Stanford’s Malone in 1st after 4 events
The rise of gymnast Brody Malone is no fluke.
The 20yearold NCAA and national champion surged to the lead at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Thursday night in St. Louis, posting an allaround score of 85.250 to make a compelling case to be on the plane to Tokyo regardless of how things go during Saturday night’s finals.
The Stanford standout finished in the top three on four events, putting up the top score on high bar, tying for the best score on floor exercise and finishing second on still rings and third on parallel bars.
Shane Wiskus was second at 84.300, followed by 2017 national champion Yul Moldauer and twotime Olympian Sam Mikulak.
The allaround leader following Saturday night’s finals will automatically earn a spot on the team, with the runnerup also guaranteed a spot provided they finish in the top three in at least three events.
Men’s highperformance director Brett McClure said the emphasis for the fourman team will be on the top all-arounders, and the quartet of Malone, Mikulak and Moldauer have made a pretty compelling case for themselves over the past three weeks.
Malone, Mikulak and Moldauer finished in the top three at the national championships in Fort Worth, Texas, this month. Wiskus was on his way to joining them before a nightmarish turn on high bar in the finals, when he fell three times to tumble all the way to ninth.
There were no major miscues this time around. Not by Wiskus nor any of the other top contenders. Moldauer, hobbled by back spasms at nationals that cost him on pommel horse, bounced back by drilling his pommel horse set, his 14.050 the secondhighest score on the event of the night.
“Horse is all about fighting,” Moldauer said. “You’re never going to feel like you have the same rhythm at practice. So it’s all about fighting.”
Mikulak, a sixtime national champion, lacked his usual polish on pommel horse and parallel bars. Yet he seemed far more steady than he was during the opening night at nationals three weeks ago.
“It was much better than my Day 1 of (U.S.) championships, but it wasn’t still like those really polished, refined routines except for floor,” Mikulak said.
Alec Yoder proved a fan favorite on pommel horse. The crowd near him roaring as he powered his way from side to side, Yoder let out a yell as he drilled his set, his 15.050 easily the best of the night on an event that has long been a trouble spot for most Americans.
Track and field: Jessica Ramsey won the shot put for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, breaking the meet record and her personal best at 66 feet, 01⁄4 inches at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Ramsey will be joined on the Olympic team by Raven Saunders (656) and Adelaide Aquilla (6221⁄4).
Emma Coburn beat her own meet record in the women’s 3,000meter steeplechase to clinch her Olympic spot. Her 9:09.41 put her ahead of secondplace Courtney Frerichs and thirdplace Val Constien, the holder of the U.S. record.
Concern in Japan:
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito is “extremely worried” that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics could accelerate the spread of the coronavirus, the head of the Imperial Palace said Thursday.
The Tokyo Games, which begin next month, will bring thousands of foreign athletes, officials, sponsors and journalists to Japan during a pandemic, despite caution raised by experts about the risk of infections and the public’s persistent calls for cancellation or further postponement.
Yasuhiko Nishimura, grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency, told a news conference that the emperor has voiced concerns.
“His majesty is extremely worried about the current situation of the COVID19 infections,” Nishimura said. “While there are voices of unease among the public, I believe (the emperor) is concerned that holding the Olympics and Paralympics … may lead to the expansion of the infections.”
The delayed games open July 23, and the Paralympics begin a month later.
The emperor is the symbol of the state with no political power. But like his father, Naruhito has gained broad popularity and his words are highly respected.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is determined to hold the Olympics despite concerns from the public and public health experts.
Briefly: Twotime defending tennis champion Andy Murray will attempt to win his third consecutive Olympic gold medal after being named to the British team. Murray, 34, will compete in singles and doubles at the Tokyo Olympics, his fourth games overall . ... Canadian basketball player Kim Gaucher, 37, said she is being “forced to decide between being a breastfeeding mom or an Olympic athlete.” COVID19 rules prevent her from bringing her daughter, Sophie, who was born in March, to the Tokyo Olympics. Gaucher said Olympic organizers have said “no friends, no family, no exceptions.”