Madison Kocian, USA Win World Gold
October 28, 2015 | Gymnastics
For the second consecutive year, UCLA signee Madison Kocian helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the World Championships. Kocian scored 15.300 on uneven bars to help the U.S. pull away after the second rotation. Team USA, who hit all 12 routines, including nine for 15.000 or higher, finished with 181.333 points, over five points better than silver medalist China and nearly nine points ahead of first-time medalist Great Britain, who finished third.
Kocian was the third and final competitor for the U.S. on bars in the three-up, three-count team final format, and she nailed her difficult and intricate set, punctuated by a stuck stalder full to full-out dismount for a 15.300, higher than her preliminary score of 15.233. Kocian will compete in the individual event finals on uneven bars on Oct. 31 at 6:30am PT.
This is the third consecutive World Championships gold medal for Team USA, who won in 2011, 2014 and now 2015. The U.S. also won team gold at the 2012 Olympic Games.
The U.S. has medaled at every Olympics and World Championships since 2000. Nine Bruins have won 22 medals during this time - Kocian at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships (team gold); signee Kyla Ross at the 2014 Worlds (team gold, all-around bronze), 2013 Worlds (all-around, bars, beam silver) and 2012 Olympics (team gold); Jordyn Wieber at the 2012 Olympics (team gold) and 2011 World Championships (team and all-around gold, beam bronze); Mattie Larson at the 2010 Worlds (team silver); Samantha Peszek at the 2007 Worlds (team gold) and 2008 Olympics (team silver); Mohini Bhardwaj at the 2004 Olympics (team silver) and 2001 Worlds (team bronze); Tasha Schwikert at the 2000 Olympics (team silver), 2001 Worlds (team bronze) and 2003 Worlds (team gold); and Jamie Dantzscher and Kristen Maloney at the 2000 Olympics (team bronze). Additionally, Anna Li was the alternate for the gold-medal winning U.S. teams at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympic Games.
Kocian, who signed a letter-of-intent last fall, will join the UCLA Bruins in the fall of 2016 and will be a freshman in the 2017 season.
