Moldauer out to early lead

Yul Moldauer raced out to an early lead at the 2017 US Gymnastics championships, putting together six steady routines Thursday night to open up a sizable gap over reigning NCAA all-around champion Akash Modi and give him some serious momentum in his attempt to lock down a spot on the world championship team this fall.

Moldauer, who won the 2016 NCAA all-around title at Oklahoma and the American Cup earlier this year, posted a score of 86.650, nearly two points clear of Modi at 84.700. Allan Bower, a teammate of Moldauer’s at Oklahoma, is third. Donnell Whittenburg, struggled on pommel horse but finished with a flourish.