USA’s Wieber, Germany’s Hambuechen win 2009 Tyson American Cup
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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Feb. 21, 2009 – The USA’s Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., and Germany’s Fabian Hambuechen won the all-around titles at the 2009 Tyson American Cup in front of a crowd of 6,388 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind., placed second for the women and the USA’s David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Joseph Hagerty of Rio Rancho, N.M., finished second and third, respectively, for the men. “I feel honored to win the Tyson American Cup,” said Wieber. “It was so much fun today. I just wanted to come in and hit my routines and do the best I could. I was very happy with how things went.” “It’s a great feeling and a good start for the year,” said Hambuechen. “This is the fifth time I’ve competed in this event and the first time for me to hit all my routines. I had surgery on my finger in December and I also had the flu in January, so my preparation was very difficult for this competition. I plan to go back to the gym and upgrade for European Championships in April.” Wieber, the 2008 U.S. junior all-around champion, and Sloan, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that won the team silver medal, went 1-2 with scores of 60.200 and 59.600, respectively. Germany’s Kim Bui rounded out the top three in third place with a 56.000. Hambuechen scored a 90.650, followed by Sender, the 2008 U.S. all-around champion, in second with a 90.450, and Hagerty, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that won the team bronze medal, in third with an 89.550. Women “I started out well on vault,” Sloan said. “It’s good to get out and compete again. This meet is close to home and getting back into competition mode was great.” The women began the competition on vault, with Wieber posting a score of 15.750 on her Yurchenko two-and-a-half. Sloan earned the second-highest score on vault with a 15.150 on her Yurchenko double. Russia’s Kristina Goryunova and Bui were tied for third after the first rotation with scores of 14.400 on vault. Wieber and Sloan both earned scores of 14.800 on uneven bars during the second rotation. Wieber performed a double-twisting, double layout dismount for the first time in competition, and Sloan’s routine included a toe-on Tkatchev. After two rotations, Wieber remained in front of the women’s field with a 30.550. Sloan was second with a 29.950 and France’s Youna Dufournet was third with a 28.750. Wieber posted a 15.000 for her powerful balance beam routine, which included a standing full, and increased her lead by seven tenths of a point after three rotations. Sloan’s elegant beam routine featured a front aerial to a flip flop layout for a score of 14.900. Wieber was first after three rotations with a score of 45.550 with Sloan second at 44.850 and Great Britain’s Rebecca Downie third at 41.950. To close out her Tyson American Cup debut, Wieber earned a 14.650 for her floor exercise routine that included a tuck full-in on her first pass. Sloan’s floor exercise routine featured a one-and-a-half twist to triple full and she earned the event’s top score of the day with a 14.750. The high scores of the day for the women were: Wieber on vault, uneven bars (tie) and balance beam with scores of 15.750, 14.800 and 15.000, respectively; and Sloan on uneven bars (tie) with a 14.800 and floor exercise with a 14.750. Men “Obviously everyone wants to win, but my goal was to have fun,” Sender said. “It was in my hometown and I had a lot of family and friends here. It’s a good start for the year, especially after Winter Cup.” “It was a little rough, but I’m pleased overall,” Hagerty said. “I hit six for six. Winter Cup was a better meet for me, but this was okay.” The men opened the competition on floor exercise. Hagerty led after one rotation with his 15.200 on floor exercise. Sender’s routine included a full twisting side flip and a two-and-a-half twist to punch front Rudi for a score of 15.150. Halfway through the men’s competition, Sender was leading with a score of 44.950, followed by Hambuechen with a 43.950 and France’s Benoit Caranobe with a 43.400. Hagerty rounded out the top four after three rotations with a score of 43.300. In the fourth rotation, Sender earned a 16.200 for his Yurchenko two-and-a-half vault and increased his lead to 1.350 points over Hambuechen’s 59.800. Hambuechen and Caranobe both earned scores of 15.850 on vault, followed by Hagerty with a 15.800. Sitting in second and third, respectively, behind Sender after four rotations were Hambuechen and Caranobe with scores of 59.800 and 59.250. Hagerty remained in fourth with a 59.100. Heading into the final rotation, Sender was first at 76.150 with Hambuechen in second at 74.900. Hagerty moved into third at 74.200 after scoring a 15.100 on parallel bars. Hambuechen was the final men’s competitor of the day and his 15.750 on horizontal bar earned him the Tyson American Cup title. Sender posted a 14.300 to earn second place overall and Hagerty scored a 15.350 on his horizontal bar routine that included a nice Kolman release and a full twisting, double layout dismount to finish third. The men’s high scores of the day were: Hagerty on floor exercise, 15.200; Sender on pommel horse, still rings and vault with scores of 14.500, 15.300 and 16.200, respectively; Japan’s Koji Uematsu on parallel bars, 15.600; and Hambuechen on horizontal bar, 15.750. Universal Sports will also air an encore presentation of the NBC Sports broadcast on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 7-9 p.m. ET. 2009 Tyson American Cup Men’s all-around Women’s all-around |
