Ruben Padilla and Maia Amano brought the United States gold in mixed synchronized trampoline at the Pan American Championships in Medellín
American gymnast Ruben Padilla finished the Pan American Trampoline Championships in Colombia with another gold medal, winning the mixed synchronized trampoline title with national teammate Maia Amano. According to USA Gymnastics, that triumph was the final American gold medal at the conclusion of the competition in Medellín, and Padilla’s third gold at the championships. The result further confirmed his status as one of the most prominent competitors in trampoline gymnastics on the American continent, especially after a series of medals he won in individual, synchronized and team events. For Amano, the title in a pair with Padilla was also a continuation of a highly successful appearance at a competition where American representatives had already achieved double placements at the top of the standings in individual competition on the first day. The championships were held from May 22 to 24, 2026, in Medellín, one of Colombia’s most important sports centers.
Padilla’s third gold in three days of competition
Padilla’s victory in mixed synchronized trampoline had special significance because it rounded off his performance at the continental championships. USA Gymnastics states that Amano and Padilla won the final American gold on Sunday, while the American delegation added a team silver and a bronze on the same day. In that way, the closing stage of the championships confirmed the depth of the American team, which arrived in Medellín with eight senior competitors. Padilla competed in the Colombian arena as one of the main medal contenders, and after success in individual and synchronized competition, the new gold in the mixed pair was the final highlight of his appearance.
Mixed synchronized trampoline requires exceptional coordination between two competitors who simultaneously perform a routine on separate trampolines. In this discipline, not only the technical difficulty and execution of individual elements are evaluated, but also the precision of the shared rhythm, landing stability, height control and the pair’s ability to maintain the same dynamics throughout the entire exercise. That is precisely why the victory of Padilla and Amano is not only a continuation of individual successes, but also an indicator of the adaptability of American competitors in a format in which one member’s mistake directly affects the overall impression and result. According to available information, their victory came at the end of a competition weekend in which the American team was regularly among the leading squads.
Amano and Padilla as a combination of experience and form
Maia Amano competed in Medellín as a representative of Merino Trampoline Gymnastics Academy from Honolulu, while Padilla was entered from Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling in Utah, according to the list of participants published by USA Gymnastics. Their joint appearance in mixed synchronized trampoline was not an isolated success, but the result of continuity in the American trampoline gymnastics program. Amano had already been known as a competitor with international team medals, while Padilla entered the championships carrying the reputation of a multiple medalist at world level. The combination of his difficulty of elements and her stability in execution proved strong enough for the highest place on the podium.
For the American team, this pair also had symbolic value because it connects two important lines of development in trampoline gymnastics. Padilla is a competitor who has proven himself in double mini trampoline, individual trampoline and synchronized disciplines, while Amano is part of a generation that is important for the depth of the women’s program. According to the official profile of the International Gymnastics Federation, Padilla was born in 2001 in California and competes for the United States in trampoline gymnastics. FIG also states in his profile that he is connected with the Wasatch Trampoline and Tumbling club in Draper, confirming continuity of training in a program that in recent years has produced several prominent American competitors.
Medellín as the stage of the continental championships
The Pan American Gymnastics Union announced the championships in Medellín as one of the more important competitions on the international calendar for trampoline gymnastics in the Americas. According to the UPAG announcement, the competition began on May 21, and the host city was expected to gather prominent representatives of the continent in senior competition. USA Gymnastics listed the competition dates for the Senior Pan American Trampoline Championships as May 22 to 24, 2026, in its calendar, which refers to the main program of American appearances in Medellín. This difference in the reporting of dates is not unusual at international sporting events because official activities often begin one day before the first final or qualifying appearances.
Medellín also had broader sporting significance for this championship. In recent years, the Colombian city has been trying to position itself as a host of international events, and trampoline gymnastics in such an environment gained an opportunity to attract attention beyond the usual circle of specialized audiences. In its announcement, UPAG emphasized that some of the best representatives of the continent were expected in the city, including Olympic and world competitors. In such competition, the American performance, especially Padilla’s three golds and the joint title with Amano, gains additional weight because it was not achieved in an isolated lower-ranking event, but in an official continental setting.
The American team had a strong performance from the first day
According to the USA Gymnastics summary, American athletes opened the championships very convincingly, with one-two placements in men’s and women’s individual competition on the first day of competition. Such a beginning set the tone for the rest of the weekend and showed that the American delegation did not depend on only one name. In the men’s part of the team, alongside Padilla, were Trevor Harder, Aliaksei Shostak and Elijah Vogel, while the women’s team consisted of Maia Amano, Ava DeHanes, Leah Garafalo and Sarah Webster. This lineup shows that the American program sent to Medellín a combination of competitors with experience in individual, synchronized and team formats.
On the second day of the championships, according to USA Gymnastics, American pairs won titles in men’s and women’s synchronized trampoline. In that context, Padilla’s gold in the mixed synchronized competition built on an already existing series of successes in synchronized disciplines. For the national team, that is important because synchronized trampoline requires a different preparation profile from individual performance. Competitors must coordinate the order of elements, takeoff timing, jump amplitude and final landings, with every larger difference between partners clearly visible in judging. The American results in Medellín therefore speak of systematic work on the breadth of the program, and not only of the individual quality of particular athletes.
Padilla’s career has already been marked by world titles
Padilla came to Medellín after a period in which he had already been recognized as one of the world’s leading competitors in double mini trampoline. According to data from the International Gymnastics Federation, at the 2025 World Championships in Pamplona he won gold in men’s double mini trampoline and gold in the men’s team competition, as well as silver in individual trampoline. Olympics.com reported after that championship that Padilla had won the double mini trampoline world title for the third consecutive time, further strengthening his international status. Such a background explains why his name was among the most prominent in the announcement of the Pan American Championships.
His sporting path shows a rare ability to move between disciplines. Double mini trampoline emphasizes explosiveness, speed and precision in a short series of elements, while individual trampoline requires a longer routine, height control and stability through a sequence of ten elements. Synchronized trampoline then adds another layer of demands because personal execution must fit into a partner’s rhythm. Padilla’s three golds in Medellín are therefore significant not only by the number of medals, but also by the breadth of the competitive profile behind them. In contemporary trampoline gymnastics, such versatility is increasingly important because national teams are increasingly looking for athletes who can deliver results in multiple formats.
What the result means for American trampoline gymnastics
The American performance in Medellín fits into a continuity of increasingly strong results in trampoline gymnastics. Although it is a sport that receives less space in the wider public than artistic gymnastics, results at world and continental competitions show that the American program possesses increasing depth. Padilla’s successes in world competition, Amano’s experience in international team appearances and the results of the other members of the national team create a framework in which the Pan American Championships cannot be viewed only as a regional success. It is also an indicator of form ahead of the continuation of the international season.
For athletes from the American team, continental competitions have several functions. They bring medals and official rankings, but at the same time they also serve as a test of routines, difficulty of elements and stability of execution under the pressure of finals. In disciplines such as trampoline, the difference between a medal and a placement outside the podium often comes down to details: the direction of the jump, body stability in flight, landing in the center of the trampoline and the ability to complete the routine without interruption. The victory of Amano and Padilla in the mixed synchronized competition is therefore valuable both as a result and as a signal that American pairs can maintain a high level of coordination in the closing stage of a major competition.
Continental competition remains an important test
The Pan American Championships bring together gymnasts from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, and in trampoline gymnastics the teams of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and other countries with developed programs in this discipline traditionally stand out. In the championship announcement, UPAG specifically mentioned names such as Brazilian competitor Camilla Lopes and Mexican Olympic finalist Dafne Navarro, emphasizing that the women’s competition in Medellín also had a strong international profile. Although the victory of Padilla and Amano concerns an American pair, the result was achieved in a broader continental environment in which several national teams have athletes with experience at the Olympic Games, world championships and World Cups.
That is precisely why the American triumph in mixed synchronized trampoline is not just a fact about one final. It confirms that the United States, at this stage of the season, has a pair capable of responding to the technical and rhythmic demands of a discipline that is becoming increasingly visible on the international schedule. For Padilla, the third gold in Medellín further strengthened the impression of a competitor who can carry the national team in multiple disciplines. For Amano, the title with Padilla represents another proof that the American women’s program has competitors capable of winning medals in both individual and combined formats. The closing stage of the championships thus ended for the United States in the most desirable way: with gold in a discipline that requires togetherness, precision and complete control of execution.
Sources:
- USA Gymnastics – official competition page, list of American participants and summaries of performances at the 2026 Senior Pan American Trampoline Championships (link)
- USA Gymnastics – 2026 news overview with posts about American medals in Medellín (link)
- Pan American Gymnastics Union – announcement of the Pan American Trampoline Championships in Medellín and context of the continental competition (link)
- International Gymnastics Federation FIG – official profile of Ruben Padilla and results from world championships (link)
- Olympics.com – report on Padilla’s third consecutive double mini trampoline world title in 2025 (link)