When Yasmin Roberts is flying through the air, she has to trust one person completely: her partner, Valentino Elbaz, whose job is to catch her. Yasmin is 11. Valentino is 17. This September, that trust took them from their gym in Las Vegas all the way to Italy to compete for Team USA, and we were proud to help get them there.
At a glance
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Who: Yasmin Roberts (11) and Valentino Elbaz (17), a mixed pair from AGC Las Vegas.
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This year: gold at the Flanders International Acro Cup in Belgium, then national champions at the 2026 USA Gymnastics Championships.
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Italy: the 2026 World Youth Competition in Pesaro, 17 to 20 September.
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Result: 13th in the world at their first world event, and first reserve for the final.
Watch their story: Channel 13 Las Vegas television report on Yasmin and Valentino
Why we got involved
We've known Yasmin's family for some time. When they told us she and Valentino had been picked to represent the United States, it was an easy decision. A lot of the people we work with are American families, and backing two young athletes from Las Vegas felt like the right thing to do.
What is acrobatic gymnastics?
If you haven't seen it before, it's worth a look. It mixes gymnastics and dance, and it's done with partners who lift, balance, throw and catch each other.
In a mixed pair, one partner is the "base", who lifts and supports. The other is the "top", who balances and flies. Valentino is the base and Yasmin is the top.
Each pair performs two routines: a "balance" routine of slow, controlled holds, and a "dynamic" routine full of throws and catches.
How they got here
Both started in ordinary gymnastics and competed with other partners before their coach, Ross Gibson, at AGC Las Vegas put them together. He told Channel 13 he could see straight away they were a natural match.
It took time. Yasmin was shy at first and the two barely spoke. Two years on, they're more like big brother and little sister.
This spring they won gold at the Flanders International Acro Cup in Belgium, their first competition for Team USA abroad. Then they became national champions at the 2026 USA Gymnastics Championships, which earned them their place on the team for Italy. They were the only athletes from Nevada selected.
Italy
In September they travelled from Las Vegas to Pesaro, on Italy's Adriatic coast, for the 2026 World Youth Competition, which ran from 17 to 20 September at the Vitrifrigo Arena. They had trained four hours a day after school to get there.
At their first world event, Yasmin and Valentino finished 13th in the world, and they were named first reserve for the final.
That's a remarkable result for such a young partnership, and they've got years ahead of them.
Thank you
We were proud to see our name on the sponsors' shirt alongside some great local businesses. But this is Yasmin and Valentino's story, and their families' and coaches'. All the hours behind it are theirs.
Congratulations to you both. We can't wait to see what comes next.
