The 2015 Brazil World Challenge Cup will take place this weekend in Sao Paolo, Brazil. This competition is the fourth FIG World Challenge Cup of the season and will feature qualifications and individual event finals. 

Akash Modi and John Orozco will represent USA in this competition, looking to earn individual medals. 

This competition will be important to the Brazilian team as they prepare for the 2016 Olympics in their home country. Gymnasts to look out for from Brazil include first year senior Flavia Saraiva who won the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. On the men's side, 2012 Olympic rings champion Arthur Zanetti and Worlds floor champion Diego Hypolito are scheduled to compete.


Press release via FIG:

Gymnasts from 14 countries -- eight of them Central or South American -- have registered to take part in the fourth FIG World Challenge Cup of the 2015 season. The competition will be especially important for the Brazilian team, which carries high hopes for the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

 

It's been almost a decade since São Paolo has hosted a World Cup in Gymnastics, and the Brazilians are taking full advantage of the opportunity. The federation has entered the maximum number of athletes, in addition to having two men and two women (Caio Souza and Lucas Bitencourt and Milena Theodoro and Julie Sinmon, respectively) compete exhibition routines only. 2014 Youth Olympic Games star Flavia Saraiva, who will make her senior international debut in São Paolo, competing on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise, where she won the Youth Olympic title last summer in Nanjing (CHN).

 

2012 Olympic Still Rings champion Arthur Zanetti and two-time World Floor champion Diego Hypolito will be among the favorites for event titles on their specialties, while rising star Arthur Oyakawa Mariano, absent from the American Cup due to injury, will compete on Floor and Vault, two of his best events.

 

Brazil is still without star Sergio Sasaki, who tore his ACL at the Glasgow World Cup in December but hopes to recuperate in time to help his team qualify for the 2016 Olympics at this fall's World Championships, which ironically for him will also be held in Glasgow.

 

Other international stars set to compete in São Paolo include 2009 World Pommel Horse champion Zhang Hongtao (CHN), Shang Chunsong (CHN), vaulting sensation Yamilet Pena (DOM), Mexican national champion Elsa Garcia and Chile's Tomas Gonzalez, who is especially strong on Floor and Vault. The large German contingent includes stars Fabian Hambuechen and Elisabeth Seitz, both of whom opted to skip the recent European Championships, as well as Uneven Bars star Sophie Scheder and second year senior Leah Griesser.