Horton wins all-around title at ’09 Visa Championships

DALLAS, Aug. 14, 2009 – 2008 Olympic high bar silver-medalist Jonathon Horton of Houston won the U.S. all-around title tonight at the 2009 Visa Championships at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Horton, who trains at Cypress Academy, maintained the lead throughout the second night of competition to win his first national all-around title with a total of 181.600.

“Overall I’m extremely happy with how I did,” said Horton. “I think the crowd drove me and just being in this competition got me through, even though I kind of ran out of gas on pommel.”

Horton scored 15.800 on still rings, the highest of the evening; 16.300 on vault; 14.900 on parallel bars; 15.650 on horizontal bar; 15.550 on floor exercise; and 12.150 on pommel horse. Horton won the still rings title with a two-day event score of 31.600, and he shared the U.S. horizontal bar title with Danell Leyva of Miami/Universal Gymnastics, with both scoring a two-day total score of 31.550.

“I couldn’t be happier with myself,” said Horton. “I know I have a long way to go though, if I want to keep up with the rest of the world.”

Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va./University of California – Berkeley, finished in the second all-around with a score of 178.500. McNeill’s top scores were pommel horse (15.600), vault (15.450) and parallel bars (15.350), where he won the national title with a two-day event total of 30.500.

Wesley Haagensen of Colorado Springs, who trains at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, was third in the all-around with a total score of 178.00. His top scores of the night were vault (15.600) and still rings (15.400).

Cal Berkeley’s Kyle Bunthuwong landed in fourth in the all-around with a score of 177.750. Leyva was fifth in the all-around at 177.600, and Cal Berkely’s Glen Ishino of Santa Ana, Calif., was sixth at 175.950. The University of Oklahoma’s Steven Legendre of Flower Mound, Texas, who came in seventh in the all-around rankings with a 178.850, and won the U.S. floor title with a two-day total of 31.00. 2008 Olympic team bronze-medalist Joey Hagerty of Albuquerque, N.M./USOTC, rounded out the all-around’s top eight with a score of 175.750.

University of Illinois’ Luke Stannard of Waukegan, Ill., won the pommel horse title with a two-day score of 30.650. Jake Dalton of Sparks, Nev./Gymnastics Nevada, won the vault title with a composite score of 32.700.

After the conclusion of the competition, Horton was named Athlete of the Year and 2008 Olympic team bronze-medalist Raj Bhavsar of Houston was named Sportsperson of the Year. Mark Williams of the University of Oklahoma was named Coach of the Year. 

The 2009 Visa Championships conclude tomorrow with the junior and senior women’s all-around and event finals competitions. The juniors take the mat at 1:00 p.m. with the seniors starting at 6:30 p.m. For complete results, 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.