Horton leads men at Visa Championships

DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 12, 2009 -- 2008 Olympic silver-medalist Jonathan Horton of Houston came from behind to take the lead in the men’s all-around with a score of 91.250 on the first night of the senior men’s competition at the 2009 Visa Championships at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The final day of men’s competition is Friday, Aug. 14. Tomorrow, women’s gymnastics takes the floor.

Horton, who won the Olympic high bar silver medal, finished the competition on the high bar, his premier event, to move ahead of defending U.S. champion David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill. Sender, who is competing for shonakamori.com, led the competition for rotations two through five, but a fall on his last event, pommel horse, dropped him to second with an all-around total of 90.600. Tim McNeill of Fall Church, Va., was third in the all-around with 88.500.

Horton performed a double front vault, which scored a 16.100. Horton’s solid high bar routine, including three major release moves, scored a 15.900 to take the lead as the first night of the men’s competition ended. His other event scores were: 15.050 on floor; 13.200, pommel horse; 15.800, still rings; and 15.200, parallel bars.

“I am happy with tonight, even though I know I can do better,” said Horton. “A lot of guys will say they don’t look at the scoreboard (while they’re competing), but I’m always looking. When I saw myself in 22nd place, I got fired up. I knew exactly where I was and that if I could land the dismount (on high bar), the crowd would love it. That really got me going. Now I feel confident going into the final round. “

Sender earned a 17.050 for his vault, a Tsukahara double pike. His high bar set included a stuck double twisting double layout. His total score after four events was 61.80. Sender scored a 15.650 for his skill-packed floor routine, complete with a double layout full out mount, to maintain the all-around lead after five events with a total of 77.450. Sender had the top scores on floor, still rings (15.850) and vault. Miami’s Danell Leyva had the top parallel bars at 15.400.

“I just wanted to prove what I could do in my events (tonight),” said Sender. “I just wanted to come in and do a couple of skills I’ve been working on and just enjoy it. My back is a little tight from some of the landings today.”

The men advance to the final night of competition on Friday based on points earned from today’s performances. The list of competitors advancing to the final night are listed below, along with the point totals based on a 20-point formula.

The Visa Championships continues tomorrow with women’s gymnastics, as well as trampoline and tumbling and acrobatic gymnastics. For a complete schedule go to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

Tickets may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the American Airlines Center Ticket Office. All-session tickets for rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling at the Dallas Convention Center may also be purchased via Ticketmaster. In recognition of Visa’s longstanding support of USA Gymnastics, the 2009 Visa Championships proudly accepts only Visa cards.

About American Airlines Center
Both men’s and women’s gymnastics will have two days of competition at American Airlines Center, which has hosted the post-Olympic tour for gymnastics. Anchoring the 72-acre Victory Park development, American Airlines Center serves as the backdrop to Dallas' most vibrant urban gathering space. In addition to being home to the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks, American Airlines Center has hosted several prominent events, including the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, NBA Finals, Big 12 Championships and the 2003 USFSA National Figure Skating Championships. 

About the Dallas Convention Center
The Dallas Convention Center, which has more than 1,000,000 sq. ft., is the site for rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling. The Dallas Convention Center offers a staggering 726,726 square feet of prime, contiguous exhibit space along with a 203,000-square-foot column-free exhibit hall, the largest in the United States. Plus, the Dallas Convention Center offers even more great features, such as a 9,816-seat arena, a theater with a 1,750-person capacity and 96 meeting rooms.

About USA Gymnastics
Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, and acrobatic gymnastics. For more complete information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

#

20 Point Program Results for Senior Division Qualification to Finals
Top 42 Athletes Qualify to the Senior Division Finals
(Number indicates total points earned)
Jonathan Horton, 91
David Sender, 80
Joseph Hagerty, 72
Kyle Bunthuwong, 67
Tim McNeill, 62
Danell Leyva, 61
Steven Legendre, 59
Glen Ishino, 51
Wesley Haagensen, 51
Tim Gentry, 50
Alex Buscaglia, 48
Chris Brooks, 46
Brandon Wynn, 41
Jake Dalton, 40
John Orozco, 40
Paul Ruggeri, 39
Chris Cameron, 38
David Henderson, 31
Daniel Ribiero, 29
Kyson Bunthuwong, 28
Guillermo Alvarez, 25
Luke Stannard, 23
Alexy Bilozertchev, 22
Thomas Kelley, 20
Mel Anton Santander, 20
Nyika White, 20
Kit Beikmann, 19
William J Laury, 19
Ralph G. Rosso, 16
Evan Roth, 15
Jake Bateman, 13
CJ Maestas, 13
Edward Mesa, 13
Andrew Elkind, 12
Donothan Bailey, 9
Derek Helsby, 6
Sam Mikulak, 6
Spencer Johnson, 4
Cameron Deer, 4
Cameron Rogers, 4
Mackenzie Dow, 3
Christopher Turner, 3
Zachary Chase, 3