Back to back all-around World Champion Simone Biles has accepted her invitation to compete in the 2015 AT&T American Cup on March 7 in Arlington, Texas. 

 

The AT&T American Cup is part of the International Gymnastics Federation's all-around World Cup series. The other two meets in this series are the Stuttgart World Cup that took place on Nov. 30 and the Glasgow World Cup that took place on Dec. 6. Larisa Iordache of Romania won gold at both of these competitions and will look to fight for the AT&T American Cup title. 

 

Gymnasts are invited to compete at these World Cup competitions based on their performances at the most recent World Championships. The full field of competitors will be announced in early 2015.

Biles recently competed at the 2014 World Championships in Nanning, China where she won six medals to add to her tally of 9 World gold medals total. She also defended her all-around gold medal, becoming the first U.S. woman since Shannon Miller in 1993-1994 to win back to back World all-around golds.

 

 

Full press release via USAG below

 

Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, who just became the first U.S. woman in 20 years to win two straight World all-around titles, has accepted the invitation to compete in the 2015 AT&T American Cup, scheduled for March 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  Featuring the world’s best gymnasts in a one-day all-around competition, the AT&T American Cup is the USA’s most prestigious international invitational and part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series.  Biles will be in the Dallas metropolitan area Dec. 20-21 to promote the AT&T American Cup, including visits to area gymnastics clubs.

 

“Simone is known for her ‘big’ gymnastics skills, and AT&T Stadium will be an incredible stage for her to take on the world’s best at the AT&T American Cup,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics.  “This guarantees to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for athletes and spectators alike.”

 

Invitations to compete in the AT&T American Cup are based on performances at the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships, held last October in Nanning, China. The balance of the field will be announced in early 2015. The AT&T American Cup became an FIG all-around World Cup event in 2011.  The Nastia Liukin Cup, which showcases many of the country’s top Junior Olympic female gymnasts, also will be held at AT&T Stadium on March 6, 2015, in conjunction with the AT&T American Cup.

 

Biles’ six World gold medals surpass the five owned by Shannon Miller, and her career total of nine World medals ties the mark held by Nastia Liukin and Miller, which is exceeded only by Alicia Sacramone’s 10 medals.  Biles’ World medals are:  gold – all-around (2013-14), balance beam (2014), floor exercise (2013-14) and team (2014); silver – vault (2013-14); and bronze – balance beam (2013).

 

When she won the World all-around gold earlier this year, Biles became the first U.S. woman since Miller (1993-94) and the first woman since Svetlana Khorkina (2001, 2003) to win back-to-back World all-around titles.  At the World Championships in Nanning, China, she helped the U.S. Team to its second consecutive and fourth overall World team title.  Biles also won the balance beam and floor exercise gold medals and the vault silver.  She is the first woman to win four gold medals at a single World Championships since the Soviet Union’s Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1974.

 

Domestically, Biles captured her second straight U.S. all-around title, as well as added the U.S. vault and floor exercise titles, at the 2014 P&G Championships.  She also was the co-silver medalist for the balance beam. For the first half of 2014, Biles was selected to represent the USA at both the AT&T American Cup and Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships but withdrew due to injury.

 

At the 2013 P&G Championships, Biles won her first U.S. senior all-around title, as well as the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise silver medals. At the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, she became the first African-American gymnast and only the seventh American woman to win a World all-around crown. She also earned gold in the individual floor exercise after completing a stunning double layout half out, which is now officially named “The Biles” because she is the first woman to successfully perform the skill in a World Championship or Olympic competition. Biles placed second in the vault, third on the balance beam and fourth in the uneven bars.  She was the first U.S. woman since Shannon Miller in 1991 to qualify for the all-around and all four individual event finals at a World Championships. 

 

About the 2015 AT&T American Cup

Tickets for the 2015 AT&T American Cup are on sale and range in price from $35-$250.  Tickets may be purchased online through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. For group (10+ people) sales information, please call AT&T Stadium group sales at (817) 892-8688.  Discounted tickets are also available through local gym clubs that participate in the Club Ticket Sales Program.  For more information, go to attamericancup.com. 

 

2015 marks the first time this iconic event has been held in a football stadium. Several past American Cup champions hail from the Dallas area: 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin, who won the American Cup in 2006 and 2008; 2004 Olympic all-around champion Carly Patterson, who won the American Cup in 2003-04; three-time World champion Kurt Thomas, who won the American Cup in 1978-80; and 1991 World all-around champion and 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Kim Zmeskal, who won the American Cup in 1990 and 1992.

 

The 2014 AT&T American Cup champions are Elizabeth Price of Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes, and Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Michigan).  In addition to Liukin, Patterson, Thomas and Zmeskal, the impressive list of former American Cup champions also includes Bart Conner, Tim Daggett, Paul Hamm, Jonathan Horton, Shawn Johnson, Danell Leyva, Miller, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar and Jordyn Wieber. Past sites for the American Cup include: New York City (1976-80, 1982-84, 2004, 2008, 2012); Ft. Worth, Texas (1981, 1996-98); Indianapolis, Ind. (1985); Fairfax, Va. (1986-90, 2003); Orlando, Fla. (1991-94, 2000-02); Seattle, Wash. (1995); St. Petersburg, Fla. (1999); Uniondale, N.Y. (2005); Philadelphia (2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (2007, 2011); Hoffman Estates, Ill. (2009); Worcester, Mass. (2010, 2013); and Greensboro, N.C. (2014).

 

Held in conjunction with the AT&T American Cup, the Nastia Liukin Cup is named after Liukin, who has five Olympic and nine World medals to her credit.  The annual event features gymnasts who qualify through the Nastia Liukin Cup Series, which includes 25 of the country’s top invitationals held in January and February. Past sites for the Nastia Liukin Cup are Worchester, Mass. (2010, 2014), Jacksonville, Fla. (2011), New York City (2012) and Greensboro (2014).  Tickets for the Nastia Liukin Cup will go on sale to the public early next year.


Related:
Stuttgart World Cup Results
Glasgow World Cup Results