A. NCAA Intrasquads
December provides the first look into the 2023 - 2024 NCAA season. Army, Navy, Michigan, Illinois, William and Mary, Nebraska, Simpson, and Oklahoma have completed their intrasquads with Ohio State and the CGA’s East vs. West to come.
Neutral Deductions’ pick for exceptional gymnastics from last week’s intrasquad was Michigan’s Landen Blixt on vault. The sophomore stuck his vault for a total score of 15.10.
Photo Credit: Used with permission from the University of Michigan Athletic Department
Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, December 16 where the East meets the West in the CGA All-Stars Meet! The meet will be streamed live on YouTube at 5 pm ET.
B. Colin Van Wicklen Retired
2018 World Team Member and 5-time National Team Member, Colin Van Wicklen has retired. The 4-time NCAA champion said in his post that, “while it’s hard to officially call it quits, I’m thankful for the journey, the experiences, and the life long lessons I have learned along the way.”
C. Olympic Champion Welcomes New Baby
2012 Olympic Champion, Yang Hak Seon, welcomed his first child on December 7, 2023 at 9:29 am.
D. Illia Kovtun Underwent Surgery
Illia Kovtun’s longtime coach, Iryna Gorbacheva, revealed that the two-time world medalist underwent surgery on his foot in preparation of the busy 2024 season. According to the post, three months prior to his surgery, doctors told Kovtun that he shouldn’t even walk up stairs but Kovtun sought to compete with Ukraine at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships to earn a spot at the Olympic Games. Kovtun underwent two surgeries at once with the hope of alleviating the pain by at least 50%.
E. Canadian Men’s Gymnastics Team Start a Podcast
Felix Dolci and other members of the Canadian men’s gymnastics team started a podcast called The Rise Experience. Listen to their first episode below.
F. What Makes Eddie Penev Think
Nicole Langevin interviews Eddie Penev in a two-part series on his career with the United States and Bulgaria, including what happened on vault at the Szombathely World Cup.
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Article by: Kensley Behel
