Men’s Vault at Worlds – extreme

As usual, Men’s Vault was the most extreme and exciting apparatus at Worlds. The level of difficulty is far beyond that of the Women.

– GOLD — BLANIK Leszek POL
1. Handspring, piked double salto fwd (“Blanik”) .. small hop (17.0) – 16.450
2. Tsukahara, piked double salto bwd. … rotation not quite completed. (17.0) – 16.575
– total = 16.512

* SILVER — POPESCU Daniel ROU
1. Kasamatsu, 2/1- .. Landing (17.0) – 16.675 (looks like triple twist)
2. Handspring, stretched salto fwd. 2 1/2- … hop on landing .. (17.0) – 16.325
– total = 16.500

* BRONZE — RI, Se Gwang PRK
1. Handspring, double salto fwd 1/2 turn (Dragulescu)..(17.0) – 16.500
2. Tsukahara, piked double salto bwd… (17.0) – 16.275
– total = 16.387

4. RI, Jong Song PRK
1. Kasamatsu 2/1- … large step backwards.. (17.0) – 16.200
2. Handspring, stretched salto fwd 2 1/2- … out of plane, correction.. (17.0) – 16.525
– total = 16.362

5. ISAYEV Andriy UKR
1. Dragulescu , rotation incomplete … (17.0) – 116.075;
2. Tsukahara, piked double salto bwd. – hop .. (17.0) – 16.425
– total = 16.250

6. HAMBUECHEN Fabian GER
1. Yurchenko, 2 1/2- forward hop .. (16.6) – 16.100
2. Kasamatsu, 1/1- … good landing … (16.2) – 15.850
– total = 15.975

7. KOCZI Flavius ROU –
1. Kasamatsu, 2/1- … 2 steps …(17.0) – 16.059
2. Handspring, stretched salto fwd, 2 1/2-.. lands on knees, fall (17.0) – 15.700;
– total = 15.825

8. BOTELLA PEREZ Isaac ESP
1. Kasamatsu 1 1/2- … landing to sit…(16.6) – 14.875
2. Handspring, stretched salto fwd. 2/1- … correcting step.. (16.6) – 15.900
– total = 15,387

Commentary:
… what a vault final!! 12 vault with starting values of 17.0 (!!) – 12 vaults with starting values of 16.0 !!

– BLANIK – at last without fault and so this Polish vaulter extraordinary fianlly wins the title he has been dreaming of, the further significance being that as world champion he is qualified for the Olympic Games!

– POPESCU – there was little difference in quality between the two top athletes – what significance can a difference of 0.012 points have?

– RI, Se Gwang – another athlete with two 17 vaults, however the vaulting table of the new Code de Pointage seems to be pretty well exhausted, and small errors in executing these super vaults can cost medals, as the other North Korean named RI, who ended up in fourth place, had to learn at his expense…!

Dieter Hoffman – GymFamily.Com
FINAL: VAULT, Men

Click PLAY or watch Blanik do his two piked double somersault vaults at World Stars Moscow 2007 on YouTube.