August 19, 2012 — The final day of competition at the FEI World Vaulting Championship in Le Mans, France,? proved to be an exciting one as the medal winners were determined in the Individual Female, Individual Male, Pas de Deux, and Team Championships. Megan Benjamin (Saratoga, Calif.) and Blake Dahlgren (Santa Clarita, Calif.) had another stellar Free Test, with their performance earning them the Bronze medal and an overall score of 8.407 in the Pas de Deux Championship. Vaulting on Jarl lunged by Lasse Kristensen, Benjamin and Dahlgren agreed, “We saved the best for last.”
With this Bronze medal, Benjamin is the first vaulter in history to medal in the World Championships in three different divisions: Individual Female Gold in 2006, Team Silver in 2006, and now a Pas de Deux Bronze in 2012.
Commenting on her historic achievement, Benjamin said, “Medaling in all three events had never been a goal of mine, but it feels awesome to have accomplished it. One routine, one event, and one medal at a time, I guess!”
Finishing in a close fourth place in the Pas de Deux Championship were Devon Maitozo (Palmdale, Calif.) and Rosalind Ross (Venice, Calif.). They improved upon their performance from yesterday, earning a total score of 8.376 with Escetelli 2 and lunger Kurt Isensee.
In the Team Championship, the Woodside Vaulters of Woodside, Calif. finished in 5th place with an overall score of 7.801. Vaulting on Stanford lunged by Julie Divita, the team was Tessa Divita (Emerald Hills, Calif.), Kalyn Geisler (Redwood City, Calif.), Kathryn Jaggers (Portola Valley, Calif.), Siddartha Kreaden (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Samantha Matson (Los Gatos, Calif.), and Katherine Salisbury (Atherton, Calif.).
Gabe Aniello (Redwood City, Calif.) finished as the top U.S. vaulter in the Individual Male Championship in 10th place. Vaulting on Forrest Cump lunged by Agnes Forst, Aniello earned an overall score of 7.345. Kristian Roberts (Moss Beach, Calif.) earned an overall score of 6.915 with Forrest Cump and lunger Forst, putting him in 12th place in the final standings. In 13th place with Maxwell and lunger Anouk Dory, Patrick Stevens (Martinez, Calif.) finished his World Championship with an overall score of 6.256.
In the Individual Female Championship, Alicen Divita (Redwood City, Calif.) finished with an overall score of 7.793, putting her in 11th place. Vaulting on Pino del Rio lunged by Elke Schep-Lansing, Divita performed another solid Free Test to cap off her World Championship experience. With Anyway 54 and lunger Kristensen, Mary McCormick (Woodside, Calif.) finished in 15th place with an overall score of 7.674.
For results, click here: http://pole-europeen-du-cheval.com/2012/08/16/les-resultats-du-championnat-du-monde-de-voltige/
Follow the 2012 U.S. Vaulting Team here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Vaulting/
