Sooners Set for World Championships

NORMAN – Three University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics alumni and head coach Mark Williams are set for competition at the 2019 FIG World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, beginning Monday.

2019 alumnus Yul Moldauer and 2017 graduate Allan Bower are part of the six-man traveling team with USA Gymnastics. Williams will be serving as Team USA's head coach at the World meet. Moldauer is set to compete on the five-man competition team while Bower will serve as the alternate.

Moldauer, a seven-time individual national champion at OU and 18-time All-American, took 12th in the all-around and fourth in the floor exercise final at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. In 2017, the Arvada, Colo., native brought home his first Worlds' medal, taking bronze in the floor exercise event final.

Also competing at the World Championships for Team Jamaica will be 2015 OU alumnus Michael Reid. Reid, an NCAA champion on pommel horse for the Sooners in 2015, will be making his first World Championships appearance for the Jamaican National Team after securing his dual-citizenship last year and making the senior national team.

The men's meet will begin Monday morning at 3 a.m. CT with the team qualifying round. The championships will stretch throughout the next week, with the team final on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6:45 a.m. The men's all-around final is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 11 at 9 a.m. and individual event finals will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12-13, at 9 a.m. and 6 a.m., respectively.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma men's gymnastics, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_MGymnastics) and like Oklahoma Men's Gymnastics on Facebook.

2019 World Championships Schedule
Date	Event	Time (CT), Channel
Mon. Oct. 7	Team USA Men's Qualifying	3 a.m., Olympic Channel
Wed. Oct. 9	Men's Team Final	6:45 a.m., Olympic Channel
Fri. Oct. 11	Men's All-Around Final	9 a.m., Olympic Channel
Sat. Oct. 12	Event Finals Day 1 (FX, PH, SR)	9 a.m., Olympic Chanel
Sun. Oct. 13	Event Finals Day 2 (VT, PB, HB)	6 a.m., Livestream; 11 a.m. Olympic Channel (delayed)

QUOTABLE

Mark Williams, Team USA Head Coach

"Our first goal is to qualify the team to the Olympic Games. We're going to have to be in the top 12 for that to happen and hopefully we'll qualify into the team finals which would put us in the top eight. I think Yul will probably do all six events in the prelims and then at least three or four in the finals depending on how well he does in the prelims. He struggled a bit with preparation and staying free of injury, so we're hoping he's getting better as we get closer to competition and the rest of the team is doing the same. We're hoping to have another really good World Championships setting us up for the Olympic year."

Yul Moldauer, Team USA

On the Team USA mentality heading into Stuttgart:
"Our mentality is just get on that podium. As a team, for national team, we're pretty tired of being so close and I think this is our year to prove what we have. We have a young team, but we have an exciting young team. We all want the same goals. We're all going to work for what we need to be on that podium. Yes, we're going to focus on qualifying for the Olympics, but our main goal is really to get third, second or first as a team. That's something we've been talking about for years. At World Team trial camp, we kept asking ourselves, 'what are we going to do to really prove to the world that we can medal?' It's going to be fun, Jonathan Horton, Chris Brooks, OU alumni, they've all said that Stuttgart is one of the craziest and most fun places to compete. Germany has a lot of fans for gymnastics, it's almost like their number one sport. It's like their American football. This is important to them, so they're going to come out and be loud. There's going to be a lot of energy. I'm excited to go into that arena and see a full crowd."

On the team chemistry heading into an Olympic year:
"This team has probably been the closest it has been in a while. You know, me and Allan are teammates, Shane (Wiskus), Akash (Modi), Sam (Mikulak), Trevor (Howard), they've all been through the NCAA. We've all been in the same circle, being in the NCAA and pushing for the national team. It's nice knowing we have previous relationships so when we see each other, it's nothing different. We're all working towards the same goals and have the same mentality. We all work hard and want to represent the USA well. We're going to come and listen to Sam, he's the team captain and a veteran, and do all we can to help the same team."

Allan Bower, Team USA

On his training and mentality as the team alternate:
"Me and Yul have been working really hard in the gym the past couple of weeks. I'm just trying to prepare for if anything goes wrong, I'll be ready, but planning on going to watch some good gymnastics and supporting Team USA."

On his motivation heading into 2020:
"This is a different team this year, obviously, so we're going to see how the team chemistry is and this is a big year before the Olympics so it's really motivational for me. This is my third time being an alternate, so I'm not going to let it happen again next year, I'm excited for the training to come."

Michael Reid, Team Jamaica

On his training and focus going into his first meet with Team Jamaica:
"Training has been going well. This is my first international competition with Jamaica so of course it's exciting. The team has been great, there is always a good energy. I am just focused on an average hit. Nothing spectacular in the moment, just what I know I can do. And I've done enough at home that that is all I need. The goal here is to hit 2 routines. One to qualify to pommel finals, and one in finals to see where I end up. There is a very real opportunity for specialists to qualify for Tokyo here, so I am doing my best to stay locked in."

QUOTABLE

Mark Williams, Team USA Head Coach

Yul Moldauer, Team USA

Allan Bower, Team USA

Michael Reid, Team Jamaica

Players Mentioned

Yul Moldauer

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics