Biles, Hernandez win all-around titles at 2015 Secret U.S. Classic

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 25, 2015 – Two-time World and U.S. champion Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, won the senior all-around title for the second straight year at the 2015 Secret U.S. Classic on July 25 at the Sears Centre Arena. 2012 Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Buckeye Gymnastics, was second, and Maggie Nichols of Little Canada, Minn./Twin City Twisters, finished third. Earlier in the day, Lauren Hernandez of Old Bridge, N.J./MG Elite, captured the junior all-around title. The next stop for the women is the 2015 P&G Championships, Aug. 13-16 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Biles won this year’s title with a 62.400, as well as the vault, balance beam and floor gold medals. Douglas, who was making her return to competition in the USA for the first time since the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, posted a 60.500 for the silver. Nichols earned the bronze with a 60.000. Bailie Key of Montgomery, Texas/Texas Dreams, edged out two-time 2012 Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, for fourth (59.450 to 59.050). This was also Raisman’s competitive return on U.S. soil.

Biles began on the balance beam where she added a front half. She was clean through a back handspring, layout, layout series and dismounted with a full-twisting double back. On floor, she played to the crowd as she soared through a layout full-out, known as the Biles, a double-double and a full in. She performed two vaults. First was a clean Amanar. Her second vault was a Yurchenko half-on, front layout half off. Closing on the uneven bars, she capped of her all-around win with a stuck full out dismount.

On the bars, Douglas wasted no time displaying her trademark big-air, flying high on a piked Tkatchev to a Pak Salto. She ended with a double layout. Beam was clean and solid, as she executed a piked front, standing tucked full and a double pike dismount. In rotation three, she moved to the floor where she controlled her landings well. Her first tumbling pass was an Arabian double front to stag jump. She performed a Yurchenko double twist on vault.

Nichols debuted an Amanar vault in the first rotation. On bars, she connected a Pak salto to a Maloney with a half twist. She dismounted with a double layout. In the final rotation, Nichols mounted with a tucked double-double on the floor exercise.

Madison Kocian of Dallas/WOGA had the top bars score at 15.600.

In the junior competition, Hernandez won the all-around with a 58.450 total. Hernandez also won the vault (14.900) and uneven bars (15.000) titles, along with the bronze medals for balance beam (14.200) and floor exercise (14.350, tie). Ragan Smith of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, was second at 57.700, with Jazmyn Foberg of Bayville, N.J./MG Elite, coming in third at 57.400. Foberg was the balance beam champion (14.650), and Smith took top honors for floor (15.000).

The Secret U.S. Classic served as both a final tune-up for the P&G Gymnastics Championships and the final qualifier for gymnasts hoping to qualify for the P&G Championships, the national championships for USA Gymnastics and the event that determines the U.S. champions and the U.S. National Team. For more information, go to pgchamps.com.

USA Gymnastics partnered with World Sport Chicago on this event. The two organizations have worked together on the 2009 American Cup, the 2009-10 Chicago Cup, and the U.S. Classic since 2010.

Background information

  • Sears Centre Arena. Sears Centre Arena is an 11,000-seat multipurpose family entertainment, cultural, and sports arena located in Hoffman Estates’ Prairie Stone Business Park. The Sears Centre Arena, which opened in 2006, is designed to accommodate a variety of events including concerts, family shows and sporting events. For more information regarding the Sears Centre Arena and upcoming events, please visit the arena’s website at www.searscentre.com.
  • World Sport Chicago. World Sport Chicago, the legacy of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid, believes that sport has the power to transform lives and is dedicated to helping children in Chicago find a sport to meet their interests and abilities. The organization promotes the Olympic ideals of fitness, education and well-being by working with partner organizations to launch or expand sport programs for kids. WSC is working to introduce Chicago’s youth to the fun and benefit of sports and the ideals of fair play, teamwork, respect and leadership. For more information, go to –www.worldsportchicago.org.

2015 Secret U.S. Classic
Sears Centre Arena
Hoffman Estates, Ill.
July 25, 2015
Final results

Senior all-around
1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 62.400
2. Gabrielle Douglas, Tarzana, Calif., 60.500
3. Maggie Nichols, Little Canada, Minn., 60.000
4. Bailie Key, Montgomery, Texas, 59.450
5. Alexandra Raisman, Needham, Mass., 59.050
6. Alyssa Baumann, Plano, Texas, 56.950
7. MyKayla Skinner, Gilbert, Ariz., 55.500
8. Lexy Ramler, St. Michael, Minn., 52.500
9. Alaina Kwan, Cypress, Calif., 51.800
10. Taylor Lawson, Macungie, Pa., 51.750
11. Kylie Dickson, Los Angeles, Calif., 51.550

Junior all-around
1. Lauren Hernandez, Old Bridge, N.J., 58.450
2. Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 57.700
3. Jazmyn Foberg, Bayville, N.J., 57.400
4. Gabby Perea, Geneva, Ill., 55.550
5. Deanne Soza, Orem, Utah, 55.500
6. Shilese Jones, Covington, Wash., 55.200
7. Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, Groveland, Fla., 55.150
8. Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash., 55.050
9. Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del., 55.000
10. Christina Desiderio, Hackettstown, N.J., 54.950
11. Abby Paulson, Coon Rapids, Minn., 54.600
12. Emma Malabuyo, San Jose, Calif., 54.000
13. Maile O’Keefe, Las Vegas, Nev., 53.950
14. Maggie Musselman, Crownsville, Md., 53.900
15. Abigail Walker, Carrollton, Texas, 53.650
16. Trinity Thomas, York, Pa., 53.150
17. Emily Gaskins, Coral Springs, Fla., 53.000
18. Tori Tatum, Chanhassen, Minn., 52.900
19. Elena Arenas, Bishop, Ga., 52.850
20. Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo., 52.750