Amid Chinese and Japanese Supremacy, Asher Hong Sets To Fill Brody Malone?s Shoes for America at World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023

Anticipation for the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Antwerp is constantly rising. This event in the Diamond Capital of the World serves as a crucial qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With this, the teams have now girded up to clinch the ticket to the French capital. Team China, Japan, and USA, gymnasts’ dedication to rigorous training adds to the event’s allure.

Recalling the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, China posed a formidable challenge to Team USA. It secured multiple accolades despite the ultimate victory for the USA with 113 medals to China’s 88. In the 2023 season, China returns with notable wins, joined by Japan, putting Team USA in a challenging position.

Nonetheless, with a staunch competition, as the championships are now all set to commence in Belgium, Team USA’s Twitter update hints at significant developments, particularly concerning Brody Malone’s absence from the championships & the rise of the 19-year-old gymnastics prodigy Asher Hong.

Team USA’s Twitter update Fuels Gymnastics Championship Anticipation

A recent Twitter update by Team USA has hyped the championships commencing on 30th September for Men’s qualifying aiming between the subdivisions, Australia, United States, (All-Around) AA6, AA5, Uzbekistan, and Romania. On 29th September 2023, Team USA added a new tweet to their account with a picture of the team. Along with this, it is the caption that showcases the lits of men & the apparatus they will be covering.

Despite the absence of a legendary figure like Brody Malone, the team’s warning caption read , “No turning back now,” underscored the determination of the squad.? Continuing, they penned the apparatus roster and penned,

“PH?Hong, Moldauer, Richard, Young

SR? Juda, Moldauer, Richard, Hong

VT? Richard, Young*, Hong*, Juda*

PB? Young, Hong, Richard, Moldauer

HB ? Young, Hong, Juda, Richard

FX? Moldauer, Juda, Hong, Richard

See you at 10 am ET for Men?s Qualifying.??

Here, PH denotes pommel horse, VT signifies vault, PB represents parallel bars, FX stands for floor exercise, HB refers to horizontal bars, and SR stands for Still Rings. With this, Asher Hong, a young prodigy stepping into Malone’s shoes, is not a newcomer to the game. Despite being just 19 years old, Hong’s talent speaks volumes, and he is ready to make his mark in the championship.

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Brody Malone’s Unfortunate Injury and Asher Hong’s Rise

Brody Malone, a champion with a gold medal at the World Championships, faced an unfortunate leg injury during training when his left hand slipped off the high bar, causing damage to his right leg. This incident led to Malone’s absence from the World Championships.

Recently crowned the 2023 NCAA vault champion, 19-year-old Hong brings a valuable blend of youth and experience to the team. Thom Glielmi, the team’s coach, emphasizes the importance of this mix, stating, ?It?s a good blend of experience and youth ? it’s surprising that 19-year-old Asher is one of our more experienced guys.”

The team looks to Hong to carry the camaraderie spirit from the NCAA season into the upcoming competition in Antwerp. Since the championship’s first day is just a few hours away, the fans are eagerly awaiting the winners and see which team makes it to the 2024 Olympics.

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