05. March 2017  
Newark, N. J., USA  
Artistic Gymnastics

USA Double victory at the 2017 AT&T-American Cup

Moldauer, Smith, both USA

Ragan SMITH and Yul MOLDAUER solidified their prospects as future leaders of Team USA by taking top honors at the 2017 AT&T American Cup at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center on Saturday, March 04. The 20-years old student from Oklahoma's NCAA university (85.931) beat the Olympic vice champion Oleg Verniaev of Ukraine (85,699) who was not without mistakes on floor and horizontal bar. Ragan Smith’s triumph extends the U.S. women’s winning streak in the event to 15 years, while Moldauer’s win is the first for a U.S. man since Sam Mikulak’s in 2014. Smith led the nine-member international field throughout the afternoon, gaining the competition’s highest scores on vault – she did a Yurchenko double full — and floor, where her popular Addam’s Family routine was a hit with the crowd and earned 14.000.

Asuka Teramoto of Japan, a two-time Olympian, earned solid scores on all four apparatus to place second with 54.231 points. Melanie De Jesus dos Santo of France turned in the best balance beam routine and finished third. This event is often thought of as a showcase for U.S. women, especially in recent years. But Moldauer and Akash Modi, the Rio Olympic alternate who placed third, nearly stole the show on Saturday.Moldauer battled Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev, a parallel bars gold and all-around silver medalist in Rio, throughout the six rotations.
Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) earned top scores in three events – pommel horse, rings and parallel bars – but lost ground with a.400 neutral (out of bounds) deduction on his floor routine and had to settle for second place.
(source: us gymnastics)

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♦♦  R e s u l t s:
► Men’s All-Around   ► Women’s All-Around