McCallum, Bowers Earn AA Titles; U.S. Women Win Gold
McCallum, Bowers Earn AA Titles; U.S. Women Win Gold
Grace McCallum won the senior all-around title and Jordan Bowers won the junior all-around crown as the U.S. women won the Pac-Rim team gold.
In their debuts with the U.S national team, Grace McCallum and Jordan Bowers came away with the all-around titles Saturday night at the Pacific Rim Championships in Medellin, Colombia. McCallum finished with a 54.850 to take the senior crown while Bowers earned a 53.600 in the junior division.
The U.S. women also brought home the team title with a score of 218.850. Canada finished second with a 203.400 and Australia was third with a 197.550.
McCallum was the only U.S. all-around competitor to hit all four routines without a fall. Her steady and consistent performances across all four events punched her a ticket to all four event finals on Sunday afternoon. The first-year senior competed at Jesolo earlier in this month and finished fifth in the all-around.
Morgan Hurd overcame a scary fall on balance beam to pick up silver in the senior all-around competition with a 53.300. The defending world champion appeared to miss her foot on her round-off into her full-in dismount and crashed onto her head. Hurd also underrotated her front tuck and sat it down on the beam.
Hurd was able to finish the competition.
Morgan Hurd has been evaluated and cleared by the team doctor. She is currently warming up for floor.
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) April 29, 2018
Hurd finished strongly on floor with a tucked double-double, a double layout, a front layout-front double twist, and a double pike to earn a 13.650, good for the top score in the competition.
Haley de Jong of Canada earned the bronze medal with a 50.150. Martina Dominici finished third in the standings with a 51.150 but Argentina is ineligible to win medals because it is not in the PANGF.
Jordan Chiles only competed on vault, beam, and floor but hit all three events without major mistakes.
Jordan Chiles will not be competing on bars today.
— FloGymnastics (@FloGymnastics) April 29, 2018
It sounds like she jammed her finger in practice (still planning to compete beam and floor). #PacRim2018
Bowers overcame a fall on balance beam to grab the junior all-around crown with one of her strongest performances coming on floor exercise where she scored a 13.350, which tied teammate Sunisa Lee for the top score at the meet. Bowers, who did not compete at Jesolo, has gorgeous choreography to go with some great tumbling on floor. She also has a unique series on balance beam—a front handspring to a front tuck—which is refreshing to see.
Kayla DiCello earned silver in the junior competition with a 53.100. DiCello had a solid meet as the lead-off for the U.S. on bars, beam, and floor and had a nice Yurchenko double full on vault in her international debut. Her only break of the day came on beam where she grabbed the beam on her opening wolf turn.
Canada’s Zo Allaire-Bourgie took the bronze with a 52.200.
Sunisa Lee finished fourth in the all-around with a 51.450 after unfortunately struggling on the latter part of her uneven bars routine. She had an incredible save on her back handspring-back handspring-layout to two feet on beam where she still earned a 12.950 despite the break.