Wikipedia

Asher Hong

Asher Keen Wah Hong (Chinese: 湯健華; born March 23, 2004) is an American artistic gymnast and a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. He was a member of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2023 World Championships. He represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal in the team competition.

Asher Hong
Full nameAsher Keen Wah Hong
Country representedUnited States
Born (2004-03-23) March 23, 2004 (age 20)
Plano, Texas, U.S.
HometownTomball, Texas, U.S.
Height5 ft 1 in (155 cm)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2022–present
GymCypress Academy
College teamStanford Cardinal
Head coach(es)Thom Glielmi
Former coach(es)Tom Meadows
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 1
World Championships 0 0 1
Total 0 0 2
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Antwerp Team

His surname 湯 is pronounced Hong when spoken in Taishanese.

Early life and education

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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] He schooled through Edgenuity Virtual Academy before enrolling at Stanford University to pursue gymnastics.

Gymnastics career

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2018

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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, placed first in the junior division, and 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

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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. He placed second in the all-around at the 2020 Winter Cup.[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

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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

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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 the 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 for 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]

2024

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Hong competed at the NCAA Championships in mid-April. He contributed scores on pommel horse, rings, vault, and parallel bars to help Stanford win their fifth consecutive team title. Individually he won the title on the latter three apparatuses.[25]

In June, Hong competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he placed fifth in the all-around (167.650),[26] first on rings (29.150), fourth on floor (28.500), fourth on parallel bars (29.550), 11th on horizontal bar (26.300) and 17th on pommel horse (24.550).[27] On June 29, he was named to the U.S. Olympic Team to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games alongside Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Paul Juda, and Stephen Nedoroscik.[28] During the qualification round Hong competed on all apparatuses except pommel horse, helping the USA qualify to the team final in fifth place; individually he was the first reserve for the rings and vault finals. During the team final he contributed scores on floor exercise, rings, vault, and parallel bars towards the USA's bronze medal finish.[29]

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
Junior
2017 International Junior Team Cup (under 14)      
2018 RD761 International Junior Team Cup   6
Winter Cup        
Pacific Rim Championships            
2019 U.S. National Championships (15-16)   6   4 7   5
2020 RD761 Gymnastics Invitational   12 8  
Elite Team Cup  
Winter Cup   9     4 5 4
2021 Elite Team Cup  
Winter Cup         6  
Senior
2022 Winter Cup     17       29
DTB Pokal Team Challenge       4
U.S. National Championships     16     6 29
World Championships 5 6
2023 Winter Cup  
DTB Pokal Team Challenge     5 4
MPSF Championships     9 5   4   14
NCAA Championships     17 30 6   11 35
U.S. Classic     26     7 8
U.S. National Championships   13 15   5 11
World Championships   19 6
2024 MPSF Championships     7 4
NCAA Championships   14      
U.S. National Championships 10 14 20   4 20
Olympic Trials 5 4 17   4 11
Olympic Games   R1 R1

References

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  1. ^ "Asher Hong USAG profile". USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  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. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. ^ "USA brings home 29 medals from men's, women's individual event finals". USA Gymnastics. April 29, 2018. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  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. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  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. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  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. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "Malone repeats as all-around champion at 2022 OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 21, 2022. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "U.S. men's program sending mix of World medalists, rising stars to 2022 Artistic World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 5, 2022. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  16. ^ "U.S. men fifth at Artistic World Championships". USA Gymnastics. November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  17. ^ "Malone fourth in men's all-around, Hong sixth at Artistic World Championships". USA Gymnastics. November 4, 2022. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  18. ^ "U.S., Germany and Japan sweep team titles at DTB Pokal". International Gymnast Media. March 19, 2023. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  19. ^ "Hong brothers crowned as junior and senior men's all-around champions at Core Hydration Classic". USA Gymnastics. August 6, 2023. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Graves, Will (August 27, 2023). "Teenager Asher Hong wins first men's national gymnastics title". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "Hong rallies for U.S. men's title at Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 27, 2023. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "U.S. Senior Men's teams named for 2023 Artistic World Championships, Pan American Games". USA Gymnastics. August 27, 2023. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "U.S. men claim team bronze at World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 3, 2023. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "Richard makes more history with all-around bronze at World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 5, 2023. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "The Dynasty Continues". Stanford Cardinal. April 20, 2024. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  26. ^ Peene, Sam (June 27, 2024). "2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials: All Results". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "2024 U.S. Olympic Trials - Men Day 2" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Frederick Richard, Brody Malone and more named to men's U.S. Olympic gymnastics team". NBC News. June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  29. ^ "U.S. men win historic team bronze at 2024 Olympic Games". USA Gymnastics. July 29, 2024.
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