Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.

Simone’s new Beam dismount undervalued by FIG

YES, everyone agrees it’s absurd to up-value double double by only 0.1. This is the hardest skill in WAG.

Biles Vault – ‘we are not worthy’

Though Simone didn’t mention it at the Press Conference, she decided to do one last vault in podium training.

Amazing. She sets so long!

Any male gymnast would be thrilled to do it this well.

Very few can do this vault at all.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1179103876512923648

Lieke Wevers – Podium Floor

Because #Artistic.

To me it looks like Lieke has never been better.

It’s difficult to see, but she has an unusual tape wrap high on one leg.

No longer is Team Netherlands a surprise qualifier to the team final. They should be top 8 with a good prelim competition.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

protesting on the podium

Věra Čáslavská made clear her opposition to the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos were less subtle at those same Olympics.

In his autobiography, Silent Gesture, Smith stated that the gesture was not a “Black Power” salute, but a “human rights salute”. …

The american sprinters Tommie Smith,John Carlos and Peter Norman during the award ceremony of the 200 m race at the Mexican Olympic games. During the awards ceremony, Smith and Carlos protested against racial discrimination: they went barefoot on the podium and listened to their anthem bowing their heads and raising a fist with a black glove. Mexico City, Mexico, 1968 Mexico city, Mexico, 1968

In a perfect world we would keep politics and sport separate.

We don’t live in a perfect world.

On Nov. 1, Smith and Carlos will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed because of their “character, conduct and off-field contributions,” as well as their athletic achievements.

Nancy Armour – USA TODAY – Opinion: ‘We were wrong,’ as USOPC finally do right by Tommie Smith, John Carlos

It’s been 51 years since the USA expelled Tommie and John. Time to make it right.

related:

Hurd, Melnikova, Chen Yile – part 2

This documentary episode was posted before Morgan was named a non-traveling alternate for USA. You can see how competing 3 meets back-to-back did not work out for her.

Both Angelina Melnikova and Chen Yile did qualify to Worlds.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

day 2 WAG podium training

I’ll be commenting LIVE via Twitter @GymCoaching.

More LIVE coverage:

First — let me say how blessed we are to be seeing these dominant Simone Biles American teams. It reminds me of the dominance of the great Soviet teams back in the late 1980s.

All hail the greatest of all time.

  • the Simone Biles Press Conference was fun and relaxed.

https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1178960627299020800

Simone is motivated by getting two more skills named.
  • Everyone enjoyed watching (finally) the young Italian superstars at a Senior meet. Four of the 6 are age-16. Giorgia Villa looks fantastic — but says she is nervous. First time at Senior Worlds. Certainly Italy could finish 3rd with a HIT qualification meet. They could finish top 3 on Vault!
  • Upstart Italy and veteran France will be close in team total, I predict. France was 5th in 2018 but has a podium team goal for 2019.
  • Spencer is worried about Japan qualifying to Tokyo as a team. That would be a disaster for the host nation.
  • Everybody loves Netherlands. Smart routines. Great coaching. And such Artistry.  Sanne is as keen as ever. Her goal is to help qualify a full team of 4 to Tokyo. MUCH improved vault for NED! And has Lieke ever looked better?
  • Spain looks great. Watch for their Floor. Roxana Popa is back. And Cintia Rodriguez‘ toe point, of course.
  • For me the most surprising and exciting team on the rise is Argentina. Very well prepared. Guatemala showed some world class Gymnastics, as well.
  • Russia is often underwhelming in podium training. Then hits when it counts. They looked better than I expected today. Tim Daggett feels they can still finish top 3 in team even without Aliya. Melnikova looks superb.
  • Steingruber is back from injury. A big fan favourite here.
  • You can hand the gold team medal to USA now. It’s an honour for a gymnast to be in the same competition with any Simone Biles’ team.