… Mustafina skipped the Russian championships in favor of last weekend’s American Cup, the first all-around World Cup of the year. Mustafina fell on floor exercise to lose the title to first-year senior Jordyn Wieber (U.S.), a controversial last-minute entrant. …
It was a last minute FIG decision to allow the host nation to choose a replacement athlete, not USAG.
… Perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into one throw away (translated) quote:
Valentina Rodionenko:
… Well, America is America. We expected that they would spare no effort to win. But everyone saw that Aliya’s upgraded routines are good. Before leaving for America she was a little unwell, which is also important to note. I think that in a week she will be at her peak. It is too early. The World Cup for us is not as important as the Europeans.” …
via IG
Spanny Tampson has done the most detailed analysis Mustafina vs Wieber I’ve seen. She concludes:
… despite an American winning in a last minute upset, there was no SCAM this year. If judges threw anyone favors, they were given to the world champion. All she needed to do was not fall, and the title was hers. She failed …
The most interesting part of her routine-by-routine comparison regards leaps. Mustafina is gorgeous:
But Jordyn’s are not bad, certainly far better than Shawn Johnson:
For larger images and much more click over to Big Fake Smile.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 