No Whittenburg?
I’m surprised.
USA is leaving several potential Olympic medalists at home in order to improve their team score.
A team medal is a long shot. Bringing individual apparatus medalists would have been another strategy.
Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center), earned a berth to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after posting the highest four-day all-around total, a 362.750, at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials …
The complete men’s U.S. Olympic Team, pending United States Olympic Committee approval, is comprised of: Chris Brooks of Houston, Texas/Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center); Jake Dalton of Sparks, Nev./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma); Mikulak; Alex Naddour of Queen Creek, Ariz./Team Hilton (USA Youth Fitness); and John Orozco of Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Centre) …
But I am thrilled for John Orozco. You’ve got to love a guy who’s so open about his life.
Click PLAY or watch highlights on Facebook.
It's official: @SamuelMikulak, @jake_dalton, @Alex_Naddour, @cbrooks_wpr and @JohnOrozco are headed to Rio! https://t.co/rVWF2quEzK—
USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) June 26, 2016
Gymnastics Coaching.com 
I agree. This team has a lot of holes in it.. it is unlikely they will medal that way. Going for individual medals would have been smart but, they left off leyva (PB,HB) and whittenburg (VT) who might have the best shots. I can’t see Orozco. Brooks, or Naddour getting a medal in anything. Dalton and Mikulak have long shots to medal. I don’t know what they were hoping for but, It would be sad to see this team not win any medals in Rio.. Hopefully I’m wrong
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Maybe they left Whittenburg out because he would have ruined the shirtless photo by making the rest of the team look scrawny.
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I agree aiming for most individual medals should have been the strategy. This team has no hope of getting a medal, and the men’s selection committee should know this. And I get that Mikulak is the best gymnast in the US, but his consistency is abysmal. Based on his recent track record, he’s going to fall at least twice in finals. Requiring him to compete all 6 events in finals is a horrible strategy. I can’t believe we won’t see Danell in High Bar finals at the Olympics, and I can’t believe they didn’t name Paul as an alternate. That broke my heart. He’s top 3 on 3 events in this country, and he’s not even an alternate. Insane.
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Yeah it’s as if this selection committee is completely dedicated to maximizing a team final score while simultaneously pretending the Japanese, Chinese, Russians and Brits don’t exist. IMO the US men will finish 5th at best, 4th if Russia has a complete meltdown which is unlikely.
By leaving Leyva and Whittenburg off the team they threw away 4 potential (several LIKELY) event finals medals (high bar, vault, parallel bars, rings) while putting athletes on the team in their place (IMO Brooks and Orozco) who have little to no chance of medaling in any event finals. Naddour could medal on pommels and Dalton on floor, but they’ll need help (falls) from stronger athletes. This could be a men’s team that comes home empty-handed from Rio, at which point it will be abundantly clear that Mazeika needs to be given the Bela Karolyi treatment and the system needs a re-boot like the women got in 2000-2001.
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