Comps

2020 USA Combined Invitational

January 15, 2020 Gym Climber

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The 2020 USA Combined Invitational took place this past weekend in Plano, Texas. Athletes from across the country gathered for their chance to earn an invitation to the upcoming Pan-American competition. In front of her hometown crowd, Lauren Bair placed first for the women and Zach Galla defended his Combined Champion title.

Pan-Am invitations were awarded first to athletes that competed in the Toulouse Olympic Qualifier and have not yet qualified for the Olympics (Sean Bailey, Margo Hayes and Ashima Shiraishi) and then to the top ranked athletes from the Combined Invitational. While most countries were only allotted four invitations per gender, the U.S. was awarded five because it is the host country for the Pan-American competition.

Assuming all athletes accept their invitations, the male athletes that will compete in Pan-Ams are Sean Bailey, Zach Galla, Colin Duffy, Zander Waller, Joe Goodacre. The female athletes are Ashima Shiraishi, Margo Hayes, Lauren Bair, Emma Hunt and Sienna Kopf.

Pan-Ams will take place February 24 through March 1 in Santa Ana and Los Angeles at Sender One Climbing. The top ranked male and female athletes at Pan-Ams will be awarded a spot in Tokyo 2020, however the U.S. has already filled its quota for the women’s field.

Unlike the first Combined Invitational in 2019, this event did not determine USA Team members, which will be decided based on Olympic qualification and athlete rankings.