallel bars contributing a 15.550 (6.5D/8.850E) despite a stumble on his double front dismount. Joining him in finals is Whittenburg, who contributed a 14.900 to qualify to the final in seventh.

Ending their bid for gold on high bar was a fantastic showing by Ruggeri who scored a 15.400 (6.9D/8.500E) to qualify him in second to the final and to clench the team gold. Joining him in the final is Mikulak who qualified in fourth with a 15.100 (6.9D/8.200E).

Team USA clenched gold with a 267.750 followed by Brazil (264.050), Colombia (259.300), and Canada in fourth (258.350).

All-Around

Onwards to the AA final where the US was represented by Mikulak and Whittenburg it was Mikulak who would win the title by a margin of just .050 above Cuba’s Manrique Larduet, with the bronze going to Colombia’s star gymnast Jossimar Calvo Moreno.

Chalk – fun for the coaches too!

Mikulak started off with a nice showing on floor, just slightly less clean as his set from the team final. He hit his back 2.5 twist to double front and demonstrated some great flairs before ending with his nearly stuck back triple for a 14.850.

Moving to the pommel horse he began well but didn’t clear the table resulting in a fall and a 14.250. He moved into first position thanks to strong showings on the next three events. Mikulak impressed on rings ending with a stuck double double tuck dismount earning a 15.000. On vault he had just a hop forward on his 1.5 twisting Kasamatsu for a 14.950. Nailing his parallel bars routine Mikulak brought in a massive 15.800 with just a hop on his double front dismount and a wonderful Bhavsar.

High bar proved to be troubling (if its not pommel horse its high bar!). His routine was all but great, nailing his Cassina and Kolman releases, but the landing on his double twisting double layout dismount was less of a landing and more of a stumble-sprint forward for a 14.800 – but just enough for the gold with an 89.650. Unfortunately, in part due to Larduet ending his routine with a stuck dismount, this resulted in some spectators boo’ing the results.

Larduet: he has a thing for sticking landings.

Just .050 behind Mikulak and the top qualifier was Cuba’s Manrique Larduet. The Cuban gymnasts do not get much international experience but when we do get a chance to see them they usually impress – and impress is an understatement about what Larduet has been doing at these Games.

Larduet, who qualified to the AA final with a score exceeding +90, started less than stellar. On floor his landings were a bit uncontrolled, digging into his execution score for a 14.500. On the pommel horse he suffered from a number of leg separations in his circling elements and an extended pause during his travelling handstand for a 13.450.

From there, though, Larduet was brilliant. He competed a difficult set on rings including a picturesque iron cross, great positions and control, with just a hop on his double twisting double layout dismount for a 15.400. He vaulted a Yeo 2, a front 2.5 twist, with wonderful height and amplitude for a 15.350. He continued the trend of great difficulty and execution towards the parallel bars where he ended with a stuck double front 1/2 twist dismount for a 15.750. Ending on high bar he electrified the crowd with a stuck TRIPLE twisting double layout dismount garnering a 15.150. Yes, a triple, but it was not enough, leaving him with 89.600 total.

Bronze belonged to Colombia’s Jossimar Calvo Moreno who was just .250 behind Mikulak and .200 behind Larduet. Like Larduet, Calvo Moreno did not begin the strongest: OOBs on floor, a fall on pommels, low landing on his rings dismount, and a slightly under-rotated Driggs vault. The last two events though were just PHENOMENAL (yes that required all caps)! A 15.900 on parallel bars and a 15.750 on high bar, both with stuck dismounts. A 7.3 difficulty on high bar: including a Liukin, a Kolman, and a Kovacs. Wow. Just wow!

Missing out on the medals was Brazil’s Caio Souza who took fourth but demonstrated great consistency and execution, albeit lower difficulty. With a Shewfelt vault, a back 3.5 twist on floor, and a knack for connecting releases on high bar it will be great to see how he upgrades towards Rio – he ended the night with a 88.850. Unfortunately for Whittenburg, who was definitely in the medal battle, two OOBs on floor, a brush of the table on pommels, and a fall on his Cassina release on high bar would keep him off of the podium and ending in sixth with a 86.750 total.

Article by Esteban Rodriguez-Vazquez