© Ricardo Bufolin

LIMA, Peru, Aug. 2, 2019 – After the first of two days of rhythmic gymnastics qualifications at the 2019 Pan American Games, Evita Griskenas of Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, and Camilla Feeley of Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, sit atop the preliminary all-around rankings for rhythmic gymnastics at the Polideportivo Villa El Salvador in Lima, Peru. Both also qualified for the event finals on Aug. 4 for hoop and ball. The U.S. group sits in third after one event and advanced to the finals for 5 balls, also on Aug. 4. Competition continues tomorrow with the remaining events in the individual and group all-around at 1 p.m. CT. Trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics then both run from Aug. 4-5.

For hoop, Griskenas posted a 19.900 for the top spot in the event rankings, with Feeley in fourth with a 17.475. Griskenas also earned the highest mark for ball at 19.925, and Feeley was third at 18.300. For the all-around rankings, Griskenas has a 39.825 total, followed by Feeley at 35.775. Canada’s Katherine Uchida is third after two of four events (34.350).

The U.S. group scored a 22.825 in the 5 balls competition for third in the preliminary rankings, just behind Brazil’s 23.650 and Mexico’s 23.525. The members of the U.S. group, which is based at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, are: Isabelle Connor of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Yelyzaveta Merenzon of Buffalo Grove, Ill.; Elizaveta Pletneva of Deerfield, Ill.; Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Ill.; and Kristina Sobolevskaya of Chicago.

Competition on Aug. 2-3 is the all-around finals and qualification rounds for event finals. The final all-around rankings are determined at the conclusion of the second day of qualifications, and the top eight ranked gymnasts on each event advance to the respective event’s finals. For group, the final all-around rankings are determined at the conclusion of the two-day qualification round, and the top groups for each event advance to the respective event finals.

The rhythmic schedule is listed below, and all times are Central.

  • Aug. 3 Qualification and all-around finals: 1 p.m. individual clubs and ribbon; group 3 hoops/4 clubs; all-around award ceremony for individual and group
  • Aug. 4 Event finals: 4 p.m., individual hoop and ball; group 5 balls
  • Aug. 5 Event finals: 1 p.m., individual clubs and ribbon; group 3 hoops/4 clubs

TV coverage
ESPN Deportes and ESPNU are carrying coverage of the Pan American Games in Lima, and ESPN3 will have coverage of all sports and sessions in Spanish. Below are the times when gymnastics, with some explanation, is listed on the ESPN schedule, which is subject to change. All times are ET.

  • Aug. 3 - 4 p.m. - Rhythmic gymnastics, ESPNU
  • Aug. 4 - 1 p.m. - Trampoline qualifications, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU
  • Aug. 4 - 5 p.m. - Rhythmic gymnastics, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU
  • Aug. 5 - 11 a.m. - Trampoline look-in, ESPN Deportes
  • Aug. 5 - 5 p.m. - Rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU

With Lima as the backdrop, ESPN will bring up to 200 hours of exclusive, live coverage in English and Spanish, across ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, the ESPN App and ESPNdeportes.com. Well-known Olypians Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke are calling the action for gymnastics.

ESPN Deportes will telecast 200 hours of live Pan American Games content, every day starting at 9:30 a.m. ET., featuring soccer, swimming, diving, track & field, boxing, basketball and gymnastics. The live telecasts will be complemented with news and information programming throughout the day, followed by a nightly edition of SportsCenter recapping the top highlights of the day. ESPNU will present over 200 hours of daily live coverage in English, featuring Men and Women’s hoop and volleyball, diving, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, track and field, and soccer. ESPN3 and the ESPN App will carry 900 hours, with live access to almost every competition in Spanish. Select coverage will be available in English.

About the Pan Am Games
The XVIII Pan American Games competition features 31 Olympic sports, plus select non-Olympic sports, and serves as an Olympic-qualifying opportunity in 17 sports. Team USA will be represented in 36 sports during the 17-day competition. The 2019 U.S. Pan American squad features 91 Olympians, including 34 Olympic medalists and 19 Olympic champions. The Pan American Games are held every four years and precede the Olympic Games by one year. The Games are the third largest international multi-sport event in the world, surpassed only by the Olympic Games and the Asian Games in terms of the number of sports and competing athletes.

Coverage of the 2019 U.S. Pan American Team can be found at TeamUSA.org/Lima2019 and on Team USA’s social channels featuring the hashtag #Lima2019. Additionally, visit TeamUSA.org/USADaily to sign up to receive the USA Daily, a digital news blast that provides Team USA results and highlights each night via email during the Games.