Oceanic Championships (May 6, 5:30pm local)
Men’s and women’s teams from Australia and New Zealand will go head-to-head to try to earn the 1 team spot available for Oceania at the 2023 world championship, with 2 all-around spots available in each division for whoever does not qualify as a team. Once again, the competition will be held as part of the Australian national championship, which runs over the next two weeks in the Gold Coast.
Because the future is 2006 now, this year’s competition looks like it will be live streamed on the Gymnastics Australia Facebook, as well as the SEN app.
Team Australia Women
Kate McDonald, Ruby Pass, Macy Pegoli, Kate Sayer, Breanna Scott
Team New Zealand Women
Ava Baddeley, Reece Cobb, Ava Fitzgerald, Madeleine Marshall, Keira Rolston-Larking
Team Australia Men
James Hardy, Mitchell Morgans, Clay Mason-Stephens, David Tanner, Heath Thorpe
Team New Zealand Men
Ethan Dick, Sam Dick, William Fu Allen, Misha Koudinov, Daniel Stoddart
Australian Elite Nationals (May 11 & 13, 4:30pm local)
Several days after the conclusion of the continental championships, the Australian athletes will be back in action competing for this year’s national championship. The second day of competition will be broadcast through the same avenues as the continental championship.
US Women’s Level 10 Nationals (May 12-14)
The developmental program national championship will be the final pre-college competition for those L10 athletes that will join NCAA teams next season, most of whom will compete in the Senior C-Senior F sessions.
At regionals, Denver signee Madison Ulrich (Senior D) had the top all-around score in the country with a 39.350. Among next year’s incoming college gymnasts, that put her just ahead of Georgia signee Lily Smith (Senior D), who scored a 10.000 on floor, as well as Oklahoma signee Hannah Scheible (Senior C), who scored a 10.000 on vault—as did fellow Oklahoma signee Keira Wells at her regional.
After missing nationals in 2023, Alabama is hoping for a strong event from next year’s class, with signees Chloe LaCoursiere, Gabrielle Ladanyi, and Jamison Sears all also among the top finishers at regionals. Meanwhile, a Florida team that’s now in need of some restocking will have hopes for Anya Pilgrim, who won two events at regionals (not to mention walk-on Kaylee Bluffstone who went 9.925 on vault), and a Utah team in a similar position has Ella Zirbes, who won three events at regionals.
Pan-American Championships (May 26-28)
By virtue of their successful performances at the 2022 world championship, the US, Canadian, and Brazilian women, as well as the US and Brazilian men, have already secured their team spots at 2023 worlds. That leaves just two team spots for each men and women available to be won at this month’s Pan-American Championship in Medellin, Colombia.
Last year on the women’s side, it was Argentina and Mexico that took those remaining spots, while it was Canada and Colombia on the men’s side.
In addition to the team spots, 11 women’s all-arounders and 6 men’s all-arounders will earn positions at worlds, and among those vying for the spots will be Lynnzee Brown, newly licensed to represent Haiti.
Men’s team qualification (which will act at the all-around and apparatus finals) is on the 26th, with women’s qualification (also acting as the all-around and apparatus finals) on the 27th, and both team finals will round out the meet on the 28th. The qualification days determine both the individual and team positions for worlds. The team finals are just for medals and have no worlds implications.
The US women’s team will be Joscelyn Roberson, Nola Matthews, Zoe Miller, Tiana Sumanasekera, and Addison Fatta, with Roberson (who was competing at the Cairo World Cup) joining the top 4 AAers from the selection camp competition.
African Championships (May 26-27)
For Africa, 1 team spot at worlds is available for both men and women, though 4 all-around spots are available for women versus 2 for men.
This year’s competition in Tshwane, South Africa, will be a two-day event, with the entire women’s competition on the 26th and the entire men’s competition on the 27th.
Last year, Egypt took the team spots for both men and women, in dominating fashion on the men’s side but in a close one against South Africa on the women’s side. Of the 4 women’s all-around spots, South Africa took 2 and Algeria took 2, while the 2 men’s all-around spots went to Algeria and Morocco.
The world’s current top bars scorer, Kaylia Nemour, will not be able to represent Algeria at this competition because the French federation did not release her to change nationalities—despite the FIG approving her nationality switch in July 2022. That means she has to wait one year and will not be able to represent Algeria at FIG competitions until July of this year.
Varna Challenge Cup (May 25-28)
While the American and African gymnasts are in continental championship mode, the European and Asian gymnasts will have a Challenge Cup to keep them busy where you can win a whole $900 prize money for a gold medal on an apparatus. Slow down, Rich Uncle Pennybags.
Zsofia Kovacs is registered for the women’s competition, along with Naomi Visser, and France’s Aline Friess slated to make her 2023 competition debut. For the men, Adem Asil and Artur Davtyan headline a field that is also set to include fan favorites Sofus Heggemsnes, Casimir Schmidt, and Benjamin Osberger.
Serie A Final Six (May 27-28)
Serie A will conclude at the end of the month with this year’s championship. The Brixia team has dominated everybody and everything in the women’s competition, though we know they will be without Asia D’Amato, who confirmed yesterday a torn ACL/meniscus from the Cairo World Cup that will keep her out for an extended period.
