Who are Asher Hong’s brothers? Teen gymnastics sensation is keeping it in the family with Core Hydration Classic victory
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Asher Hong raised his arms above his head while pumping his fist down at the crowd.
A group of Stanford supporters stood in front of him at the end of his vault, cheering along with every move the 19-year-old made as he advanced to win his first American men's gymnastics title.
The Stanford sophomore won the all-around gold medal on Saturday, August 26, at SAP Center in San Jose with a vault that earned him a 15.105 score.
This put him ahead of Michigan's Frederick Richard in the fifth rotation, as reported by San Francisco Chronicle.
Hong (Stanford University) and his brother, Xander, (Cypress Academy of Gymnastics) of Tomball, Texas, finished on top of their respective all-around podiums to round off the Core Hydration Classic in the men's tournament as well.
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Asher Hong and his brother win Core Hydration Classic's junior and senior men's all-around titles
Hong was born on March 23, 2004, and his brothers, Xander and Kiefer, are gymnasts too.
Xander took the Junior men’s title at the Core Hydration Classic on August 6.
As per USA Gymnastics, Hong beat Stanford colleague Khoi Young (Bowie, Maryland) in second place with 83.424 and Paul Juda (Deerfield, Illinois/University of Michigan) in third place with an 83.354 to win the senior all-around competition.
Xander achieved a total score of 75.100 in the junior men's category during Session 1 to win the all-around title. Additionally, he won gold on rings (12.650), the high bar (12.50), and the pommel horse (12.400).
Our very last #CoreClassic Update for 2023: brothers Asher and Xander Hong take the Men’s Senior & Junior All-Around titles!
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 7, 2023
PLUS! 16 more Seniors & 6 additional Juniors qualify to Championships in San Jose!
Read More! ⤵️https://t.co/npz7OsP1vb
Asher Hong wins the first men's national gymnastics championship
Hong gained ground on his final three rotations to achieve a two-day total of 170.930, far ahead of Stanford peers Khoi Young in second and Fred Richard in third.
Hong's final rotations were propelled by a stunning performance on still rings that ended with a triumphant yell during his dismount.
Hong is the first youngster to win a men's all-around national championship since John Orozco in 2012.
"I feel great about everything. After high bar I was super motivated, floor was a bit rough and horse was a bit rough," said Hong.
"But got back on it, the energy was there for rings, vault and (parallel)-bars, and I’m very happy with how today went," Hong added.
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Asher Hong was inspired by Spider-Man
Hong's potential was recognized when he was scaling door frames like Spider-Man when he was four.
He is now one of the top vaulters in men's artistic gymnastics and is in the running to represent the US at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
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Hong earlier stated, "I watched the Spider-Man movie, and I just couldn’t control myself in the house."
He added, "I would be climbing doorposts, jumping on the bed, doing headstands, and my parents were finally like, 'All right, we’ve got to get rid of this kid’s energy.'"