March 6, 2008

DOHA, Qatar - Senior Stanford gymnast and Senior Men's National Team member David Sender placed fourth on the vault at the World Cup A Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar this week. Sender, and teammate Sho Nakamori, the only U.S. mens gymnasts at the event, were competing in the event to gain experience for their attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic squad that will travel to Beijing, China later this year.

The World Cup event, an events-only competition, was held at the Aspire Dome in the Qatari capital and was the first of six in the 2008 Olympic year. Both Cardinal gymnasts competed in floor exercise and parallel bars, while Sender also competed in still rings and vault. Additionally, Nakamori participated in pommel horse and horizontal bar.

Sender's outstanding final score of 15.950 was just five-hundredths of a point shy of medaling. A large step on the first vault was likely the culprit in denying him a medal. Deniel Popescu of Romania took the event title, while Makoto Okiguchi (JAP) and Luis Rivera (PUR) took second and third, respectively.

In qualifying rounds of floor exercise, Sender finished ninth, and Nakamori 14th. Nakamori's highest finish in the qualifying rounds came on parallel bar, where he placed 11th with a score of 15.000. He also came in 16th on horizontal bar with 13.875.

World Cup A Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Doha, Qatar
March 4-6, 2008

Qualification Round
Floor Exercise:
9 Sender 14.975
14 Nakamori 14.600
Pommel Horse:
33 Nakamori 12.775
Still Rings:
24 Sender 14.100
Vault:
4 Sender 15.937
Parallel Bars:
11 Nakamori 15.000
Horizontal Bar:
16 Nakamori 13.875

For complete results, please visit http://www.gymnasticsresults.com/2008/doham.html