American Cup 2019: Gymnastics Dates, Schedule, Live Stream and Preview
Yul Moldauer will hope to defend the American Cup when 2019's event begins on Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in North Carolina.
Moldauer took the men's title ahead of Great Britain's James Hall 12 months ago at the Hoffman Estates in Illinois. Hall is back to compete in the all-round gymnastics final again, as is Japan's Kenzo Shirai and Petro Pakhniuk of Ukraine.
There will be a new champion in the women's event, with last year's winner Morgan Hurd not scheduled to compete. Instead, Canada's Ellie Black will be among the favourites for the cup.
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Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET. 6:30 a.m. GMT.
TV Info: Olympic Channel. NBC.
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra. USA Gymnastics on YouTube.
Ticket information and athlete profiles are available at the competition's official website.
Hall will be looking to build on his strong showing in 2018. The intense nature of the event gives him six different opportunities to impress.
He was outstanding on the pommel horse in Illinois and also thrived on the high bar. Moldauer was also strong in these events as he finished in either the gold, silver or bronze positions on all six types of apparatus.
He was at his best on the still rings.
The 22-year-old has won this prize the last two years running and will take some beating.
If there's an obvious rival for Black, it's sure to be USA's Grace McCallum. She is planning a "brand-new floor routine" this weekend, according to Gymnastics.Sport.
The same source noted how McCallum is setting her sights on a place at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. A strong showing on home soil would go a long way to boosting the chances for the 16-year-old, who is already a world team champion for her country.
McCallum isn't the only young American Gymnast set to compete. There will also be a senior debut for fellow teenager Leanne Wong. The 15-year-old already has the U.S. junior all-round title to her credit.
It won't be easy for any member of the women's field to outperform Black, though. She won silver at the World Championships in 2017, and the 23-year-old has the experience to hold her nerve when it counts this weekend.
Japan's Mai Murakami could also impress the judges after finishing second to Hurd last year. Murakami was strong across all four apparatuses, particularly impressing on the vault and in the floor exercise.
While there is strong competition in both fields, Moldauer and Black appear primed to grade higher than the rest.
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