Asher Hong
Full nameAsher Keen Wah Hong
Country represented United States
Born (2004-03-23) March 23, 2004
Plano, Texas, USA
HometownTomball, Texas
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior Elite
Years on national team2017–present (USA)
ClubCypress Academy of Gymnastics
College teamStanford Cardinal (2023–26)
Head coach(es)Tom Meadows
Assistant coach(es)Igor Vernyi
Medal record
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2023 AntwerpTeam
Representing the Stanford Cardinal
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 State CollegeTeam
Gold medal – first place2023 State CollegeVault
Bronze medal – third place2023 State CollegeAll-Around

Asher Keen Wah Hong (湯健華 - born March 23, 2004) is an American artistic gymnast and a member of the United States men's national gymnastics team. He was a member of the bronze medal winning team at the 2023 World Championships. His surname (湯) is pronounced Hong when spoken in Taishanese.

Personal life

Hong was born in Plano, Texas, on March 23, 2004, to Rick and Karen Hong. He has two brothers, Xander and Kiefer, both of whom are gymnasts and national team members.[1]

Gymnastics career

2018

Hong competed at the RD761 International Junior Team Cup where he helped his team place third and individually he placed sixth on floor exercise. He competed at the 2018 Winter Cup where he placed first in the junior division and also won gold on rings and parallel bars.[2] Hong was selected to compete at the Pacific Rim Championships alongside fellow juniors Lazarus Barnhill and Justin Ah Chow and seniors Sam Mikulak, Akash Modi, and Marvin Kimble; together they placed first in the team competition and Hong placed second in the all-around behind Barnhill.[3] During event finals Hong won gold on pommel horse, silver on floor exercise, and bronze on rings and parallel bars.[4]

2019–21

Hong competed at the 2019 U.S. National Championships where he finished third in the all-around in the 15-16 age division.[5] In early 2020 Hong competed at the RD761 Gymnastics Invitational where he helped his team finish second. Individually he won bronze on the horizontal bar. At the 2020 Winter Cup he placed second in the all-around.[6] The rest of the competitions throughout the year were either canceled or postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Hong returned to competition in early 2021; he competed at the Elite Team Cup and the 2021 Winter Cup. He won the junior all-around competition at the latter event.[7] Additionally he placed first on floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, and parallel bars.[8] In November Hong signed his National Letter of Intent with Stanford University, intending to begin competing with their gymnastics team in the 2022–2023 season.[9]

2022

Hong became age-eligible for senior competition starting in 2022. He competed at the 2022 Winter Cup where he placed third in the all-around behind Vitaliy Guimaraes and Khoi Young.[10][11] During event finals he won gold on vault, silver on floor exercise and rings, and bronze on parallel bars. As a result Hong was selected to represent the USA at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart alongside Guimaraes, Young, Brody Malone, and Yul Moldauer.[12] While there he helped the USA place first as a team.[13] During event finals Hong won gold on rings, silver on floor exercise behind Félix Dolci, and placed fourth on parallel bars.

In August Hong competed at the U.S. National Championships. He placed third in the all-around behind Brody Malone and Donnell Whittenburg. Additionally he placed second on floor exercise, third on rings, and first on vault.[14] In October Hong was named to the team to compete at the 2022 World Championships alongside Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, Colt Walker, and Donnell Whittenburg.[15] During qualifications Hong finished sixth in the all-around qualified for the final. During the team final Hong contributed scores on all apparatuses besides the horizontal bar towards the USA's fifth place finish.[16] During the all-around final Hong finished sixth.[17]

2023

Hong was selected to represent the United States at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge alongside Yul Moldauer, Brody Malone, Fred Richard, and Shane Wiskus. Together they placed first as a team and individually Hong qualified to three event finals. He won bronze on pommel horse.[18] In August Hong competed at the Core Hydration Classic. He won the all-around, rings, and vault title and placed second on floor exercise behind Connor McCool.[19]

Hong later competed at the Xfinity National Championships where he placed first in the all-around ahead of Khoi Young and Fred Richard, winning his first national championship.[20][21] The following day he was named to the team to compete at the upcoming World Championships alongside Young, Richard, Yul Moldauer, Paul Juda, and alternate Colt Walker.[22]

At the World Championships Hong helped the USA qualify to the team final in second place. Individually he qualified to the all-around and parallel bars finals. During the team final he contributed scores on floor exercise, rings, vault and parallel bars toward the USA's third place finish. In doing so, he helped the USA win their first team medal in nine years.[23] During the all-around final Hong placed nineteenth.[24]

Competitive history

Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
Junior
2017International Junior Team Cup (under 14)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
2018RD761 International Junior Team Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)6
Winter Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Pacific Rim Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2019U.S. National Championships (15-16)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)63rd place, bronze medalist(s)472nd place, silver medalist(s)5
2020RD761 Gymnastics Invitational2nd place, silver medalist(s)1283rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Elite Team Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
Winter Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)92nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)454
2021Elite Team Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
Winter Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)61st place, gold medalist(s)
Senior
2022Winter Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)172nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)29
DTB Pokal Team Challenge1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)4
U.S. National Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)163rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)629
World Championships56
2023Winter Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
DTB Pokal Team Challenge1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)54
MPSF Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)952nd place, silver medalist(s)41st place, gold medalist(s)14
NCAA Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)173061st place, gold medalist(s)1135
U.S. Classic1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)261st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)78
U.S. National Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)13152nd place, silver medalist(s)511
World Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)196

References

  1. ↑ "Asher Hong USAG profile". USA Gymnastics.
  2. ↑ "Mikulak, Hong win Winter Cup Challenge all-around titles". USA Gymnastics. February 17, 2018. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  3. ↑ "U.S. men, Mikulak, Barnhill take gold at Pacific Rim Championships". USA Gymnastics. April 27, 2018.
  4. ↑ "USA brings home 29 medals from men's, women's individual event finals". USA Gymnastics. April 29, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Mikulak notches super six at U.S. Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Mikulak wins four event medals, Benas claims Junior All-Around Title at 2020 Winter Cup Challenge". USA Gymnastics. February 23, 2020. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Region 3 takes sixth-consecutive Elite Team Cup title led by all-around champion Asher Hong". USA Gymnastics. February 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Winter Cup individual men's event champions named, four additional gymnasts earn U.S. Men's National Team berths". USA Gymnastics. February 28, 2021. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Hong Headed to The Farm". Pac-12 Conference. November 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Guimaraes takes men's senior all-around title at 2022 Winter Cup Presented by OZONE and TURN; five gymnasts automatically qualify to National Team". USA Gymnastics. February 26, 2022. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Winter Cup success: Three Cardinal gymnasts named to U.S. Senior National Team". The Stanford Daily. February 27, 2022. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  12. ↑ "U.S. men announce lineups for upcoming FIG Apparatus World Cup in Egypt, DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup in Germany". USA Gymnastics. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  13. ↑ "U.S. men claim junior and senior team titles at 2022 DTB Pokal Team Challenge". USA Gymnastics. March 18, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Malone repeats as all-around champion at 2022 OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ "U.S. men's program sending mix of World medalists, rising stars to 2022 Artistic World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ "U.S. men fifth at Artistic World Championships". USA Gymnastics. November 2, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Malone fourth in men's all-around, Hong sixth at Artistic World Championships". USA Gymnastics. November 4, 2022.
  18. ↑ "U.S., Germany and Japan sweep team titles at DTB Pokal". International Gymnast Media. March 19, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Hong brothers crowned as junior and senior men's all-around champions at Core Hydration Classic". USA Gymnastics. August 6, 2023.
  20. ↑ Graves, Will (August 27, 2023). "Teenager Asher Hong wins first men's national gymnastics title". Associated Press. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Hong rallies for U.S. men's title at Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 27, 2023.
  22. ↑ "U.S. Senior Men's teams named for 2023 Artistic World Championships, Pan American Games". USA Gymnastics. August 27, 2023.
  23. ↑ "U.S. men claim team bronze at World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 3, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Richard makes more history with all-around bronze at World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 5, 2023.
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