Visa Championships
The Visa Gymnastics Championships are the premier annual championships for USA Gymnastics. National champions and national teams for both men and women are determined annually at the Visa Championships. For 2011, the Championships have been awarded to to Saint Paul, Minnesota and will take place in the Xcel Energy Center. The four-day competition is scheduled for August 17-20.
Every year, The Visa Championships showcase the top American elite gymnasts. Past USA National Champions include successful World and Olympic gymnasts Mary Lou Retton,
Kim Zmeskal, Kurt Thomas, Bart Conner, Cathy Rigby,
Dominique Dawes, John Roethlisberger, Blaine Wilson,
Shannon Miller, Kristin Maloney, Elise Ray,
Tasha Schwikert,
Courtney Kupets, Paul Hamm,
Nastia Liukin,
Shawn Johnson,
Jonathan Horton, and
Bridget Sloan.
In 2010, we saw the return of 2008 Olympian
Alicia Sacramone as she captured the vault title. The 2010 All Around National Champion for the women was
Rebecca Bross of WOGA and Jonathan Horton of Cypress has won the men's title the past 2 years. In the junior divisions,
Kyla Ross won her second straight all around title, and
Sam Mikulak and
Sean Melton won junior men's all around titles.
The Visa Championships 2011 edition will be highlighted by the comeback of 2008 Olympic gold medallist
Shawn Johnson and 2004 Olympic Champion Paul Hamm. This will be Johnson's first competition since Beijing. Other gymnasts to watch include American Cup Champion Jordyn Wieber, World medallist
Alexandra Raisman, first year senior
McKayla Maroney, and men's World team members
Danell Leyva,
Steven Legendre,
Brandon Wynn, and
Chris Brooks. The competition will be a great preview of the American talent leading into the 2012 London Olympics.
Be sure to check out last year's coverage of the Visa Championships in Hartford. Browse results, watch podium training videos, routine videos, or view interviews from your favorite gymnasts from the 2010, or the 2009 competition.
