Gymmin' Miel!

• Victoria Moors (CAN)
• Roxana Popa Nedelcu (ESP)
• Sophie Scheder (GER)
• Carlotta Ferlito (ITA)
• Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)
• Giulia Steingruber (SUI)
• Brenna Dowell (GAGE/USA)
• Elizabeth Price (Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center/USA)

• Andrey Likhovitskiy (BLR)
• Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA)
• Fabian Gonzalez (ESP)
• Sam Oldham (GBR)
• Daniel Purvis (GBR)
• Fabian Hambuechen (GER)
• Shogo Nonomura (JPN)
• Sam Mikulak (University of Michigan/USA)
• John Orozco (U.S. Olympic Training Center/USA)

• Victoria Moors (CAN)
• Roxana Popa Nedelcu (ESP)
• Sophie Scheder (GER)
• Carlotta Ferlito (ITA)
• Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)
• Larisa Andreea Iordache (ROU)
• Giulia Steingruber (SUI)
• Simone Biles (USA)
• Kyla Ross (USA)

• Andrey Likhovitskiy (BLR)
• Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA)
• Fabian Gonzalez (ESP)
• Daniel Purvis (GBR)
• Max Whitlock (GBR)
• Fabian Hambuechen (GER)
• Shogo Nonomura (JPN)
• Sam Mikulak (USA)
• John Orozco (USA)

Image courtesy of USA Gymnastics.

I am so excited to see how things play out at today's American Cup! Competition is set to get underway at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts very soon and I cannot even pick a gymnast who I feel has the edge... I am hoping for an exciting and close tussle! Competition is set to get started very shortly, and we'll be starting with just the Men for the first two rotations, with the Women starting on Vault in the third rotation. Poor Danell, balked on a tumbling pass, think he is sick. And after one rotation, Jake Dalton leads over Kristian Thomas and Hiroki Ishikawa. Huge commendations for Danell.... competing whilst ill and not scratching.... that's super determination. After two events, Thomas leads over Ishikawa and Oleg Verniaiev. Jacob Dalton top scored on the Floor Exercise, Still Rings (tied with Marcel Nguyen), Vault and Horizontal Bar to win the 2013 American Cup title. Ukraine's Oleg Verniaiev and German Marcel Nguyen finished second and third in the All Around respectively. Verniaiev had the high score on the Pommel Horse, with Nguyen tops on the Parallel Bars.

And yay!!! Enter the Women! Simone Biles of the United States had the highest score of the day for her Amanar on Vault and also high scored on the Uneven Bars, in order to take the lead at the halfway point. She suffered a fall on the Balance Beam and was unable to come back to take the lead. Katelyn Ohashi wowed the crowd with her high scoring Beam routine and had a solid showing on the Floor Exercise to take out the 2013 American Cup title over Biles and Canadian Victoria Moors. Moors also scored the top mark on the Floor Exercise.
 

1. Katelyn Ohashi (USA) (14.900, 14.566, 15.333, 14.400) 59.199
2. Simone Biles (USA) (15.733, 14.800, 13.133, 14.000) 57.666
3. Victoria Moors (CAN) (14.900, 13.566, 14.000, 14.600) 57.066
4. Elisabeth Seitz (GER) (14.766, 14.500, 13.866, 13.566) 56.698
5. Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) (14.333, 13.666, 13.633, 14.466) 56.098
6. Gabrielle Jupp (GBR) (13.866, 13.700, 14.433, 13.666) 55.665
7. Asuka Teramoto (JPN) (14.000, 14.100, 13.366, 12.800) 54.266
8. Maegan Chant (CAN) (14.133, 12.800, 11.933, 12.533) 51.399

1. Jacob Dalton (USA) (15.700, 13.333, 15.166, 15.433, 15.033, 14.733) 89.398
2. Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) (14.333, 15.033, 14.766, 15.000, 13.966, 14.200) 87.298
3. Marcel Nguyen (GER) (14.433, 13.033, 15.166, 14.900, 15.133, 14.366) 87.031
4. Hiroki Ishikawa (JPN) (14.866, 14.533, 13.566, 14.600, 14.966, 14.000) 86.531
5. Kristian Thomas (GBR) (15.400, 14.033, 14.366, 14.000, 14.166, 13.866) 85.831
6. Danell Leyva (USA) (12.800, 14.566, 14.433, 15.033, 14.833, 13.600) 85.265
7. Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA) (13.800, 14.333, 14.400, 14.200, 14.333, 12.166) 83.232
8. Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez (COL) (14.133, 14.100, 14.266, 13.200, 14.966, 11.633) 82.298

• Elisabeth Seitz (GER)
• Katelyn Ohashi (USA)
• Asuka Teramoto (JPN)
• Simone Biles (USA)
• Maegan Chant (CAN)
• Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)
• Victoria Moors (CAN)
• Gabrielle Jupp (GBR)

• Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA)
• Oleg Verniaiev (UKR)
• Kristian Thomas (GBR)
• Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez (COL)
• Hiroki Ishikawa (JPN)
• Danell Leyva (USA)
• Marcel Nguyen (GER)
• Jacob Dalton (USA)

• Elisabeth Seitz (GER)
• Kyla Ross (USA)
• Asuka Teramoto (JPN)
• Larisa Andreea Iordache (ROU) TBA
• Koko Tsurumi (JPN)
• Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)
• Victoria Moors (CAN)
• Elizabeth Price (USA) TBA (USA)

• Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA)
• Oleg Verniaiev (UKR)
• Kristian Thomas (GBR)
• Jorge Hugo Giraldo Lopez (COL)
• Hiroki Ishikawa (JPN)
• Danell Leyva (USA)
• Marcel Nguyen (GER)
• Jacob Dalton (USA)

1. Jordyn Wieber (USA) (16.100, 14.833, 14.966, 15.133) 61.032
2. Alexandra Raisman (USA) (16.100, 14.333, 14.966, 15.433) 60.832
3. Larisa Iordache (ROU) (14.866, 14.233, 15.400, 14.833) 59.332
4. Victoria Moors (CAN) (14.733, 13.033, 13.833, 14.766) 56.365
5. Diana Maria Chelaru (ROU) (14.500, 13.200, 14.000, 14.400) 56.100
6. Lisa Katharina Hill (GER) (14.100, 14.233, 13.500, 13.766) 55.599
7. Georgia Simpson (AUS) (14.100, 13.800, 13.300, 13.366) 54.566
8. Rebecca Tunney (GBR) (13.866, 13.900, 10.200, 14.166) 52.132

World parallel bars champion Danell Leyva of Miami will compete in the prestigious AT&T American Cup event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday with dozens of stitches in his face after being bitten by one of his family's dogs 10 days ago.
Leyva's agent, Tara Modlin, told ESPN.com that Leyva, 20, was alone at the family home in Miami on Feb. 20 when their three American Bulldogs began fighting in the yard.
Leyva had been cautioned by his father and coach, Yin Alvarez, not to intervene when he saw the dogs engaging in aggressive play. But Leyva was alarmed at their behavior and tried to break them up by holding one of the dogs.
As another dog lunged at him, the dog Levya was holding turned on him and bit the right side of his face in the ear and jaw area.
The Cuban-born gymnast called 911 and received immediate medical treatment. A plastic surgeon sewed his face back together, and Modlin said Leyva has "two layers of stitches -- between 80 and 100, I don't think he even knows how many."
Leyva, an animal lover who also has a pet tarantula named Rosie, refused to consider euthanizing the dog, saying the incident was his own fault.
Modlin said Leyva wanted to work out the next day, but his father made him take a couple of days off and would not allow him to perform any upside-down moves in his first training session.
However, the agent said Leyva, the 2011 U.S. all-around champion, is in "great shape" and very eager to compete in New York, where he and fellow Olympic hopeful John Orozco will represent the U.S. men.
World all-around gold medalist Jordyn Wieber and floor exercise bronze medalist Alexandra Raisman will compete for the U.S. on the women's side in the elite international event, which includes athletes from Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Romania and Ukraine.
Bonnie D. Ford covers Olympic sports for ESPN.com.

Georgia Simpson has overcome personal and physical challenges to make it to the top in Australian gymnastics. Now she is ready to take on the world.
The 17-year-old WAIS scholarship holder will be Australia's sole representative against an elite invitation-only field at the American Cup, which counts Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton as former winners.
Simpson, who trains alongside Lauren Mitchell and Emily Little, has spent six years battling injury, including a dislocated patella which prevented her from competing at last year's nationals.
However, her greatest challenge has been more personal with the death of her older sister Beth, also a WAIS gymnast, from a brain tumour in 2007.
Simpson never lost hope after becoming the Australian junior champion in 2006, and hard work finally paid dividends with selection for her first big international event.
Senior WAIS coach Martine George said national coach Peggy Liddick was looking for a good all-around gymnast for the American Cup, starting in New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
"Georgia does not have as much international experience as the rest of the team and needs that exposure in case she finds herself in the Olympic team," George said.
"It is also important for the top international judges to see her in action because she is a beautiful gymnast who always leaves a strong impression."
George said Simpson needed as much exposure as possible before the final team for the London Olympics was selected.
"Georgia is very young in terms of gymnastics experience but is a very strong worker on the bars and beam, where she could be a world championship finalist in years to come," George said.
"She has upgraded her routines on every apparatus, having put her injuries behind her."
Simpson has done an additional amount of strength and conditioning work.
After the American Cup, Simpson will join the rest of the Australian team at the Pacific Rim Championships in Seattle between March 16 and 18.

1. Rebecca Tunney (GBR)
2. Nadine Jarosch (GER)
3. Georgia Simpson (AUS)
4. Diana Maria Chelaru (ROU)
5. Larisa Iordache (ROU)
6. Jordyn Wieber (USA)
7. Lisa Katharina Hill (GER)
8. Alexandra Raisman (USA)