(via Aunt Joyce)

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On Day 1 only Women’s Artistic FIG Junior and Senior women competed. You’ll find full results via the link above.

Though Blythe Lawrence had to miss the Canadian Championships this year, she still posted the best overview of WAG FIG prelims I’ve seen:

… Night one was a boon for (Ellie) Black, who in spite of her World Cup medals is still a newcomer, as well as Savona, who has been out to prove that she can be as competitive post-ACL operation as she was early last year. Savona posted the third-best scores of the day on vault and floor, her best events. That could be significant later on. …

… Canada, like many of the former British Commonwealth countries, has so many exceptionally talented, Olympics-worthy gymnasts this quad that it’s impossible to predict a five-person Olympic team even given these results. …

Examiner – Kristina Vaculik, Shallon Olsen lead as Canadian Nationals begins

LIVE video streaming seems to have worked for some viewers on some apparatus. But we don’t have many routine videos online as yet. Here’s one, future Georgia Bulldog Anysia Unick.

Click PLAY or watch her Bars on YouTube. (5.7 start)

Thanks Brett.

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Blythe Lawrence will be there, LIVE blogging for Examiner.

Abigail Millet
Jordyn Wieber
Sabrina Vega
Mckenzie Wofford
Mckayla Maroney
Brandie Jay
Anna Li
Brenna Dowell
Kennedy Baker
Sarah Finnegan
Gabrielle Douglas
Mykayla Skinner
Kyla Ross
Chellsie Memmel
Grace McLaughlin
Rebecca Bross
Casey Jo Magee
Nastia Liukin
Mackenzie Brannan
Amanda Jetter
Bridget Sloan
Brianna Brown
Alexandra Raisman
Elizabeth Price

Look for Brenna to surprise.

• Balance Beam Situation – Nastia Liukin and the Classic of Secrets … all about veterans

Click PLAY or watch Nastia training Beam on YouTube.

• E Panel – An Absolute Classic … all about BARS

USAG – Nine current, former World champions headline Secret U.S. Classic

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Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Overuse of one kind of skill, in my opinion. But it’s nice to see someone besides Russia win Bars.

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The former gymnastics coach / editor Char has another blog called Doll Diaries.

In one post, she details how to construct a Vault set-up for the American Girl of the Year doll, McKenna:

… In her books, McKenna is working towards the Level 4 team. In the US, Level 4 gymnasts compete vault on a large mat system and do a vault called a handstand to flat back. …

McKenna needs a springboard to go with her vault. …

Great fun for the DIY gymnastics enthusiast – How to Make a Gymnastics Vault for Dolls

Put away the electronic gaming for a while.

related :

• How to Make a Balance Beam for your Dolls

• Dolls doing a Bar Routine (VIDEO)

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Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Andy Thornton:

… Who would have thought that the best bars final of the quadrennium thus far would NOT include Beth Tweddle, Aliya Mustafina, a single Chinese gymnast, or a single American? …

American Gymnast

That link has videos of the other 7 routines, 6 of them HIT.

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Should they adopt a goal of winning as many individual apparatus medals as possible in London? Rather than trying to win Team?

Sun Xiaochen in the China Daily:

China’s national gymnastics teams have already accepted that they won’t repeat the dominant Olympics they enjoyed in Beijing …

The international powerhouse bagged nine gold medals – including the prestigious men’s and women’s team all-around competitions – out of the 14 categories at home four years ago, which comprised a big portion of the nation’s 51-gold haul in Beijing.

However, it is unrealistic to expect an equally exceptional result in London. …

“It will be extremely hard for us to defend the team event title this time,” said Chen Yibing, men’s captain and Beijing Olympics rings gold medalist.

“We lack the all-around talent now, so everybody has to dig deeper and try to make up for each other’s weak event.”

Inspired by Chen, pommel horse Olympic champion Xiao Qin has started to work out on the rings, an event he dropped for 10 years. …

The golden age may be over

The odds of the women defending are far, far worse. With the resurgence of Romania, Team China could easily finish 4th.

China could send He Kexin, for example, abandoning the chance for a team medal.

1. He Kexin 7.100 8.550 15.650
2. Huang Huidan 6.600 7.575 14.175
3. Tan Jiaxin 6.100 7.950 14.050

Click PLAY or watch He Kexin win Bars at Chinese Nationals on YouTube.

The first day of the event finals at the Chinese Nationals saw the girls kicking it old school, with senior citizens Cheng Fei and He Kexin emerging as apparatus champions on their pet events. …

Couch Gymnast – Chinese Nationals: Event Finals

related – IG – Chinese Women Face Uphill Battle for Olympics

Leave a comment if you’ve an opinion.

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Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Romania is back. They won 3 gold medals in the apparatus finals. Sandra Isbaza (Vault), Catalina Ponor (Beam) and Larissa Iordache (Floor) dominated the competitions. Russia saved the honour with Victoria Komova (Uneven Bars). …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Andy Thornton – Five takeaways from gymnastics Europeans

(via The All Around Gymnastics News on Facebook)

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Ruby Harrold (15) qualified 4th on Bars for the Event Finals at Europeans, with a D Score of 6.100 and E Score of 8.433.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Full Twist)

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