Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast was part of the five-member U.S. men's gymnastics Olympic team selected Saturday after winning the all-around at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in St. Louis.
Mikulak's score of 362.750 was based on two days of competition at the Olympic Trials and two at the P&G Gymnastics Championships, which concluded June 5 in Hartford, Connecticut. Chris Brooks of Houston was second with a score of 358.075 and Jacob Dalton of Sparks, Nevada third with a score of 356.525.
Mikulak was part of the U.S. team that finished fifth in the 2012 Olympics where he also finished fifth in the vault.
Learning that he made the team in 2012 "was much more of heart pounding moment for me,'' the 23-year-old Mikulak said.
"I was more excited to see how it was going to fill out,'' Mikulak said. "I won't ever say that I've kind of put myself on the team, but it was awesome for me to realize that I actually did accomplish it.''
The team was chosen by the six-member USA Gymnastics Men's Selection Committee which considered several factors, with the four-day all around scores from the P&G Championships and Olympic Trials closely scrutinized.
The team also includes two other members of the 2012 team, Dalton and John Orozco from the Bronx, New York, and two first-time Olympians, Brooks and Alex Naddour of Queen Creek, Arizona.
News
Top news of the day
"There's such a weight off our shoulders,'' Mikulak said. "We've known that it could be any one of the guys that competed in the arena today. We look at each other and we realize like we're all about to do something great.''
The women's team will be selected following the conclusion of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Women's Gymnastics July 10 in San Jose.
Mikulak has won four consecutive all-around national championships. His parents Stephen and Tina Mikulak both competed on the gymnastics teams at California. Mikulak began gymnastics when he was 2 years old.
Mikulak graduated from Corona del Mar High School in 2010, then competed for Michigan, winning the NCAA all-around championship in 2011, 2013 and 2014 and finishing second in 2012. He holds the NCAA records for the highest all- around score (93.70) and highest score on the parallel bars (16.10).
Copyright City News Service
