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2021 Men's Senior World Championships Trials Are Underway

2021 Men's Senior World Championships Trials Are Underway

The 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be held in Kitakyushu, Japan, from October 18–24, 2021.

Sep 17, 2021
2021 Men's Senior World Championships Trials Are Underway

The 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be held in Kitakyushu, Japan, from October 18–24, 2021. The Men's world-championship trials are September 14-19 at the Colorado Springs Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.

Based on the Olympic Trials, 12 gymnasts have been invited to attend the camp, with 10 national team members attending. 

Participating athletes have gathered in a camp setting for training and two competition sessions to determine the team's composition. Programming will run September 14-18, with competitions held on the afternoons of September 16 and 18. The following athletes are attending the trials:

Cameron Bock, University of Michigan

Cameron Bock was the surprise Winter Cup gymnastics winner earlier this year. Bock had an outstanding showing at the Olympic Trials, placing 10th in the all-around and named as the first alternate, 

Bock is a three-time U.S National Senior Team member who came in sixth in all-around the 2021 Pan-American Games.


Alex Diab, University of Illinois

Diab had a strong showing at the Olympic Trials, posting scores of 14.500 and 14.900 (29.400) and placing first on still rings. 

Vying for the plus one event specialist spot, Diab placed high enough to earn an alternate spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

 


Brody Malone, Stanford University

Before the Tokyo Olympics, Brody Malone had no previous world championship or Olympic experience. However, the lack of experience did not faze the Stanford senior. In Tokyo, Malone finished 10th in the individual all-around final, with an all-around score of 84.465. More importantly, he also debuted a new mount on the parallel bars, and the skill was named after him in the Code of Points. A rockstar all-arounder, we can only assume we will be seeing more of him on the world stage. 


Sam Mikulak, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center

Last summer, Sam Mikulak announced he was officially retiring after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Because he has been vacationing, it’s unlikely he’s training and possibly to support Team USA or in a coaching capacity. 


Akash Modi, Stanford University

The Stanford graduate was named an alternate for the 2020 Tokyo team, finishing sixth in the all-around. He also placed fifth in the parallel bars and high bar.

Yul Moldauer, 5280 Gymnastics

Moldauer had a great showing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. His high-flying floor routine gave him a spot in the floor event finals, where he placed sixth, with a 13.533. (Moldauer also had one of the highest execution scores of 8.133.) Here he is performing the same routine at the trials. 


Stephen Nedoroscik, Penn State University

Often the go-to pommel horse specialist, Nedoroscik was the plus-one favorite going into the trials. He was the assumed event specialist with a start value of 6.7, but a fall on night one of the trials all but eliminated his chances. (The plus-one spot went to Alec Yoder, the other pommel horse specialist). Nevertheless, Nedoroscik is a huge fan favorite, and when he’s on, he’s unstoppable. Here he is on the final night of the trials. 


Donnell Whittenburg, Salto Gymnastics

Donnell Whittenburg had a robust and exciting showing during the Olympic Trials. He competed particularly well during night one when he performed the Ri Se Gwang (a backward full-twisting double tucked Tsukahara vault) at Trials, scoring a 15.05. His second vault was a double front, and he scored 14.000. 

Whittenburg is also quite accomplished on the still rings. The Whtittneburg is in the code of points, which he debuted in 2017. The skill is a triple back pike dismount off the still rings and is valued as a H skill on a scale from A to H, with H being the most difficult.

Here he is at the Winter Cup earlier this year, where he placed second on the rings. 


Shane Wiskus, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center

Another member of Tokyo’s Team USA, Wiskus, had a solid and consistent showing last summer. Wiskus showed off his trademark extension and patiently controlled handstands throughout every event, especially in the parallel bars and the floor. On the floor, Wiskus was named the first reserve. We didn’t see him in the event finals last summer, but that is likely to change as he continues to upgrade his acrobatic skills.

Wiskus has been seen on Instagram practicing a triple tuck into the pit. He can also be seen in an upcoming documentary called Losing Grip, which focuses on the Minnesotan’s Olympic journey and the decline of men’s college gymnastics. 


Alec Yoder, Ohio State University

Alec Yoder earned the plus-one spot and was named the fifth member of the 2020 Tokyo Men’s Gymnastic team. He finished sixth at the Olympic Games with a score of 14.566, which he felt was a disappointment. Looking ahead, Yoder can only become more polished, with his Tokyo experience giving him an extra advantage if he competes at Worlds.