Johnson, Salinas take silver in doubles at 2026 Pan American Champion of Champions
October 27, 2026
AJ Johnson of Kenosha, Wisconsin (left), and Julian Salinas of Long Branch, New Jersey, represented Team USA well on Monday, combining for an eight-game total of 3,575 to earn the Men's Doubles silver medal on Day 1 of competition at the 2026 PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions in San Jose, Costa Rica.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – AJ Johnson and Julian Salinas rode a hot start to a silver-medal finish in Men’s Doubles on Monday, the opening day of competition at the 2026 PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions in Costa Rica.
Johnson, a 34-year-old right-hander from Kenosha, Wisconsin, led the way for Team USA’s duo, posting games of 225, 300, 200, 247, 268, 187, 158 and 214 at the Bowling Center of the Costa Rica Country Club in San Jose to finish with an eight-game total of 1,799 (a 224.9 average).
Salinas wasn’t far behind, contributing 1,776 (a 222 average). The 24-year-old two-handed righty from Long Branch, New Jersey, reached that mark thanks to scores of 267, 244, 227, 212, 224, 241, 203 and 158.
Together, Johnson and Salinas totaled 3,575 (a 223.4 average), finishing 78 pins behind Canada and 32 ahead of Costa Rica in the 13-team Men’s Doubles field.
The Canadian pair of Mitch Hupe and Francois Lavoie won the event’s gold medal with a total of 3,653, which included 1,876 from Hupe and 1,777 from Lavoie.
Jonaykel Conejo and Erik Roy of Costa Rica grabbed the third and final spot on the Men’s Doubles podium. Conejo finished Monday’s block with 1,831, while Roy added 1,712 to help the duo to a bronze-medal finish with 3,543.
Although Johnson certainly would’ve preferred to have occupied the top step on the podium, he was proud of the effort he and Salinas put forth on Monday, and he also was quick to give credit to Hupe and Lavoie on their gold-medal-worthy performance.
“Given the start we got off to and the look we felt like we had on the lanes, we obviously had the goal of coming out on top, but with what we were seeing on the lanes and not having our best stuff at times, we did what we needed to secure a medal,” Johnson said. “Any medal you can earn for your country is great. Hats off to the Canadian team for putting together good games down the stretch; they bowled well.”
Speaking of bowling well, Johnson did just that during Game 2 on Monday when he put together 12 strikes in a row for a 300 game. As impressive as the accomplishment was, it wasn’t the first time the talented American right-hander had achieved perfection during international competition – Johnson rolled 300 against Hupe during the Men’s Singles gold-medal match at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, a match Johnson went on to win.
“Shooting 300 is always cool, especially during international competition when you’re representing your country,” Johnson said. “Still, it was early in the block. I knew with how scores would be that I couldn’t get too far ahead of myself; I just needed to keep trying to help us get as much as we could to get to our goal.”
Despite falling a bit short of that goal on Monday, Johnson feels that he and Salinas learned enough about the tournament’s 41-foot oil pattern and how it plays at the Bowling Center of the Costa Rica Country Club that he and Salinas should both be ready to hit the ground running during singles.
“We definitely got some good information about the aspects we struggled with, and I feel like we have a plan to combat them, which should help us keep the pedal down,” Johnson said. “We got a good feel for the scoring pace as well, so we know what we need to do. Now, it’s just making sure we recognize when things are happening so that we can stay ahead of it and get the most out of every game.”
The 2026 Pan American Champion of Champions features a split schedule that has the men competing first with women to follow.
Tuesday’s agenda will feature the first eight-game blocks of Men’s Singles, the Men’s Doubles medal ceremony and the first women’s official practice session.
Wednesday’s schedule will include the second round of Men’s Singles competition, that event’s medal presentations and the final women’s practice session.
Women’s Doubles competition will commence on Thursday with Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida, and Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Michigan, teaming up for Team USA.
Elliott and Snodgrass will compete as individuals one day later as Round 1 of Women’s Singles will occur on Friday along with the Women’s Doubles medal presentations.
Saturday will be the final day of competition at the 2026 Pan American Champion of Champions and will see Round 2 of Women’s Singles take place and that event’s medals conferred.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – AJ Johnson and Julian Salinas rode a hot start to a silver-medal finish in Men’s Doubles on Monday, the opening day of competition at the 2026 PANAM Bowling Champion of Champions in Costa Rica.
Johnson, a 34-year-old right-hander from Kenosha, Wisconsin, led the way for Team USA’s duo, posting games of 225, 300, 200, 247, 268, 187, 158 and 214 at the Bowling Center of the Costa Rica Country Club in San Jose to finish with an eight-game total of 1,799 (a 224.9 average).
Salinas wasn’t far behind, contributing 1,776 (a 222 average). The 24-year-old two-handed righty from Long Branch, New Jersey, reached that mark thanks to scores of 267, 244, 227, 212, 224, 241, 203 and 158.
Together, Johnson and Salinas totaled 3,575 (a 223.4 average), finishing 78 pins behind Canada and 32 ahead of Costa Rica in the 13-team Men’s Doubles field.
The Canadian pair of Mitch Hupe and Francois Lavoie won the event’s gold medal with a total of 3,653, which included 1,876 from Hupe and 1,777 from Lavoie.
Jonaykel Conejo and Erik Roy of Costa Rica grabbed the third and final spot on the Men’s Doubles podium. Conejo finished Monday’s block with 1,831, while Roy added 1,712 to help the duo to a bronze-medal finish with 3,543.
Although Johnson certainly would’ve preferred to have occupied the top step on the podium, he was proud of the effort he and Salinas put forth on Monday, and he also was quick to give credit to Hupe and Lavoie on their gold-medal-worthy performance.
“Given the start we got off to and the look we felt like we had on the lanes, we obviously had the goal of coming out on top, but with what we were seeing on the lanes and not having our best stuff at times, we did what we needed to secure a medal,” Johnson said. “Any medal you can earn for your country is great. Hats off to the Canadian team for putting together good games down the stretch; they bowled well.”
Speaking of bowling well, Johnson did just that during Game 2 on Monday when he put together 12 strikes in a row for a 300 game. As impressive as the accomplishment was, it wasn’t the first time the talented American right-hander had achieved perfection during international competition – Johnson rolled 300 against Hupe during the Men’s Singles gold-medal match at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, a match Johnson went on to win.
“Shooting 300 is always cool, especially during international competition when you’re representing your country,” Johnson said. “Still, it was early in the block. I knew with how scores would be that I couldn’t get too far ahead of myself; I just needed to keep trying to help us get as much as we could to get to our goal.”
Despite falling a bit short of that goal on Monday, Johnson feels that he and Salinas learned enough about the tournament’s 41-foot oil pattern and how it plays at the Bowling Center of the Costa Rica Country Club that he and Salinas should both be ready to hit the ground running during singles.
“We definitely got some good information about the aspects we struggled with, and I feel like we have a plan to combat them, which should help us keep the pedal down,” Johnson said. “We got a good feel for the scoring pace as well, so we know what we need to do. Now, it’s just making sure we recognize when things are happening so that we can stay ahead of it and get the most out of every game.”
The 2026 Pan American Champion of Champions features a split schedule that has the men competing first with women to follow.
Tuesday’s agenda will feature the first eight-game blocks of Men’s Singles, the Men’s Doubles medal ceremony and the first women’s official practice session.
Wednesday’s schedule will include the second round of Men’s Singles competition, that event’s medal presentations and the final women’s practice session.
Women’s Doubles competition will commence on Thursday with Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida, and Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Michigan, teaming up for Team USA.
Elliott and Snodgrass will compete as individuals one day later as Round 1 of Women’s Singles will occur on Friday along with the Women’s Doubles medal presentations.
Saturday will be the final day of competition at the 2026 Pan American Champion of Champions and will see Round 2 of Women’s Singles take place and that event’s medals conferred.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.