American Cup Could Be Most Competitive Ever
Posted by garymcuesta on February 7, 2011
"USA Today"
"AP"
JACKSONVILLE, Fl.-With less than a month to go before The AT&T American Cup is held in Jacksonville, Florida, it is shaping up to be one of if not the most competitive American Cup in the history of the event.
The competition will host both disciplines of Artistic Gymnasts with both men’s and women’s competitions with eight gymnasts competing in each. On the women’s side, 2010 World All Around gold medalist Aliya Mustafina of Russia and 2010 World Floor Exercise gold medalist Lauren Mitchell of Australia will be hard to beat as this is an All Around and Event Finals competition.
Representing the United States will be Alexandra Raisman, who was a part of the silver medal winning U.S team at last year’s Worlds. Raisman also placed thirteenth in the All Around and fourth on the floor exercise at last years Worlds.
For the men, the talent is equally as great. All three medalist from the All Around at last years World Championships will compete. Kohei Uchimura of Japan who took gold, Philipp Boy of Germany the sliver and Jonathan Horton of the United States the bronze will battle it out for gold.
The American Cup has never hosted this many recent World Champions or Olympians. It’s this that may make this American Cup the most exciting we’ve seen since Nadia Comaneci scored the first perfect 10 at the first American Cup in 1976. And it will give fans a first look at what’s in store for Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in 2011. Can Mustafina and Uchimura hold on to their leads? We’ll have to wait and see.
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