Author: Rick Mc

Men’s Gymnastics in Japan is kind of a big deal.

Though it’s nowhere near as popular as baseball and soccer, gymnastics gets respect.

I had a Japanese coach and most of my earliest heroes were Japanese. At age-12 I once performed a P Bar routine immediately after … Mitsuo Tsukahara. (Hopefully I was cute.)

So when it was first announced that Japan would host Worlds, I was determined to attend. In fact, I’m staying in Japan for up to 2 months. It’s an honour to be here.

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There were hundreds of amazing routines on display, from nations large and small. The depth of men’s gymnastics worldwide is staggering.

… It’s silly, in reality, to have Dominican Republic (pop. 9 million) compete against China (pop. 1.3 billion)

Talk about an “unfair” competition.

Yet we have a girls from Dominican Republic and Vietnam in Vault finals — and no Chinese girls. For the fan there’s something interesting in watching the athletes from the lesser known nations.

Men’s gymnastics is even better. We have event finalists from Israel, Slovenia, Venezuela, Chile & Hong Kong.

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Here’s the most important result — the list of those nations who qualify a team directly to the Olympics.

1. JPN 364.191 2. USA 361.583 3. CHN 358.226 4. GER 354.132 5. RUS 353.725 6. KOR 351.331 7. ROU 350.900 8. UKR 350.434

CONGRATULATIONS. Well earned!

I had predicted: CHN, JPN, GBR, (USA / GER) …

I’d still bet on China in that Final.

France is 9th. 😦

Non-qualification (so far) for Olympic host Great Britain is the story of the meet, I’d say. The girls made it. The guys didn’t.

Click PLAY or watch Keatings try to explain it on YouTube.

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Russia surprised with their excellent performance after erratic training. (Similar to the RUS women.)

They were easily the most impressive Vault team.
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Next, the 8 teams that move on to London “test” event from January 10-18th, 2012. (With only 5 gymnasts — Olympic rules.) Buy your tickets here.

9. France 349.828
10. Great Britain 348.742
11. Spain 348.725
12. Canada 347.076
13. Brazil 346.626
14. Puerto Rico 344.460
15. Italy 343.642
16. Belarus 342.575

Four of these teams will there qualify for London. Four will not.

The happiest gymnasts in Tokyo tonight are teams Ukraine and Belarus. The least happy … France 9th and Switzerland 17th.
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The “routine” of the day was defending World Champion Thomas Bouhail on Vault.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

He did a second vault to qualify for finals. A Tsuk double pike. STICK.
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Here are the qualifiers from prelims to World Championships Finals:

FX QUALIFIERS
1. Zou CHN 15.700
2. Dragulescu ROM 15.566
3. Shatilov ISR 15.500
4. Hypolito BRA 15.500
5. Uchimura JPN 15.466
6. Legendre USA 15.433
7. Gonzalez CHI 15.400
8. Koczi ROM 15.400

R1 – Gafuik
R2 – Gomez Fuerts
R3 – Almeida Campos
R4 – Cappeli
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Pommels was the strongest apparatus. Rings weakest.

Nearly every team has a pommel guy who swings this sweet.

Click PLAY or watch Emin GARIBOV on YouTube.

I’m still liking Marcel Nguyen for the Longines Award. Or should it be Russia’s David BELYAVSKIY?

Click PLAY or watch him on YouTube.

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Here are the best links from men’s prelims:

• FIG – China third as Tokyo prelims conclude

• Inside Gymnastics DAILY 5 – MONDAY, OCTOBER 10

• Team qualifications report card — who exceeded expectations?

• Men’s Worlds prelims day 1

Details on what happened via LIVE blogs: Examiner and TAA and Gymnastike.

Two of those 3 bloggers are ladies — and they’ve learned a LOT about MAG over the past couple of years, often correcting my mistakes. 🙂

On to Team Finals over the next two days. I love the sudden victory, 3-up ~ 3-count format. Anything can happen.

That’s a low res photo from the 2011 World Championships – Men’s Qualifications Facebook page, the best pics of Worlds I’ve found so far.

Twitter has been the best way to follow the meet online. But that will change if internet TV is available starting tomorrow. Check to see if you can get Universal where you live.

It’s “sudden victory”, 3-up ~ 3-scores count, anything can happen, format.

USA (starts first on vault)
VT: Raisman, Wieber, Maroney
UB: Vega, Wieber, Douglas
BB: Vega, Raisman, Wieber
FX: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman

Check the other 7 teams on Between The Olympics. Or download the official list (PDF)

Looks like we’ve seen the last of He Kexin at Worlds 2011. Perhaps forever.

It was an honour to watch my countrymen do smart, disciplined, clean gymnastics today. They’ll easily qualify to the London “test” event from January 10-18th, 2012. (With only 5 gymnasts competing — the new smaller Olympic team size.)

Here’s one of the veterans, Kenji Ikeda, back in his ancestral homeland. About to rock the pommels for his team.

At this moment we’re still waiting to see if Nathan Gafuik qualifies to the all-around final.

Click through to the Inside Gymnastics Men’s Qualifications Day 2 photo page on Facebook.

Canada probably hit as many routines as any nation in this competition, But as good as they were, the coaches still weren’t satisfied. They had been even better in podium and in the training gym. A perfect day might have landed them 8th position.

Congrats to Naosaki and the everyone involved in preparing this team. I was one proud Canadian today — especially on Pommels.

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Japan 364.291
2. USA 361.583
3. Germany 354.132
4. Russia 353.725
5. Romania 350.900
6. Ukraine 350.434
7. France 349.828
8. Great Britain 348.742
9. Spain 348.725
10. Canada 347.076
11. Brazil 346.626
12. Puerto Rico 344.460
13. Italy 343.642
14. Switzerland 340.646
15. Australia 339.574
16. Netherlands 336.077

AA STANDINGS
1. Uchimura JPN 92.256
2. Orozco USA 90.532
3. Leyva USA 89.848
4. Yamamuro JPN 89.765
…….. 5. Horton USA 89.689
6. Purvis GBR 89.132
7. Boy GER 88.697
8. Garibov RUS 88.664
9. Kuksenkov UKR 88.648
10. Nguyen GER 88.464
11. Martinez ESP 88.306
12. Tommasone FRA 88.231
13. Rivera PUR 87.831
14. Koczi ROM 87.732
15. Fokin UZB 87.698
16. Belyavsky RUS 87.632
…….. 17. Hambuchen GER 87.507
18. Dragulescu ROM 87.032
19. Shatilov ISR 86.732
20. Gonzalez CHI 86.665
…….. 21. Legendre USA 86.598
22. Stepko UKR 86.565
23. Bucher SUI 86.466
24. Gafuik CAN 86.457

China & Korea yet to compete.

That’s the way it looks right now … with CHN and RUS yet to compete:

1. JPN 364.191 2. USA 361.583 3. GER 354.132 4. ROU 350.900 5. UKR 350.434 6. FRA 349.818 7. GBR 348.742

The top 8 teams qualify directly to Olympics.

A bad day for one of my favourite gymnasts, Daniel Keatings.

It’s not the end of the world. In fact, it MIGHT be good preparation for the host nation to be competing in the Olympic venue at the “test” event from January 10-18th, 2012.

They should easily place in the top 4 teams of 8 (ranking 9th-16th in Tokyo) — and move on to the Olympics. With 3 strong all-arounders, GBR should be in even stronger contention since team size will be reduced to 5 athletes for that meet.

The GBR girls made it through already, finishing in 8th place.

Now that’s a LANDING.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (16,066)

The star from Belgium, Donna-Donny Truyens, will not likely make the Pommel final this year. (15.233) Too bad. He was 2nd at Universiade 2011 in China.

Pommels is easily the best apparatus at Worlds Tokyo. There are dozens of guys trying to qualify.

Click PLAY or watch Truyens at last Worlds on YouTube.

Tommasone, the French pommel specialist, might get there with 15,300.

It’s nice to see gymnasts from Hong Kong and Vietnam looking good to qualify for the final.

JPN – Okiguchi
ROM – Dragulescu … scandalously over-scored
HKG – Shek
NED – Wammes
VIE – Ha Thanh
BRA – Hypolito
ROM – Koczi
USA – Dalton

I’m waiting on a video of Dragulescu’s second vault. Both knees touched the mat, I believe.

Yet he was awarded 9.066 execution, an impossible score. Sound familiar? … Recall the judges sanctioned following his impossible score on Vault #2 of the 2004 Olympic Final?

The defending World Champion easily leads the field after half the teams have competed.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

#FIG2011Tokyo #Gymnastics #Concussion

… We hear Yusuke Tanaka is doing fine after his floor mishap yesterday and will be back for the team final …

International Gymnast Magazine on Facebook

One of the stars of the Japanese men’s team suffered a concussion in competition during Floor preliminaries.

Not surprisingly, it was on a roll-out skill on Floor.

Similar — but worse — to what happened to Dragulescu at the 2007 European Championships.

Click PLAY or watch Dragulescu’s injury on YouTube.

If you really want to see Tanaka’s concussion, watch it here (VIDEO) … in gruesome slow motion.

Can Tanaka really recover that quickly?

I don’t think so.

I’m no expert. You’d be better to consult Dr. Michel Léglise from France, FIG Chief of Medical.

Know that many on the men’s side defend the skill:

Blythe Lawrence:

… The gymnasts themselves — at least the ones I’ve talked to here in Tokyo — do not think there’s a problem with performing roll out skills. “As scary as they look, Thomas skills are really very safe,” said Jonathan Horton, who does two in his floor routine. “I’ve been doing them since I was like 12 years old, and as long as you have proper air awareness and learn it right [it’s OK]. People get hurt on other things way more than they get hurt on roll out skills on floor.” …

… Examiner – Ban them! The case for getting rid of roll out skills on floor

If Dragulescu can get injured, anyone can. It takes only one slightly mistimed landing.

At minimum, FIG MTC should devalue each roll-out skill in the next Code of Points.

Banning would be more logical. How can FIG officials answer this question:

Why do you ban this skill for women and not for men?

… Roll out skills have already been banned for the women, thanks to the paralysis of 1978 World champion Elena Mukhina, who died of complications from the paralysis five years ago at age 46. Mukhina trained a Thomas (a 1.5 twisting, 1 3/4 somersault, introduced by American Kurt Thomas) for the 1980 Olympics. Until the day she landed it on her chin. …

Is it going to take an accident like Mukkina on the men’s side before FIG takes action?

In the meantime, the medical staff at Worlds needs watch Yusuke Tanaka closely. They’ve been very slow getting to injured athletes so far, by the way.