Author: Rick Mc

Bea Gheorghisor was in Ghent, Belgium for the final World Cup meet pre-Olympics. She reported on Couch Gymnast:

… Celine van Gerner continued her impressive Olympics campaign by winning uneven bars by a clear .6 margin over silver winner, Martha Pihan-Kulesza. I really can’t see how van Gerner won’t be going to the Olympics after her results of the past few weeks. It is a terrible situation for her and Wyomi Masela, but van Gerner’s results speak volumes. …

There were some other lovely surprises, including Sweden’s Ida Gustafsson being rewarded for her beautiful lines and execution on bars with a bronze medal. …

read more – Ghent Cup: Wrap, Results and Videos

Click PLAY or watch Celine’s Bars on YouTube.

results via IG – Qualification Leaders Repeat in Ghent

Of many, many commentaries of the women’s Visa Championships, Andy Thornton‘s is easily the best I’ve read.

The Elephant In The Room… Should Nastia Have Made Trials? And Other Competition Notes…:

… Should Nastia Liukin have been asked to come to the Olympic Trials? Is it “fair?” …

… We could argue on and on about how unfair it is that Chellsie Memmel wasn’t even invited to NATIONALS after missing one beam routine, and yet Nastia Liukin is being invited to the Olympic Trials after hitting just 1 routine out of 4 at that nationals and looking nowhere near ready to even do a dismount at the end of her bar routine. …

… would I personally have accepted Chellsie Memmel’s petition to the U.S. Championships? Absolutely. Would I personally have allowed Nastia Liukin through to the Olympic Trials? I think I would have, simply because I want to see her compete there, and due to the fact that she is still potentially right in the mix if she can put that bar routine together. She also has shown two world class beam routines in competition and hit a 15.1 on Day 1 …

Certainly it was a public relations blunder not to invite beloved Chellsie to Visa Championships.

What would have happened in the public mouth if they had not asked Nastia?

via Sports Illustrated – Liukin shaky again but determined to go to trials

With Shawn out, it’s good publicity to have Nastia in the Olympic Trial. I’m looking forward to watching her there myself.

… But if that Bar routine’s not together in the next couple of days, she should find a way to gracefully opt out.

Here’s one more tidbit from Andy’s lengthy dissection:

… I was surprised Elizabeth Price wasn’t shown ONCE on NBC’s coverage, particularly after Tim Daggett specifically pointed her out as a potential Olympic team member. After watching her routines, I believe she was a bit underscored today …

I leave you with these four underscored routines from today’s competition:

Bridget Sloan – Bars
Elizabeth Price – Bars
Elizabeth Price – Floor
Anna Li – Bars

To watch those routines and read Andy’s commentary, click through to American Gymnast.

MAG

… All arounder Tommasone, a silver medalist on pommel horse at the 2011 World Championships, leads the experienced men’s squad. He will be joined by Yann Cucherat, Da Silva, Rodrigues, and Sabot. Bény is the named reserve. …

WAG

… France will be represented by five first-time Olympians on the women’s side, none of whom have competed at the Olympics

or were even eligible for Beijing. Brevet, Dufournet, Kuhm, and Sophia Serseri, all members of the French squad for the Olympic Test Event and European Championship team, will be joined by Aurélie Malausséna. Olympic reserve Valentine Sabatou was the fifth member of the Euros squad.

At 18, Dufournet is the most experienced of the team, having reached multiple all around and event finals at European and World Championships. In Nantes, she showed a 6.9 routine on uneven bars and remains the best medal hope for the women. …

The All Around – French teams for London announced

… Anne Kuhm has won the all around competition at the French Nationals this weekend with a combined score of 55.600. …

Couch Gymnast – French Nationals: Results and Video links

Click PLAY or watch her Bars on YouTube. (13.950)

related – TAA – Bény, Kuhm win French titles

Winner today at the French Nationals with 15.550 (6.9) … same start score as Anna Li’s highest.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (Embedding disabled)

Wow.

Hey. Is this a flattering camera angle, or has the flying Dutchman improved his form and line?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Astonishing difficulty done very, very well. 🙂

CONGRATS Epke.

… the apparatus where Team USA will win or lose Team in London, many predict.

Russia and China will score higher. But how much higher?

Only Gabby is an obvious Olympic Bars finalist. Amazing. But with deductions.

Click PLAY or watch her Day 2 routine on YouTube.

It seems near certain that Kyla Ross will be doing Bars for Team USA in London.

Click PLAY or watch her Day 2 routine on YouTube.

Those sets are competitive with the best in the world. But not likely to medal.

I’d love to see Anna Li the third Bar routine in the line-up.

If not Anna, who?

Not Bross (VIDEO). Not Sloan. (VIDEO) … Definitely not Maroney. (VIDEO)

Finnegan? … She fell on Geinger today. (VIDEO)

Jordyn Wieber is it, I’d say. Despite inconsistency on Bars in the past, if Jordyn hits another 2 routines at Olympic Trials, put her up first. On a winning team, your best players have to be your best players when it counts.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Cautious. But respectable.

I trust Jordyn to hit that routine in London. Consistency and start score are more important than quality in 2012.

Leave a comment if you’ve got a better plan for the USA. And please, don’t suggest Nastia. She’s as unreliable right now as Jordyn is stable.

Pretty.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

USAG:

Lexie Priessman of Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, won the junior all-around title at the 2012 Visa Championships this afternoon at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. …

1. Lexie Priessman, Cincinnati, Ohio, 116.400
2. Madison Desch, Lenexa, Kan., 115.850
3. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 115.600
4. Bailie Key, Coppell, Texas, 115.050
5. Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas, 114.900
6. Amelia Hundley, Hamilton, Ohio, 114.000
7. Nia Dennis, New Albany, Ohio, 109.550
7. Peyton Ernst, Coppell, Texas, 109.550
9. Veronica Hults, Allen, Texas, 107.600
10. Polina Shchennikova, Arvada, Colo., 107.300
10. Maggie Nichols, Little Canada, Minn., 107.300

Vault
1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 31.800
2. Lexie Priessman, Cincinnati, Ohio, 31.350
3. Bailie Key, Coppell, Texas, 29.600

Bars
1. Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas, 28.700
2. Lexie Priessman, Cincinnati, Ohio, 28.550
3. Amelia Hundley, Hamilton, Ohio, 28.200

Beam
1. Madison Desch, Lenexa, Kan., 29.150
2. Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas, 29.100
3. Bailie Key, Coppell, Texas, 28.650

Floor
1. Lexie Priessman, Cincinnati, Ohio, 29.800
2. Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas, 29.600
3. Madison Desch, Lenexa, Kan., 29.400
3. Bailie Key, Coppell, Texas, 29.400

Click PLAY or watch Lexie’s day 1 Floor on YouTube.

BIG tumbling.

If USA were to take a Bars specialist to the Olympics, it would most likely be Anna Li.

She’s a better bet than Bross or Liukin.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Score: 15.550 – June 10, 2012 (day 2)

Results from Visas:

BARS
1. Gabrielle Douglas, Virginia Beach, Va., 31.300
2. Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo, Calif., 30.850
3. Anna Li, Aurora, Ill., 30.700
4. Rebecca Bross, Plano, Texas, 30.400
5. Jordyn Wieber, DeWitt, Mich., 30.100
6. Bridget Sloan, Pittsboro, Ind., 30.050

Final standings:
#VisaChamps

1. Wieber 121.900;
2. Douglas 121.700;
3. Raisman 120.950;
4. Ross 119.950;
5. Price 118.100.

via @USAGym

Olympic Trials qualifiers:

Jordyn Wieber
Gabrielle Douglas
Aly Raisman
Kyla Ross
Elizabeth Price
Sarah Finnegan
Sabrina Vega
Kennedy Baker
Brenna Dowell
Bridget Sloan
Alicia Sacramone
Rebecca Bross
Anna Li
McKayla Maroney

Examiner

Nastia is invited, as well, a controversial decision.

mckaylamaroney on Instagram:

“I have a concussion and a fractured nose! but don’t worry I’m okay!!”

She was injured on triple twist.

Examiner LIVE blog – Senior women’s finals at the 2012 U.S. Gymnastics Championships