U.S. athletes win at American Cup

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Americans Morgan Hurd and Yul Moldauer won all-around gold medals Saturday at the American Cup, the first major international gymnastics competition of 2018.

The American Cup comes at a time when USA Gymnastics is in crisis. The organization is reeling from the conviction of former national team doctor Larry Nassar, who will spend the rest of his life in prison on charges ranging from sexual molestation to possession of child pornography.

More than 200 women, including reigning Olympic champion Simone Biles and six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman, have come forward over the past 18 months to reveal they were victims of his abuse.

USA Gymnastics removed its board of directors in January under pressure by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Raisman filed a lawsuit against both organizations.

“It has impacted us as gymnasts a little, but we’re sticking together as gymnasts toward our goals,” Hurd said. “We’re just focusing on our gymnastics and that’s it . ... We just want to do our job and get our goals done.”

Kerry Perry, who took over as president and CEO of USA Gymnastics in December, made a videotaped statement played on an arena screen before the start of the event.

Perry highlighted several “bold decisions and actions” taken by USA Gymnastics in her 90 days on the job, including closing the national team training center known as Karolyi Ranch and creating an assistance fund for survivors of sexual abuse and a toll-free hotline to report abuse.

Hurd is a 16-year-old high school junior from Middletown, Del. She won her second major international all-around title with a consistent performance, outscoring runner-up Mai Murakami of Japan 56.59955.633.

Moldauer, 21, is the reigning national champion from Norman, Okla. He completed the U.S. sweep, winning the men’s all-around while placing in the top three in all six events to repeat his 2017 American Cup championship.