… super impressive beam routine of Eythora Thorsdottir. Lovely, inventive combinations, like side aerial to front aerial to Korbut, and Onodi to bhs, layout, and a brilliant three turn combo late in the routine. Sure, there’s a fall mixed in among all this, but she already has many of the qualities of many of the world’s top beamworkers, including a wonderful way of moving. Look out for her in the future. …
… Romania arrived with all of their top guns, including Larisa Iordache, who has consistently been staking her claim as a serious all-around medal threat for London these past weeks, and Olympic champions Catalina Ponor and Sandra Izbasa. Izbasa warmed up with the team but then withdrew citing an injury to her left foot. …
Iordache zipped through four strong routines for an all-around total of 59.750. She left out the double-double on floor but posted a massive 6.8 D score on beam for a routine that included a ff-full, a double turn and a triple twist dismount. The number of skills she manages to confidently cram into ninety seconds is astonishing even if it leaves no room for choreography. …
… refused to link Ohashi’s name with the 2016 Olympics, saying instead that he prefers to take things one year at a time. …
“Of course Katelyn is a very talented gymnast. She’s not little anymore — next year she’ll be eligible for the World Championships,” Liukin said when asked to evaluate her talent. “Her senior career will start next year, so we’ll be getting ready for Worlds.” …
Friends who visited WOGA recently tell that Nastia looks in great shape. Still, qualifying for the American team is a long shot. I’d say she’d need to be top 3 Bars and Beam to be selected.
Israeli requires that their gymnasts confirm readiness to be sent to the Olympics by finishing top 12 AA at the European Championships 2012. Or top 6 in any apparatus final.
That’s confirmed by Valeria on this post:
… A bit about me
I’m Valeria Mksiota, 24 years old and I’m Artistic Gymnastic athlete. I started training when I was 5, and has been training for 20 years. I have dedicated my life to this sport and today I found myself only one small step from my biggest dream – the possibility to join Israel’s Olympic team and represent the country in London …
… In 2011, I won 27 medals in international competitions, 13 of them gold medals. …
THE ALL AROUND was in Jesolo. The best report I’ve read:
For the fifth year in a row, the S.G.A Gymnasium Treviso brought some of the world’s best gymnasts to Lido di Jesolo. …
This year the US brought a whopping total of fourteen gymnasts – nine seniors and five juniors. …
The US delegation comprised thirty people, meet organiser Giorgio Citton, whose energy carries the meet, said. The organisers pay for accommodation and full board and follow up the competition with a tourist day trip.
The past years the US delegation has gone to nearby Venice (a must see attraction) but this year’s trip was to be to Rome (another must see attraction).
Perhaps the location is the argument that draws the US contingent to the meet, perhaps it the fact that it is a guaranteed big team win year after year . The hosts are in a different league and few of the other teams bring their top stars in top condition this early in the season. …
According to Citton, the US have already confirmed their participation for next year. …
… The Italian juniors look set to contend for medals at next month’s Junior European Championships. They competed in Jesolo without stand out Elisa Meneghini but Enus Mariani was perhaps the revelation of the junior meet. She placed second in the AA to Priessmann by less than a point despite vaulting only a full-twisting Yurchenko. On bars, where she dismounted with a stalder full to immediate double layout, her D score of 6.0 matched Ohashi’s. …
Ponor — a triple gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games — won both women’s titles Friday.
On balance beam, she wobbled on her opening switch ring leap but hit the rest of her tricky set (round off, two-foot layout; double turn; Onodi, ff back pike; front aerial, ff layout; switch leap Kochetkova) before sticking her double pike dismount (6.5 Difficulty score).
The 24-year-old Romanian upgraded her floor routine from qualification, tumbling a double layout, two whips to tucked full-in, an untidy triple full and a double pike. …
