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MyKayla Skinner, Sam Mikulak and Donnell Whittenburg Join Simone Biles for the American Cup

USA Gymnastics has announced the rest of the field for the upcoming American Cup, being held March 7 in Dallas, Texas.

Two time world champion, Simone Biles accepted the invitation to compete before the end of 2014, joining her will be her teammate and 2014 vault bronze medalist, MyKayla Skinner. Last year's men's American Cup champ, Sam Mikulak is accepting the invitation for the men for the second year in a row, he will be joined by his teammate, Donnell Whittenburg.


Other notable names include former world champion, Vanessa Ferrari of Italy and Venzuela's Jessica Lopez, who won the silver medal at the Stuttgart World Cup behind Romania's Larisa Iordache, at 28, she placed 8th at the World Championships in Nanning, China, further dispelling the myth that gymnastics is a sport for tween girls. Great Britain is sending Claudia Fragapane who won the all-around at 2014 Commonwealth games and is known for her high octane floor routine to a Chemical Brothers song.

Past winners of the American Cup include Olympic and world champions  Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner, 2013 World silver medalist, Jake Dalton, 2011 World All-around champion and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, Jordyn Wieber. Last year's winner, Elizabeth "Ebee" Price won the FIG World Cup series and has recently started her career as an NCAA athlete at Stanford University.

Per USA Gymnastics, here are the competitors:

Men
  • Brazil: Arthur Oyakawa Mariano
  • Colombia: Jossimar Calvo 
  • Germany: Fabian Hambuechen
  • Great Britain: Daniel Purvis
  • Japan: Ryohei Kato
  • Japan: Yusuke Tanaka
  • Ukraine: Oleg Verniaiev
  • USA: Sam Mikulak
  • USA: Donnell Whittenburg


Women
  • Australia: Emily Little
  • Canada: Elsabeth Black
  • Great Britain: Claudia Fragapane
  • Great Britain: Ruby Harrold
  • Italy: Erika Fasana
  • Italy: Vanessa Ferrari
  • USA: Simone Biles
  • USA: MyKayla Skinner
  • Venezuela: Jessica Lopez



The American Cup will be held Saturday, March 7 in Dallas, Texas at the AT&T Stadium (also known as the home of the Dallas Cowboys for NFL fans). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit USAgym.org.


















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