From Inside Gymnastics:
Still Missing Artistry.
The new Code was meant to encourage artistry, but so far, it doesn’t seem to have been too successful. The judges aren’t allowing enough separation in the Execution score among gymnasts to really distinguish in a significant fashion. And so many gymnasts and coaches seem to be neglecting this side of the sport still, with unimaginative choreography and still not enough focus on the details. The judges have 10 full points to work with in the Execution score, but they’re not using enough range. …
Nobody names either Bridge Sloan #1 or Rebecca Bross #2 as one of the most “artistic” gymnasts in the world.
Both are fantastic athletes. Both could contend for Olympic AA medals in 3yrs if they can stay healthy.
Actually, my opinion of Rebecca went way, way up at this her first major international meet. That kid is tough. She handled catastrophic disaster perfectly. Impassive. … In fact she reminded me of the psychological toughness of Ludmilla Tourischeva.
Sounds like her coach and Nastia did not handle Rebecca’s fall on the last tumbling line of the last apparatus nearly as calmly. Disappointing.
Later, Valeri put a braver face on it:
… said Bross’s fall was a good learning experience.
“She’s still very great,” Liukin said. “She’s still very young. We learn.” …
Gymnastics Examiner
====
In any case, the majority of bloggers were naming Ana Porgras the most artistic gymnast. Check a thread on the IG Forum comparing Ana against the best switch ring leaps in history.
Certainly Ana cannot contend against the best gymnasts in the world under this code without getting much, much stronger. We can hope she improves to the level of former Romanian World Champion, Aurelia Dobre.
Perhaps the most artistic gymnast at World’s in the AA was Yang Yilin. What do you think?
Elsa Garcia won the Longines Prize for Elegance. … But I’m wondering how much her being disallowed to compete in Beijing factored into that award.
I only saw some of the routines broadcast on Universal. … Leave a comment if you have your own ARTISTIC World Gymnastics Champion.
15 comments ↓
I just find it difficult to swallow that the number in the world made it with all those huge balance checks on the beam, and the silver medalist got there even with a fall on floor?!?!?
Never mind artistry! Just give me quality gymnastics!
ooops*number one in the world*
That’s a picture of Deng Linlin not Yang Yilin. YY is very lean with long limbs. DL is built much more like the typical Chinese gymnast.
Compulsories should be brought back, then athletes would be required to work on some dance background from the beginning. Even looking back at 1996, there are a number of gymnasts who were very powerful, and not necessarily considered “graceful” in optionals, but were still miles above some gymnasts of today. If compulsories were still around it would be interesting to think of what gymnasts may not have been nearly as successful since 1996 or who may have seen more success because of this component. I think too the “stripper” pose (hands sliding up and down legs while bending knees and sticking butt out) so popular on floor with some would not be nearly as prevailant and that would be a good thing.
Elsa deserved the award for sure, she is such an elegant gymnast and a beauty to watch.
Yep, that’s Deng in the picture. Just look at her face.
So many elements have been removed from the code that now everybody ends up by doing clonic exercises, at least in WAG. Can’t they bring some back? I am one of those that would vote for bringing compulsories back too. Now I dislike gymnastics more and more with every new important competition. I’ve started watching MAG again and I don’t see it’s so horrible there.
What did Valeri and Nastia do anyway?
Can’t find the link right now. …
Both reacted very emotionally. Nastia was crying.
Eh? What’s so wrong with showing emotion? I don’t know what he did off camera but Valeri recovered pretty quickly. He was right there when Bross came off the podium. Not at all Rhybacki-like. I was looking at the BBC coverage and Bross and Sloan were standing side by side when the results came up. B was just standing there looking bummed out (I don’t blame her) while she’s standing right next to S. I don’t thin B or S knew quite what to do with each other at that point. Valeri comes over and hugs them both.
I totally fell in love with Tsurumi’s floor… Porgras, as well! It’s really unfortunate that artistry is slipping away… it’s what makes gymnastics unique!
Nastia wrote in her blog for USA Today that she had “tears in her eyes” because she missed being on the competition floor.
Yilin was not as artistic as Porgras. Porgras had actual dance movements and footwork in her floor routine. With a couple more years of international experience and upgrades to a couple of her tumbling passes on floor (she looks like she could get a nice triple twist around) she could be unbeatable.
Am I the only one that misses opening passes of whip-through to something?
Ana Porgras is fantastically artistic, and Yang Yilin is as well. I know a lot of people think Yang’s routine is a little weird but I totally love it. Anna Myzdrikova was great as well, she does elegance a little better than Porgras because she looks more mature (though don’t get me wrong, I do prefer Porgras). And Ksenia Semenova has excellent presentation with her dance, I love it, though she wasn’t as good as she was at Euros.
Gotta go with Porgras!
Yang Yilin improved heaps between podium and qualifying, but was a shade of her former self.
Leave a Comment