U.S. Championships Begin Wednesday

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Featured in the July/August issue of IG magazine, Shayla Worley and Jonathan Horton are taking aim at this week's U.S. Championships and the upcoming World Championships.

Worley is among 47 senior and junior women who have qualified to compete at the Visa (U.S.) Championships that will take place August 15-18 in San Jose. At stake are berths on the U.S. national team, and consideration for spots on the U.S. team for the World Championships that will take place Sept. 1-9 in Stuttgart.

Worley finished third all-around at the 2005 U.S. Junior Championships, but did not compete at the 2006 U.S. Senior Championships because of a hip injury.

"Of course, you just keep thinking about your goals," Worley told IG in the cover story. "You want to be an Olympic champion. You've got to push through these days. These are what make you stronger...and shape you as a gymnast."

The favorite for the senior title in San Jose is Shawn Johnson, a first-year senior who won the 2006 U.S. junior title and the 2007 American Cup and 2007 Pan American Nastia Liukin is the two-time defending champion but has not competed vault and floor since the 2006 U.S. Championships because of an ankle injury. Other top competitors include Jana Bieger, the 2006 world all-around silver medalist and U.S. all-around bronze medalist in 2005 and 2006; Chellsie Memmel, the 2005 world all-around champion and 2005 U.S. all-around silver medalist; Alicia Sacramone, the 2005 world floor exercise champion and 2006 U.S. vault and floor exercise champion; and Natasha Kelley, the 2005 U.S. junior champion and 2006 U.S. senior all-around silver medalist.

In the senior division at last month's U.S. Classic (a Visa Championships qualifying meet), first-year seniors Bridget Sloan and Christa Tanella placed first and second, repectively. Rheagan Courville won the junior division over Samantha Shapiro.

Horton, the 2006 and 2007 American Cup champion and 2006 U.S. Championships silver medalist, is among 86 senior and junior men qualified for the Visa Championships.

"You have to put yourself in that mind frame that every routine you do counts, even in practice," said Horton in the IG profile.

2006 U.S. champion Sasha Artemev and 2006 bronze medalist Guillermo Alvarez are also expected to challenge for the all-around title in San Jose. At the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, Artemev won the bronze medal on pommel horse, and Alvarez was the top American male all-arounder (18th place).

At a June qualifying competition for the Visa Championships, Alvarez won the all-around over Horton (second) and David Durante (third). Durante placed third at the 2005 U.S. Championships and sixth at the 2006 U.S. Championships.

Among the other veterans qualified for the Visa Championships are Paul Hamm, the 2003 world and 2004 Olympic all-around champion; Morgan Hamm, Paul's identical twin and fellow two-time Olympian. San Jose will mark the Hamms' return to competition, but they have indicated they do not plan on competing at the upcoming World Championships.

Other standouts include Justin Spring, the gold medalist on parallel bars at the recent Pan American Games, Sean Townsend, the 2001 world champion on parallel bars and 2001 U.S. all-around champion; Todd Thornton, the 2005 U.S. all-around champion; Kevin Tan, the U.S. team captain at the 2006 Worlds; and Yewki Tomita, who placed 25th all-around at the 1999 Worlds.

IG Online and IG Magazine will be on hand in San Jose, so look for upcoming coverage including live commentary.

International Gymnast magazine's featured coverage of Visa Championships qualifiers includes:

Jana Bieger
center poster (March 2007)
2006 World Championships special issue (December 2006)
"Daughter Dearest" - profile (November 2005)

Shawn Johnson
cover photo, 2007 American Cup coverage (April 2007)
"A Taste of China" - profile (November 2006)
cover photo, center poster, 2006 U.S. Championships coverage (October 2006)
"Shooting Star" - profile (January 2006)

Natasha Kelley
profile (March 2006)

Mattie Larson
"Meet a Real Show-stopper" - profile (November 2005)

Nastia Liukin
2006 U.S. Championships coverage (October 2006)
cover photo, 2005 World Championships special issue (January 2006)
cover photo, center poster, 2005 U.S. Championships coverage (October 2005)
cover photo (April 2005)
cover photo (June/July 2003)
"An Unstoppable Force" - profile (November 2002)

Chellsie Memmel
cover photo, center poster, 2005 World Championships special issue (January 2006)
center poster (January 2004)
cover photo, 2003 World Championships special issue (October 2003)
"Memmel's Magic" - profile (November 2002)
cover photo (October 2002)

Samantha Peszek
center poster (July/August 2007)
profile (November 2006)

Alicia Sacramone
interview (April 2006)
cover photo, 2005 World Championships special issue (January 2006)
"Coming on Strong" - profile (June/July 2004)

Samantha Shapiro
"Substance and Style" - profile (October 2006)

Amber Trani
"Star in the Making" - profile (March 2005)

Shayla Worley
"Back in Focus" cover story (July/August 2007)
center poster (July/August 2006)
"Model Gymnast" - profile (November 2004)

Sasha Artemev
2006 U.S. Championships coverage (October 2006)
"SuperNatural" - profile (May 2002)
"Relative Success" - includes Artemev family (December 1998)

Raj Bhavsar
"Double Crossed" - interview (March 2005)

David Durante
"All-Around Specialist" - interview (April 2005)

Tim Gentry
profile (April 2003)

Jonathan Horton
"Lessons Learned" - profile (July/August 2007)
cover photo, 2006 NCAA Championships report (May 2006)

Sean Golden
"Golden Rules" - profile (November 2005)

Morgan and Paul Hamm
"Virtual Comeback" - interview (April 2007)
2004 Olympics special issue (October 2004)
P. Hamm on cover, 2004 U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials coverage (August/September 2004)
"From Anaheim to Athens" - P. Hamm interview (March 2004)
P. Hamm on cover, 2003 World Championships special issue (October 2003)
"Glowing in Paul's Shadow (M. Hamm profile), 2003 U.S. Championships coverage (August/September 2003)
2002 U.S. championships coverage (October 2002)

Justin Spring
"Spring Loaded" - profile (February 2005)

Kevin Tan
"A Captain's Duties" - short profile (January/February 2007)

Todd Thornton
"Pride After the Fall" - short profile (March 2006)
cover photo, 2005 U.S. Championships coverage (October 2005)
"Finding His Form" - interview (May 2005)

Sean Townsend
interview (April 2007)
"Back on Track" - profile (December 2003)
"Quiet and Clear" - profile (March 2002)
Giant poster (January 2002)
2001 U.S. Championships coverage (October 2001)

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