Olivia Courtney of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro won the all-around title with a score of 57.40 at the CoverGirl Classic at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. 2008 Olympic Team alternate Ivana Hong of Plano, Texas/WOGA, finished second with a 56.450, and Kaitlyn Clark of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Precision Gymnastics finished third with a 55.050. The CoverGirl Classic was the last opportunity for women to qualify for the 2009 Visa Championships, being held Aug. 12-15 in Dallas, Texas.
Hong led the first three rotations of the competition , but had difficulties on her uneven bar dismount in the final rotation. Courtney hit a double-twisting Yurchenko on vault to pull ahead of Hong and win the title.
Courtney said, “I’m very happy to win the all-around title. I’ve been working hard and I’m happy my hard work paid off.” …
Gymblog points out that Jr. Kyla Ross from Gym Max in California actually had the second highest AA score:
… Olivia Courtney, winner of the senior division, scored 57.4. Ross had 57.0 — not bad for your first elite meet. Ivana Hong, second among the seniors, had 56.4. …
I was much impressed with the Gym Max girls last year at Level 10 JO Nationals. This result is not surprising.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 