Latest news with #CodeofPoints
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Asher Hong wins U.S. all-around gymnastics title by record margin, leads world team
Asher Hong won the U.S. men's all-around gymnastics title by a record margin under a 20-year-old scoring system. Hong, a 21-year-old rising Stanford junior, totaled 170.02 points over two days in New Orleans, distancing fellow Olympic team bronze medalist Frederick Richard by 7.465 points. Hong had the largest margin victory under the Code of Points system implemented in 2006. The previous record was 5.55 points by Sam Mikulak in 2019. Hong, who won his first national title in 2023, is the youngest man to win a second all-around crown since Paul Hamm in 2003. GYMNASTICS: Results | Broadcast Schedule Next, Hong will bid for his first individual medal at a global meet at the worlds in Jakarta, Indonesia. Hong was part of U.S. bronze-medal teams at the last worlds in 2023 and at the 2024 Olympics. The worlds in the year after the Olympics do not have a team event; just the individual all-around and the six apparatus finals. Hong won national titles on floor exercise, still rings and vault. Last year, he missed the eight-man Olympic final on rings and vault by one spot. At nationals, his average difficulty between his two vaults — 5.4 — matched the most difficult set done at the Asian and European Championships earlier this spring. To join Hong, five more men will be named later to round out the six-man roster at worlds. Brody Malone, a three-time U.S. all-around champion, competed on four of six events this week, skipping floor exercise and vault after his surgically repaired right knee flared up in the spring. Malone won parallel bears, but his best case for making the world team is for high bar, where he won a world title in 2022. After falling twice off the bar Thursday, he posted the top score of the week by a massive 1.601 points on Saturday. Stephen Nedoroscik optimistic in pommel horse return Stephen Nedoroscik, the Pommel Horse Guy from the Paris Olympics, will not be on the world team. He came off the horse during his routine Saturday. Nedoroscik finished fifth on the event overall in his first competition since the Games and after taking nine months off from training. 'Good news is I'm going to have a good amount of time here to get better, and I'm looking forward to that,' he said on NBC Sports. 'Generally, three months (back in training) was a little bit rushed for me.' Paul Juda retires from gymnastics Paul Juda, the lone member of the Olympic bronze medal team not competing this week, said Saturday that he has retired. He called it an easy decision. 'This has been the journey of a lifetime,' he said. 'I've got no regrets. I'm full of joy, and I'm ready to move on with my life.' Nationals finish Sunday with the second day of women's competition (7 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock). Nick Zaccardi,
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Asher Hong takes record lead at Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships
Asher Hong went right back to Stanford after winning an Olympic bronze medal with the U.S. men's gymnastics team. He trained, continued studying toward his science, technology and society degree, plus won two more NCAA championships. He could cap a busy year by claiming a second national all-around title. Hong, 21, leads by a record margin after the first of two days at the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, looking to become the youngest man to win a second title since Paul Hamm in 2003. Hong previously won in 2023, when he became the youngest U.S. men's all-around champ since Tim Ryan in 1989. GYMNASTICS: Broadcast Schedule On Thursday, he totaled 85.585 points, taking a 4.48-point lead over Fuzzy Benas going into Saturday's final day of competition in New Orleans (6:30 p.m. ET, CNBC and Peacock). 'Just a little bit better than training,' Hong joked on Peacock. 'All the work in the gym is what makes it happen here. As long as I know I put in the work in the gym, I can come to the competition confident, without any worries, without any regrets.' It's the largest first-day margin since the Code of Points scoring system was implemented in 2006. The previous record was when Paul Hamm led by 3.7 points in 2008. Hong is one of four men, along with Donnell Whittenburg, Colt Walker and Kameron Nelson, in position to secure automatic spots for October's World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. That's because Hong, Whittenburg, Walker and Nelson posted leading scores on vault, still rings, parallel bars and floor exercise, respectively, with difficulty scores at least matching the best put up at the Asian and European Championships in the spring. If nobody overtakes them Saturday, they will clinch two of the six world team spots. Whittenburg, who turns 31 on Aug. 18, is bidding for sixth World Championships appearance, which would tie Simone Biles for the U.S. record. He would be the oldest U.S. gymnast to compete at worlds in at least 35 years. Stephen Nedoroscik — aka Pommel Horse Guy from Paris — also hopes to make the world team, but he had the fifth-best score on the apparatus on Thursday. Nedoroscik, the 2021 World champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist on the event, improvised midway through his routine in his first competition since the Games. Nedoroscik took nine months off from the sport after Paris, then returned to training in May. 'I literally thought it was impossible for me to be back on this stage this quickly, but I've done it, I did a routine and I'm happy with it,' he said. Frederick Richard, the 2023 World all-around bronze medalist, is in fourth place in the all-around. He said he's at 80% of his full difficulty, targeting to peak at worlds, should he make the team. Brody Malone, a three-time U.S. all-around champion, is competing on four of six events this week, skipping floor exercise and vault after his surgically repaired right knee flared up in the spring. Malone's best chance to make the world team is by excelling on high bar, having won the 2022 World title on the event. He fell twice off the bar Thursday. Nationals continue Friday with the first of two days of women's competition (Peacock, 7:45 p.m. ET). Nick Zaccardi,
