Aug. 13, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's gymnast Derek Helsby (Orlando, Fla.) won a bronze medal in the pommel horse at the 2007 World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand on Sun., Aug. 12. Competing as the lone individual qualifier from Team USA, Helsby recorded a score of 14.575 to claim third place.
"I'm ecstatic - this is my favorite event," said Helsby. "This is my first senior international meet, so coming home with a medal is more than I could ask for."
A four-time All-American, Helsby will enter his senior season in 2008 as one of Penn State's top pommel horse, high bar, and all-around performers. In 2007, he was instrumental in helping the Nittany Lions capture their NCAA record 12th national title, earning 16 top-three finishes throughout the year, including a third place showing on the pommel horse at the team finals of the national collegiate championships.
In the team portion of the competition, Helsby led the United States with top scores in the pommel horse (14.400) and the parallel bars (14.050). Team USA finished seventh overall in a field of 18 teams.
Helsby will continue his busy summer when he returns to the U.S. to compete in the 2007 VISA Championships. He qualified for the event with standout performances at the U.S. Men's Qualifier held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. in June, placing third in the pommel horse and ninth in the all-around. The 2007 VISA Championships, an event that determines a national champion in each event and helps to qualify gymnasts for the U.S. Men's National Team, is scheduled for Aug. 15-18 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Fellow Nittany Lion Vladi Klurman (North Miami Beach, Fla.), an All-American on the still rings in 2007, also represented the United States in the games. Klurman recorded the highest still rings score, a 15.100, on the squad during the team competition.