In Tokyo I’m still mainly following the meet online: LIVE scores, Facebook, LIVE blogs.
But Twitter is down right now. Its back. Truly an unreliable service. I wish Google would buy the company and fix their many problems. (Not likely now that they launched Google+)
ROM, VEN, CRO, POR, FIN, DEN
A few highlights:
Porgras out of beam finals. Racea and Ponor higher scores. Need to wait to see if the Romanians make Finals. It would be a first if they didn’t.
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Jessica López (VEN) UB – Hit routine. I hope 13.966 gets her into Finals. … She hit Beam, too, looking determined. Big wobble on side somi save.
Whip triple twist on Floor. Clean routine. Vault 13.566 for Yurchenko 1/1.
She finishes with 54.731. Can Jessica improve her 10th AA (56.298) from Worlds 2010?
She was playing it safe today for the team. Upgrades are planned for AA on Vault and Beam.
Click PLAY or watch a post-competition interview on Gymnastike.
http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/NzY0NTA5Mzk0?related=1
Watch more video of World Gymnastics Championships Tokyo 2011 on gymnastike.org
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Quite a few double twisting flyaways today. Nice. I love that dismount. … Triple twisting flyaway should be an option for many good twisters — yet it isn’t yet in 2011.
Annica Urvikko of Finland hit Bars. Nice. Very unusual technique on Blind change skills. She arrives short of hanstand, then does a fast, late twist.
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Romanian not perfect on Beam and Floor, yet still very very good. They’ll be one of the top teams on those two apparatus.
In white, they remind me of great Romanian teams of old.
Everyone calmly hits Vault. Some good landings, too.
Overall, I’m impressed with Romania. They are good competitors. Room to improve in team finals.
But Bars … when will they improve Bars?
Two falls today: Bulimar (Shaposhnikova) and Porgras, under-rotating dismount.
Certainly Romania should address the Bars problem with their young gymnasts, bringing in a new coach.
Rule #1 — When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
… so far is: 1. Haidu ROM–56.465, 2. Porgras ROM-54.832, 3. Lopez VEN-54.731, 4. Maksiuta ISR-52.915
In bold are the scores from prelims last year:
Russia- 234.521
China- 233.778
USA- 233.643
Romania- 228.495
Romania 2011- 227.228 …
Great Britain- 224.921
Australia- 224.785
Italy- 219.179
Japan- 218.895
I thought they’d be reasonably happy to get throught that — and move on. But one reliable sources says Romania is pissed.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 