Leyva, Ernst head to 2013 Tokyo World Cup

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – 2012 Olympic all-around bronze-medalist Danell Leyva of Miami/Universal Gymnastics, and Peyton Ernst of Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, will compete at the 2013 Tokyo World Cup, scheduled for April 6-7 at the Metropolitan Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground. The event is an International Gymnastics Federation all-around World Cup competition and is the final event in the 2012-13 series.

Leyva, who is currently ranked third World Cup standings, will faceoff with fellow London Olympic all-around medalists Japan's Kohei Uchimura and Germany's Marcel Nguyen, who won gold and silver, respectively. Nguyen is the overall World Cup series leader. The remainder of the field is comprised of five men who finished in the top 12 at the Olympics: Kazuhito Tanaka of Japan (sixth), Kristian Thomas of Great Britain (seventh); Fabian Gonzalez of Spain (ninth), Sergio Sasaki of Brazil (10th), and Oleg Verniaiev of the Ukraine (11th).

Joining Ernst, who finished seventh in the all-around at last year's U.S. nationals and was named to the U.S. National Team last month, are Huang Qiushuang of China, Vanessa Ferrari of Italy and Asuka Teramoto of Japan, who finished seventh, eighth and eleventh, respectively, in the all-around at the London Olympics. 2012 Olympian Elsabeth Black of Canada, Shang Chunsong of China, Elisa Meneghini of Italy and Charlie Fellows of Great Britain complete the field.

The all-around competition is split over two days: April 6 – men's floor exercise, pommel horse and still rings, with women's vault and uneven bars; and April 7 – men's vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar, with women's balance beam and floor exercise.

USA Gymnastics announces women's European Tour team

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – After the March Women's National Team Camp at the USA Gymnastics Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, an official U.S. Olympic Training Site, USA Gymnastics has selected eight women, who will represent Team USA the next two weeks at events in Italy and Germany. Olympic team gold-medalist Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, headlines the squad.

Joining Ross in the senior division are AT&T American Cup runner-up Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/Bannon's Gymnastics; Brenna Dowell of Lenexa, Kan./Great American Gymnastics Express; Peyton Ernst of Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics; Maggie Nichols of Little Canada, Minn./Twin City Twisters; and Lexie Priessman of Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, the reigning U.S. junior champion.

With their selection, Nichols and Ernst have been added to the U.S. Women's Senior National Team.

Amelia Hundley of Hamilton, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, and Bailie Key of Montgomery, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, will compete in the junior division.

The women will first compete at the 2013 Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. Competition begins on March 23 with the team and all-around finals, followed by event finals on March 24.

The following week, the team will travel to Chemnitz, Germany, for a tri-meet with Germany and Romania. Members of the U.S. delegation will perform with German athletes to create a fourth, mixed team.