INDIANAPOLIS, February 26, 2021 – Leah Smith of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, and Alicia Zhou of San Antonio, Texas/Love Gymnastics, took home the senior and junior titles, respectively, at this year’s Nastia Liukin Cup. Held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, the Nastia Liukin Cup kicked off a packed 2021 Winter Cup weekend, that also includes the Elite Team Cup.
In the senior division, Smith, a University of Washington signee, delivered the highest scoring floor routine of the competition in a clutch fourth-rotation performance, finishing with a 38.800 to edge Alex Theodorou of Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Lights, who finished with a 38.550 and Lilly Hudson of Fleming Island, Fla./Florida Elite, who finished with a 38.500.
Zhou earned top marks on balance beam and uneven bars en route to the junior title, finishing with a 38.375 and besting Avery Neff of South Jordan, Utah/Olympus Gymnastics, who finished with a 38.175 and Gabby Van Frayen of Lewis Center, Ohio/Gym X-treme, who finished with a 38.075 to round out the top three.
The event scores for the senior medalists are below.
The top three juniors’ event scores are below.
The Nastia Liukin Cup featured 18 junior and 18 senior USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program Level 10 gymnasts. Each qualified to compete through performances at a series of 12 invitational meets across the country in January and February of 2021.
Participating gymnasts received a Nastia Liukin-designed leotard and warm-up from GK Elite and met with Liukin ahead of the competition during a socially distanced version of the event’s annual brunch with the 2008 Olympic all-around champion and 14-time Olympic and World medalist. The 2021 Cup marked the 12th anniversary of the annual competition begun in 2010 by Liukin.
