Klaus Is Simply Perfect in Vault

Brent Klaus, who lists bull riding as a hobby, took down a U.S. Gymnastics Championship record by scoring a perfect 10 in the vault Wednesday at Market Square Arena.

Klaus highlighted the senior men’s all-around preliminaries and event finals by earning a perfect score, the first 10 by a man in U.S. national championship competition.

Klaus, 23, from Stroudsburg, Pa., electrified the crowd with a spectacular handspring, double-front vault that included 2 1/2 somersaults with a flawless landing.

Aside from the lone perfect effort, the rest of the night belonged to Blaine Wilson, the overall leader with 55.675 points heading into Friday’s all-around finals. The combination of scores compiled Wednesday and Friday will determine the all-around champion. Jay Thornton’s 55.300 was second and Jason Gatson was third with 55.050 points.

Two-time Olympian John Roethlisberger, a four-time all-around champion, tore a ligament in his right knee and was hospitalized.

Roethlisberger, 28, clutched his right knee in agony while landing after his high bar routine. He was carried off the floor after trying to complete the fifth of six events. He departed having already won the pommel horse with a 9.575 score.

Roethlisberger’s injury occurred while warming up on the vault before the third rotation. He was leading after two rounds and tried to continue. Grimacing, Roethlisberger performed a basic handspring, netting a low score of 6.7 on the vault. He rebounded with an 8.65 on the parallel bars, still favoring his knee on the landing. He was credited with an 8.750 in the high bar.

“I just had to go on, it was my decision,” Roethlisberger said in a statement. “Hindsight is 20-20. I felt stronger than I ever had coming into this meet. Hopefully, this will make me stronger.”

In addition to taking the overall lead, Wilson claimed the national title on the parallel bars with a score of 9.550. Gatson won the floor exercise with a 9.700 and Jeff Johnson’s 9.650 gave him the title on the rings.