UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's gymnastics assistant coach Kevin Tan captured the still rings title at the VISA Championships in San Jose, Calif. on Friday, marking the second consecutive year he topped the competition in his signature event.
As a result of his standout performance, Tan was again named to the U.S. Men's Senior Team that will compete in the 2007 World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany from Sept. 1-9. He was also selected as the Sportsman of the Year by USA Gymnastics, an honor bestowed by a vote of his gymnasts.
The 2007 World Championships is the qualifying event for the 2008 Olympic Games. The top 12 teams will advance to compete in Beijing.
After dominating the still rings field in the qualifying session of the VISA Championships, Tan, competing as a member of Team Chevron, came through with another impressive effort in the finals to compile a two-day score of 32.850. That total topped the second place competitor by a full point and was the highest score total posted by any athlete in any event at the VISA Championships.
Tan's success was not limited to the still rings, as he also placed fourth in the high bar (29.150) and eighth in the pommel horse (28.600) and the parallel bars (tie, 29.800).
Nittany Lion senior Derek Helsby (Orlando, Fla.), coming off a bronze medal pommel performance at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand last week, also fared well at the VISA Championships. Competing on limited rest, the four-time All-American placed 18th in the all-around (167.150), with his top finish coming in the pommel horse (9th, 28.550). He also placed 14th in the still rings (29.000) and 22nd in the parallel bars (28.450).