Completed Event: Men's Gymnastics versus Ohio State on April 17, 2026 , Win , 322.825, to, 320.294
Final
Men's Gymnastics
322.825
vs Ohio State
320.294
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Help Team USA Secure Olympic Berth
October 10, 2011 | Men's Gymnastics
October 10 , 2011
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TOKYO – The U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team advanced to the team finals of the 2011 World Championships on Monday after finishing in second place in the qualifying rounds in Tokyo, Japan. By advancing to the team finals on Oct. 12, the U.S. squad, which features four current and former University of Oklahoma gymnasts in its six-man lineup, secured a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
"It's been a tremendous feat for Team USA to finish second in the team qualifications at the 2011 World Championships,” said OU Head Coach Mark Williams, who is serving Team USA as an assistant coach. “It's an added reward that we secured a position in the 2012 Olympic Games from this team's outstanding performance.”
Oklahoma juniors Jake Dalton (second World Championship appearance) and Alex Naddour (first) and OU letterwinners Steven Legendre (third) and Jonathan Horton (fifth) are featured in the United States' six-man World Championship lineup. OU letterwinner Chris Brooks (second) is the team's one alternate.
With the second place finish in the qualifying rounds, the United States has been guaranteed a berth in the team portion of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Gymnasts will compete for spots on the Olympic Team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in San Jose, Calif., June 28-July 1.
Team USA scored a 361.583 in the qualifying round, finishing behind first-place Japan's 361.583. China, Germany, Russia, Korea, Romania and Ukraine followed the U.S. and secured spots in the team finals.
Individually, the top eight gymnasts on each event qualified for the event finals of the World Championships with a limit of two gymnasts per country for each event. Legendre, a 2011 OU graduate, qualified for the floor exercise finals after finishing in sixth place in qualifying with a 15.433.
OU letterwinner and 2008 Olympian Horton will compete in the still rings finals after taking fifth in the qualifier with a 15.366. Horton also took fifth place on the all-around portion of the qualifying rounds, but will not compete in the all-around finals as he finished behind fellow Americans John Orozco and Danell Leyva.
Current OU gymnasts Dalton and Naddour just fell short of qualifying for event finals with Dalton finishing in ninth on floor exercise and Naddour taking ninth on pommel horse.
The four Sooners in Team USA's lineup will all compete in the team finals of the World Championships, which will begin at 4 a.m. U.S. Central Standard Time on Oct. 12. Tokyo's time zone is 14 hours ahead of Oklahoma.
“Going into the team finals on Wednesday, this team has an opportunity to do some very special things,” said Williams. “The three up and three count format in finals make it so anything can happen. Consistency will be the key to the team's success."
Sooner fans can follow the action at the 2011 World Championships via the web, cable TV and network television. UniversalSports.com will have a live webcast of the team, all-around and individual event finals from Tokyo for $19.99. Universal Sports will show all of the finals on its cable network during prime time. Check local listings and contact your cable provider for more details.
NBC Sports will also include highlights from the men's competition during its broadcast of the women's all-around final at 1 p.m. on Oct. 16.
Information to the this article was contributed by USA Gymnastics
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