Road to Beijing Starts at VISA Championships Thursday – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
COLUMBUS, Ohio The trio of Paul and Morgan Hamm and Blaine Wilson will take the first step toward making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, competing at USA Gymnastics’ VISA Championships Thursday and Saturday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Trained by Ohio State head coach Miles Avery, the seasoned competitors will look to top the field of 44 athletes to make the cut for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 19-22 in Philadelphia.
The men’s senior division qualifying round is slated for 8 p.m. Thursday. After a day off Friday, the advancing gymnasts will battle for the all-around and event titles at 7 p.m. Saturday. NBC Sports will be broadcasting the 2008 VISA Championships on tape delay at 2 p.m. June 8.
Alexy Bilozertchev, who will join the Buckeyes for the 2008-09 season, also looks to continue his strong campaign after finishing fourth in the all-around with a score of 84.75 at the U.S. Men’s Qualifier April 23 in Colorado Springs, Colo. With the mark, Bilozertchev, the son of Buckeye assistant coach and two-time world champion Dmitri Bilozertchev, automatically qualified for the 2008 VISA Championships. Last year, the Hilliard, Ohio, resident won the VISA Championships all-around title in the junior division.
Former Buckeye and current U.S. Men’s Senior National Team member Raj Bhavsar will be competing at the event, as well.
Single-session tickets can be purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 713-629-3700, at Ticketmaster outlets or at the Reliant Stadium South Box Office.
