Moldauer soars to men’s title
ANAHEIM — Yul Moldauer is a grease monkey at heart. There’s something about having a tool in his hands and a problem to solve that speaks to him, a hobby he picked up from his father while growing up in Colorado.
So when the pressure rises at a gymnastics meet, Moldauer goes to what he calls his “peace zone.” To get there he takes 10-15 deep breaths and lets his mind drift away to a garage or a highway somewhere.
Staked to a two-point lead heading into the finals of the U.S. championships on Saturday night, Moldauer overcame a shaky start to hold off University of Oklahoma teammate Allan Bower and capture the all-around title.
The 20-year-old posted a two-day total of 171.600, a full point better than Bower and nearly two points clear of 2016 Olympic alternate Donnell Whittenburg to all but assure himself of a spot on the world championship team when it is unveiled Sunday.
“I’m definitely still a little shocked,” Moldauer said.
Maybe he shouldn’t be. Moldauer, the 2016 NCAA champion, began the year with an impressive win at the American Cup in March. Now he finds himself at the forefront of the next wave for the Americans after most of the core of the national team at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics retired.
Stanford’s Akash Modi, the reigning NCAA champion, began the night with the best chance at chasing down Moldauer but ended up fourth thanks to significant form breaks on pommel horse and high bar.
“I wouldn’t say it was a terrible day,” Modi said. “I just wasn’t really ‘on.’ I didn’t attack.”
Olympic bronze medalist Alex Naddour likely locked up a spot on the six-man world championship team with a 15.250 on pommel horse, his signature event. Naddour made an “I see you” gesture after nailing his dismount on pommels, a nod to the rest of the field that awaits at the world championships in Montreal in October.
“Wanted to let them know I’m coming for them,” Naddour said. “It’s not going to be easy this year.”
Donnell Whittenburg went through another uneven night but finished with a flourish, posting a 14.850 on still rings and a 15.000 on vault to surge past Modi and into third. The importance of reaching the all-around podium wasn’t lost on Whittenburg, a stunning omission from the Olympic team last summer. Will Graves is an Associated Press writer.