IT WAS ONLY a matter of time, but the place hap- pened to be the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. That’s where
Rebecca Bross, who came painfully
close to winning the U.S. and
world titles last year, effectively took
control of American gymnastics at
the Visa Championships, Aug. 11-
14. This October, she can earn further redemption at the world championships in Rotterdam.
Make no mistake, the moment that defending champion Bridget Sloan announced that
she would compete only on balance beam, the
meet became more of a coronation than a
competition. And while Sloan nursed an ankle
sprain and sore pectoral muscle, Bross ran
away with the Visa championships to win her
first U.S. senior all-around title.
It may not be her last. In Hartford, she never
missed a routine and amassed a 2.20 lead
over Mattie Larson after prelims. In finals, she
ended up winning by 3. 30, again over Larson.
Bross, who also won golds on uneven bars
and balance beam (standing Arabian; front
aerial, flip-flop layout; switch ring leap; side
somi; front somi; Arabian double front dismount), never lost her focus until after she
stuck her tucked full-out off bars (Tkatchev,
Jaeger, Pak), her last event in the finals. That’s
when she melted into the arms of coach Valeri
Liukin. Then, grinning ear to ear, she high-fived front-row fans as she returned to her
seat.
“I was very happy,” said Bross, who turned
17 on July 11. “It finally struck me that the
meet was over and I made all my events and I
was the champion.”
JEFF SIPSEY (RAISMAN); DEBBIE POE (LARSON)
In retrospect, it might not have mattered if
Sloan had competed. Bross had the most difficulty by far, with three of her events exceeding 6.0 in D-score. (Her double-twisting
Yurchenko began at 5. 8.) No other all-arounder had more than one D-score of 6.0
or better.
When asked where Bross got her toughness, Liukin couldn’t say for sure. “Maybe she
LEFT:After her strong senior debut at the
2010 American Cup, third-place Alexandra
Raisman (Brestyan’s) continued to impress
with eight hit routines in Hartford.
OPPOSITE: Finally healthy, Mattie Larson (All
Olympia) grabbed the floor exercise title on
her way to the all-around silver.
