2016 P&G Championships on the women's side kicked off today at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis with the first junior session.

Despite most of the attention being on the the seniors in this Olympic year, there are many very impressive juniors coming up the ranks. 

Maile O’Keefe of Salcianu Academy of Gymnastics has the lead after day one with a 57.050 all-around score. MG Elite’s Riley McCusker is in second with a 56.450, and in third is Gabby Perea of Legacy Elite with a 55.500.

Full results here.
Archived Live updates here.

Below are some of the top moments from the competition and routines you don't want to miss:
 

Maile O’Keefe’s Jam-Packed Beam Routine

O’Keefe has a beam set that is stacked with skills. She shows two different triple series in her routine, including a side aerial layout layout as well as a back handspring back handspring layout two feet. She was rock-solid throughout the routine, scoring a 14.85 which was the highest of the day.

Sloane Blakely’s Amazing Amplitude

While she doesn’t have the highest difficulty (5.2 compared to O’Keefe’s 6.3), Blakely performs beam with unimaginable ease. She makes us forget that the beam is just a four-inch piece of wood and not inherently springy. She scored a 13.450.

Sky-High Yurchenko Double Fulls

Chae Campbell, of Metroplex, started on vault and kicked off the meet on a high note. She blasted a giant double twisting Yurchenko and took a small hop on the landing. She scored a 14.9--the top score of the day. Unfortunately, she took a scary fall on bars and wasn’t able to finish the meet.



Kalyany Steele of Colorado Aerials Gymnastics Center and Shilese Jones of Buckeye Gymnastics also performed outstanding double twisting Yurchenkos. Steele's earned a 14.85 and Jones' a 14.8.

Emma Malabuyo Shining on Floor

This little Texas Dreamer is always one to watch on floor. The combination of her balletic elegance and impressive passes gives her an edge on this event. She scored a 14.25 before taking a tough fall on her Yurchenko double full on vault, which caused her to scratch the rest of the meet.

Superstar Swingers

Gabby Perea and Riley McCusker both performed stellar bar sets, displaying big skills while keeping precise form and technique throughout. The crowd loved them and so did the judges, awarding them the top two scores of the day.

Bars is undoubtedly one of Perea’s best events and she continues to shine time and time again, earning a 14.55 for her routine today.



McCusker came out with a 14.60—the top bars score of the day.


All videos via USA Gymnastics

The juniors will hit the floor again on Saturday at 1pm CT for day 2 of competition, which will determine the 2016 National Champions.


Related:
Juniors to Watch at Women's P&Gs
Jordan Chiles Out of P&G Championships, Ends Final Junior Season
Archived Updates: 2016 P&G Championships Juniors Day 1