Inside Gymnastics is posting a top 10 highlights of each day. Here’s there list for day 1 of competition, Men’s Prelims:
1. League of Their Own – Simply put, China was head and shoulders above the field in today’s preliminary round, topping second place Japan by more than five points …
2. Two Much Too Handle – Subdivision two featured China, Japan and Russia competing together, often presenting a challenge for fans in deciding who to follow. The three powerhouse programs went 1-2-3 on the day and showcased some amazing gymnastics. Japan was particularly impressive on floor, p-bars and high bar while China was terrific all around, but strongest on pommel horse, rings, vault and p-bars.
3. Jia-Yo! – The home-country crowd showed up …
4. Team USA Rises to the Occasion
5. Textbook Technique – Today’s Code of Points calls for a ridiculous amount of difficulty that often comes with a sacrifice of form, technique and style. In prelims, Japan and China put on a clinic with performances that showcased textbook technique throughout. They’re not just doing ridiculously hard routines; they’re doing them well.
6. Kudos to the Hosts – The organizers and volunteers are well prepared and efficient in their operations, which made for a smooth first day.
7. “Wei†Ahead – Even with a major miscue on p-bars—he sat on the bar during a straddle kip press to handstand—two-time Chinese world all-around champ Yang Wei still led the field by more than a point. …
8. Fanfare – The National Indoor Stadium—which served as the holding pen for the athletes marching Friday’s opening ceremonies—is a great competition venue that provided for an electric environment and a great fan experience overall. …
9. Sasha Steps Up …
10. Tough Tricks – From Marian Dragulescu’s Handspring double front half-out and Yurchenko half on Randi off vaults to Kohei Uchimura’s HUGE releases on high bar (pike Kovacs, tuck Kovacs, Kolmann; all with incredible amplitude and picture-perfect form) and Justin Spring’s peach-full, giant, Diamadov, Belle combo on p-bars, a great display of awe-inspiring gymnastics brought the crowd to a roar time and again today. Other highlights: Fabian Hambuechen’s (Germany) layout double-double on floor; Hiroyuki Tomita’s (Japan) pike double front half out rings dismount; Nikolay Kryukov’s Gaylord release on high bar; Pinheiro Rodrigues’ Victorian to Maltese on rings; Li Xiaopeng’s incredible p-bar set featuring a huge Tippelt; Jonathan Horton’s triple twisting double layout high bar dismount; Jordan Jovtchev’s killer positions on rings – grey hair and all! Inside’s reporters’ said “Wow†out loud on press row today more often than we have in a long time. We applaud these talented athletes and celebrate all of the hard work, long hours in the gym and dedication to a sport that only enjoys the full glow of the spotlight once every four years.
August 9th – Inside Gymnastics
Gymnastics Coaching.com 