USA Gymnastics National Championships

The USA Gymnastics National Championships is the annual artistic gymnastics national competition held in the United States for elite-level competition. It is organized by USA Gymnastics, the governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The national championships have been held annually since 1963.

The event is currently named P&G Gymnastics Championships after sponsor Procter & Gamble.^[1] From 2005 to 2012, the competition was sponsored by Visa and called the Visa Championships.

History

Before 1970, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was the national governing body for gymnastics, so the USA Gymnastics national champions from 1963 to 1969 are not the official champions.^[2][3]

The first USA Gymnastics national championships were held in Park Ridge, Illinois, in June 1963. Since then, the event has been held each year, usually over a period of several days during the summer. The 2012 championships were held in St. Louis, Missouri, in June.^[4]

The record for most all-around titles since 1971 is held by Blaine Wilson, who won five consecutive men's competitions from 1996 to 2000.^[5] Joan Moore Gnat, John Roethlisberger, Simone Biles, and Sam Mikulak each won four times. Kurt Thomas, Kim Zmeskal, Paul Hamm each won three times. The record for most titles in one event is held by Alicia Sacramone, who won six women's vault competitions from 2005 to 2012.^[2][5]

In 2012, the top three finishers in the women's all-around were Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, and Aly Raisman. It was Wieber's second consecutive all-around title. In the individual events, Douglas won on uneven bars, Raisman won on balance beam and floor, and Sacramone won on vault.^[6][7] In the men's all-around, the top three finishers were John Orozco, Danell Leyva, and Sam Mikulak. It was Orozco's first all-around title. Leyva won on parallel bars and high bar, Jacob Dalton won on floor, Alexander Naddour won on pommel horse, Jonathan Horton won on rings, and Sean Senters won on vault.^[8]

In 2013, the top three finishers in the women's all-around were Simone Biles, Kyla Ross, and Brenna Dowell. In the individual events, Ross won on uneven bars and balance beam and her Olympic teammate McKayla Maroney won on vault and floor exercise; Biles swept the silver medals in each event. In the men's all-around, the top three finishers were Sam Mikulak, Alexander Naddour, and Jacob Dalton.^[9][10]

In 2014, the top three finishers in the women's all-around were Simone Biles, Kyla Ross, and Maggie Nichols. It was Biles's second consecutive all-around title. In the individual events, Biles won on both vault and floor exercise, Ross won on balance beam, and newcomer Ashton Locklear won on uneven bars. In the men's all-around, the top three finishers were Sam Mikulak, John Orozco, and Jacob Dalton. It was Mikulak's second consecutive all-around title. In the individual events, Dalton won on floor exercise, Mikulak won on pommel horse, Brandon Wynn won on still rings, Donnell Whittenburg won on vault, Danell Leyva won on parallel bars, and Orozco won on high bar.

In 2015, the top three finishers in the women's all-around were Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman. It was Biles's third consecutive all-around title and became the first female gymnast since Kim Zmeskal (1990-1991-1992) to win the all-around 3 consecutive times. In the individual events, Biles won on both vault and balance beam, Madison Kocian on uneven bars, and Raisman won on floor exercise. In the men's all-around, the top three finishers were Sam Mikulak, Donnell Whittenburg, and Chris Brooks. This was Mikulak's third consecutive all-around title and became the first male gymnast since Paul Hamm (2002-2003-2004) to win the all-around 3 consecutive times. In the individual events, Steven Legendre won on floor exercise, Alex Naddour won on pommel horse, Whittenburg won on still rings, Mikulak won on both vault and parallel bars, and Brooks won on high bar.

In 2016, the top three finishers in the women's all-around were Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and Laurie Hernandez. It was Biles's fourth consecutive all-around title and became the first female gymnast since Joan Moore-Gnat (1971-1974) to win the all-around 4 consecutive times. In the individual events, Biles won on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise, and Ashton Locklear won on uneven bars. In the men's all-around, the top three finishers were Sam Mikulak, Chris Brooks, and Jake Dalton. This was Mikulak's fourth consecutive all-around title and became the first male gymnast since Blaine Wilson (1996-1999) to win the all-around four consecutive times. In the individual events, Dalton won on floor exercise and vault, Donothan Bailey won on pommel horse, Donnell Whittenburg won on rings, Brooks won on parallel bars, and Paul Ruggeri won on high bar.

Championships

Shannon Miller

Nastia Liukin

Simone Biles

*Unofficial national champion ^[2][3][4]

Event name

In recent years, the USA Gymnastics National Championships has been sponsored by various companies, and the event is typically named for the sponsoring company.^[11]

See also

• American Cup
• U.S. Classic
• U.S. Challenge

References

External links

• USA Gymnastics