Jonathan Horton leads US Gymnastics Championships

IG Editor Dwight Normile blogs from the 2009 Visa (U.S.) Gymnastics Championships, which began Wednesday in Dallas.

DALLAS — …

David Sender, who did not make the Olympic team because of a fluke injury (sprained ankle) on the eve of the U.S. Olympic Trials, came to Dallas as the defending national champion. And after his first two events, he looked like a man on a mission. After hitting rings, he boomed a Yurchenko-double pike that landed quietly with only one small step. Sender pumped his fist, a rare show of emotion from the guy so many felt sorry for last year. Then he followed with a handspring-layout front with a double twist (and another fist pump). After a couple of medium errors on parallel bars (low peach) and high bar (tucked giant after Kovacs), Sender threw a marathon on floor to pad his lead (Lou Yun mount, double layout dismount).

In the final rotation, both Sender and his closest pursuer, Hagerty, fell from pommels and rings, respectively. Horton, who had fallen from pommels in the second rotation, needed to nail high bar to take the lead after day one. And that’s what he did. It wasn’t the crazy routine he used to win a silver in Beijing, but Horton, who is back with his old club coach, Tom Meadows, still threw a layout Kovacs, Kolman and Kovacs. He stuck a conservative (for him) dismount of layout full-out and scored 15.900 to lead Sender 91.250-90.600. Cal-Berkeley’s Tim McNeill climbed to third at 88.500. …

Stay tuned for Friday’s competition, when the senior national team will be decided, as well as the six-member squad to worlds.

read the full article on International Gymnast

Cool Skills…

Steven Legendre (Oklahoma): running double front, punch double-twisting layout front (hand down)
Jake Dalton (Gym Nevada): Lopez vault worth 7.3, which scored 16.25 (Kasamatsu-double twist)
Danell Leyva (Universal): jam, dislocate, immediate hop to undergrips on high bar (and he got some air!)
Jonathan Horton (Cypress): roundoff, 1-1/2 twist, punch double front
David Sender (Stanford): Yurchenko-double pike (like it was nothing); handspring-layout front with double twist
Alex Buscaglia (Stanford): roundoff half-on, layout rudi vault; full-twisting Tkatchev on high bar
Tim McNeill (Cal-Berkeley): his peach handstand on parallel bars was so good it looked like a free hip on high bar

Click PLAY or watch David Sender Yurchenko double back on YouTube.

Sender announced he will not be available for Worlds in the Fall due to University. What a shame.