United States Gymnastics | US Junior Sweep Team, All-Around Title in Day One of Artistic Competition at the 2022 Pan American Championships

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (July 14, 2022) — US gymnasts aided by gold medal-winning all-around performances by Fred Richard (Stoughton, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy) and Dulcy Caylor (Spring, Texas/World Champion Center) , won the junior and women’s team titles Thursday as artistic gymnastics competition got underway at the 2022 Pan American Championships. Tiana Sumanasekera (Pleasanton, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics School) added a silver medal in the women’s all-around, and US athletes secured maximum representation in Saturday’s apparatus finals when the limit of two gymnasts per country was applied.

In a 2021 repeat, the Americans dominated the team competition, extending their combined lead in the men’s and women’s divisions to nearly 20 points. The women edged out second-placed Canada with 157.266-146.899, while Argentina rounded out the top three with 146.067. In the men’s, US athletes delivered a total of 234,750 to take gold. Canada was second with 225,850 and hosts Brazil (224,000) finished third.

Richard successfully defended his 2021 men’s all-around title. He was the only gymnast to surpass 80 points, amassing a stellar 82,200 on all six apparatus. Colombia’s Angel Gabriel Barajas Vivas (76.350) and Keynher Camilo Vera Carrascal (76.100) also finished on the podium. Toby Liang (Roswell, Georgia/Roswell Gymnastics) finished fourth with a 75.450, beating teammate Cole Partridge (Bountiful, Utah/USA Gymnastics World) in the tiebreak, who also had a 75.450. Nathan Roman (Poway, Calif./Agility Kids) finished 12th with a 73.550.

Junior All-Around Champions Fred Richard and Dulcy Caylor
© Ricardo Bufolin

Caylor led the women’s scorer list in her first international appearance. Her 51.666 was just ahead of her teammate Sumanasekera, who won silver with a 51.567. Third was Argentinian Isabella Ayelen Ajalla (50.934). Audrey Snyder (Annapolis, Md./First State Gymnastics), who was used as a traveling reserve, and Alicia Zhou (San Antonio, Texas/Loves Gymnastics) had the fourth- and fifth-highest all-around totals of the day, scores of 50.767 and 50.633, respectively.

Richard reached the finals on the pommel horse (14.050), rings (13.250), vault (13.975), parallel bars (13.700) and high bar (13.550) and finished second in the floor exercise with 13.450. He will be joined by Liang in the finals on pommel horse (12,450), vault (13,525) and high bar (12,500), while Partridge will compete on Saturday’s floor (12,850), rings (12,500) and parallel bars (12,850).

Sumanasekera set the bar for vault (13.833), balance beam (13.700), and floor exercise (13.300). Caylor will join her in the Vault (13,650) and Beam (13,133) finals. Zhou (13.133) and Snyder (12.367) had the top two results on uneven bars, and Zhou also secured a spot in the floor final with 13.000.

The junior event finals begin Saturday at 9:00 am ET with the men’s floor exercise, pommel horse and rings, and the women’s vault and uneven bars titles up for grabs in the first session. The men’s parallel bars, high bar and vaulting champions, as well as the women’s floor exercise and balance beam champions will be crowned later in the day beginning at 4:10 pm ET.

The US seniors will get their first taste of action on Friday at Brazil’s Parque Olímpico – Arena Carioca 01. Individual all-around and apparatus titles will be awarded, and the top teams will qualify for Sunday’s men’s and women’s senior team finals. The US women will compete with Subdivision 1 and start at 7:40 am ET on the uneven bars. The men will take the floor with Subdivision 3 beginning with silent rings at 1:51 p.m. ET.