The 2023 Pan American Championships, held in Santiago, Chile, served as a qualifying event for the 2023 World Championships in Belgium later this year.
Team USA and Brazil, who placed first and third respectively in the team final, were pre-qualified for the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships based on their performances in 2022. Joining them for the chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics are Colombia and Canada.
Though USA did not bring their full A-list roster, the men swept the competition by bringing home 10 medals, including six of eight available gold medals. Veteran, Yul Moldauer – the only man competing who had previously won a world medal, was single-handedly responsible for 5 of those medals. With upgraded routines, he confidently took the coveted all-around title with a score of 84.2 - a score good enough to medal at the World Championships should he make the team later this year.
Significantly improving on their score from qualifications, Canada moved from fourth to win the silver medal. Troubles on event finals day including multiple falls on the pommel horse, kept many from Team Canada from winning an individual medal. Their sole medal winner was standout William Emard on still rings.
Having previously qualified to the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships, Brazil did not field their A-team for Pan-Ams. They were led to the podium by relative newcomer, Yuri Guimaraes. In Guimares' debut at the Pan American Championships, he also brought home three individual medals in the all-around, floor, and vault.
Colombia missed out on a podium finish by a little over .8 of a point but still managed to snag the final spot in the upcoming World Championships. Like many of the other teams competing, they did not have all their star performers. Notably missing was Josimar Calvo Moreno. Still, they improved their score both from the World Championships and Pan-Ams qualifications.
As first reported by The Gymternet, individual gymnasts who qualified for the World Championships later this year include: Isaac Nuñez, Joel Alvarez, Andres Perez, Santiago Mayo, Rodrigo Gómez, and Diorges Escobar Olmo.
Of note, Michael Reid (Jamaica) performed a new skill on the pommel horse in an international competition, meaning his name will be etched in the FIG Code of Points forever. Though he finally got a skill named after him, a goal he has had for many years, his performance did not allow him to qualify for the World Championships. In an interview with SportsMax, he said, "It wasn't the overall result I wanted, but it provides indications of what I need to work on in training for the rest of the season. That said, I am extremely happy and proud of my new skill, it has always been my dream to have a skill in the code, but I think doing it for Jamaica makes it even more important,"
Full results from the Pan American Championships can be found here
Article by: Kensley Behel
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