American Cup 2018: Gymnastics Dates, Schedule, Live Stream and Preview

Saturday sees the start of the 2018 American Cup, which features an impressive list of gymnasts from all over the world.

In the men's event, there will be plenty of star quality on view as Japan's Olympic gold medallist Kenzo Shirai leads the field. Brazil's Francisco Barretto Junior and Ukraine's Petro Pakhnyuk will also compete, while defending champion Yul Moldauer will carry United States' hopes along with Allan Bower.

Morgan Hurd, the world all-around champion, features for United States in the women's event along with compatriot Maile O'Keefe. Japan's Mai Murakami will also compete and is the 2017 world floor champion.

The American Cup is a one-day competition that pits some of the best gymnasts in the world against each other as they bid for men's and women's all-around titles.

Here's a look at how you can watch all the action as well as a preview of Saturday's competition.

Where: Sears Centre Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

When: Saturday, March 3, at 10:30 a.m. ET

Watch/Live Stream: NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra 

Full details about the event can be found at the American Cup official's website.

Gymnasts to watch

Kenzo Shirai

Shirai picked up his first world all-around medal in October 2017, as he clinched bronze behind China's Xiao Ruoteng and Chaopan Lin at the FIG World Championships in Montreal, Canada.

The 21-year-old also took home gold medals in the vault as well as the floor event, where he successfully defended his title.

Shirai is best-known for his incredible twists and even has several moves named after him.

Here he is in action, courtesy of Federation Internationale de Gymnastique on Twitter:

The Japanese athlete is also an Olympic medallist, having won bronze in the vault and gold in the team event at the 2016 Rio Games.

Shirai's titles ensure he is the headline name in the men's event and certainly has the talent and the experience to win the American Cup for the first time in his career.

Yul Moldauer

Moldauer already knows what it takes to win the American Cup, and he will be out to defend his title. The 21-year-old was also in action in Montreal, clinching bronze in the floor event and finishing seventh in the all-round competition.

It was the first time Moldauer had entered the tournament, and his all-round performance was the highest finish by a male American athlete since 2003, per Karen Price at Team USA.

University of Oklahoma coach Mark Williams also noted how he is in good form:

Moldauer has been propelled to the forefront of American gymnastics after his win at this event last year and will be aiming to be the first man to retain the title since Jonathan Horton in 2007.

Morgan Hurd

In the women's event, America's Hurd has been thrust into the global spotlight after winning a shock gold medal in Montreal.

The 16-year-old has enjoyed a whirlwind rise to the top, but she is not your usual gymnast. Her braces and glasses make her stand out from the crowd, and she hopes she can provide inspiration to others:

She has also said goodbye to her braces:

The women's event usually sees an American finish top of the pile, and all eyes will be on Hurd on Saturday to see if she can continue the rapid ascent that has already brought her great success.