Category: horizontal bar

H Bar: HAMBUECHEN, LEYVA, WILSON

After four Olympic Games and a decade as the leader of the German team, Fabian Hambuchen finally has his long-awaited gold at 28. The 2007 World champion on High Bar won bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012 but considered himself over the hill before the Rio Games, which he says will be his last. He nevertheless qualified first to the final.

The expected duel between Hambuechen and London gold medallist Epke Zonderland never materialized. “The Flying Dutchman” fell to his stomach a risky release combination and finished seventh. …

FIG

1. HAMBUECHEN Fabian GER 15.766
2. LEYVA Danell USA 15.500
3. WILSON Nile GBR 15.466
full results

Olympic Games Rio 2016: HAMBUECHEN Fabian/GER

How about this guy? Team alternate ends up double Olympic silver medalist. Olympics brings out the best in Danell.

Men’s pirouetting deductions

The rules on Men’s Horizontal Bar are stupid. 1 1/2 pirouetting elements are overvalued so almost every gymnast uses them.

Deductions are not as severe as in WAG, but they are severe. It’s very easy to suffer a 0.3 or 0.5 deduction.

pirouette MAG deductions

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FIG graphics via papaliukin

The problem had been that FIG judges were not enforcing these rules. Instead of a 0.3 deduction, they’d take only 0.1, for example.

But at Worlds 2015 evaluation suddenly became more severe. I asked judges at Worlds if a message had been sent to start enforcing these rules more accurately. They had not.

Here’s one of the best you’ll ever see. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Nobody likes messy late regrasp skills. Not even this cat.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

It’s obvious that those overused elements should be devalued. Unfortunately they’ve not been devalued in the most recent DRAFT Code of Points. We’ll suffer another 4 years. 😦

Chris Brooks rocked it

Respect.

I can’t think of anyone who surprised me more than Chris Brooks in the lead ups to Rio.

We should study his training plan. His psychology.

Click PLAY or watch his H Bar on Facebook.

Men’s AA Final results

1. Uchimura JPN 92.365
2. Vernyayev UKR 92.266
3. Whitlock GBR 90.641
full results

It was a thriller. Men’s Gymnastics is almost always more exciting than WAG.

The big battle was Kohei vs Oleg. Both hit 6/6 very well. It could have gone either way.

Kohei-Uchimura-160810-Celebrates-G300

Many are debating the 6th apparatus – Horizontal Bar.

I thought the judges got it right.

FIG rules are stupid on that apparatus. Uchimura has a huge routine with difficult overbar releases performed with amplitude and excellent leg form. His angles on regrasps are much better than most. Daniel points out that he caught with bent elbows. A fair point.

But in reality Max and Oleg’s routines are Mickey Mouse in comparison. If the three were training together in the Gym all would agree that Kohei is far, far better on pipe. FIG MTC truly has to fix the rules on that apparatus. The cheap difficulty skills must be devalued.

But I would like to go back and watch all three on all 6 apparatus. Seems to me Max was evaluated most generously of the three. His E-score on Rings?

Please leave a comment if you disagree.

Bretschneider falls on his named skill

No Bretschneider in the H Bar Final. 😦

Epke should make it, however.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Germany is in BIG trouble as a team after Toba was injured on his first tumbling pass. 😦

Incredibly, Toba limped back on to the podium and completed a PH routine for 14.233. Fabian hasn’t been training Pommels.

Uchimura falls on H Bar

Rio prelims. 😦 Many predicted he would medal on this apparatus.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

If Kohei is going to fall, this is the day to do it.

His AA total was 90.498. And he leads Floor with 15.533.

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Giants at age-79

Bruno Klaus

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.