2009 Junior Pan American Results

The U.S. Women's Junior Team captured gold and swept the all-around at the 2009 Junior Pan American Championships Friday in Aracaju, Brazil. The U.S. Men's Junior Team won the team silver medal at the event, which is a qualifier for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Aug. 10-26, in Singapore.

With a score of 171.550, the U.S. junior women's team convincingly won the team gold medal. Canada earned the silver medal with 156.95. Host country Brazil finished with a score of 154.25 and the bronze medal. 2009 U.S. junior champion Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif., won the all-around (57.400) with Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y., and Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass., earning silver (56.250) and bronze (56.200), respectively for a U.S. sweep. Bridgette Caquatto of Naperville, Ill., finished just off the podium in fourth. All four women advanced
to the individual event finals.

The U.S. women won the gold medal in all four event finals and went 1-2 in every event except balance beam. Both Ross, who trains at GymMax, and Raisman (Brestyan's American Gymnastics), won two gold medals. Ross took top honors on uneven bars (14.150) and balance beam (15.000), and earned a silver medal on floor exercise (13.800). Raisman won the titles for vault (14.700) and floor exercise (14.400). Vega (Dynamic Gymnastics) was the silver medalist on the uneven bars (14.100). Teammate Bridgette Caquatto of Naperville, Ill./Naperville Gymnastics Club won silver on vault with14.238.

In the men's competition, the host country Brazil won the team competition with an impressive 253.950. The USA finished in second in the team competition, scoring a 253.400, with Colombia rounding out the top three, at 245.950. American C.J. Maestas (Corrales, N.M) won the silver all-around medal. Maestas and teammates Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif., and Jake Martin of Oviedo, Fla., each qualified for individual event finals where Maestas and Mikulak won a combined five medals. Maestas, who trains at Gold Cup Gymnastics, won the gold medal on still rings (14.875), along with silver medals on pommel horse (14.225) and parallel bars (14.225). Mikulak, who trains at SCATS, was second on floor exercise (14.625) and third on vault (15.363). He just missed the podium on parallel bars, finishing fourth. Host Brazil had another strong showing in event finals with Sergio Sasaki taking first place on floor exercise (14.800), vault (15.763) and parallel bars (14.400). His teammate Petrix Barbosa finished first on the horizontal bar (15.500). Colombia's Jhonny Munoz won pommel horse with a score of 14.450.