Julia Abel Director of Gymnastics Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Julia Abel Director of Gymnastics Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Two gymnasts from Illinois, Brandon Dang and Alex Diab, have earned medals at the FIG World Cup Series in Baku, Azerbaijan. Competing for Team USA in men's gymnastics from March 6-9, both athletes marked their first international competitions of the season with success.
Alex Diab, specializing in still rings, began his journey on March 6 by securing second place in the qualifiers with a score of 14.000. He maintained his performance level during the finals on March 8, achieving a score of 13.766 to earn a bronze medal.
Brandon Dang made an impressive debut for USA Gymnastics by finishing first in the qualification round with a score of 14.300. Despite tying with fellow American Patrick Hoopes, Dang's higher execution score served as the tiebreaker. In the event finals on March 9, he improved his difficulty score by 0.2 points and claimed first place with a final score of 14.633.
Head coach Daniel Ribeiro praised their performances: "What an incredible showing for the Illini at the Baku World Cup," he said. "Both Brandon and Alex represented the Fighting Illini with pride! For Brandon to win both prelims and finals in his first international meet of his career shows how ahead of the game this young man is."
Looking ahead, Dang will compete next at another FIG World Cup Series event in Antalya, Turkey from March 20-23. Diab's upcoming international competition will take place in Osijek, Croatia from April 10-13.
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