To safely warm-up before doing the VERY dangerous landing in competition, many male gymnasts use a flyspring.
Great idea. I’ve seen some women do the same warming-up Kasamatsu vaults, including Ellie Black.
Click PLAY or watch a sample on Twitter.
Category: vault
World Apparatus Finals – day 1
FANTASTIC Final. Medals from superpower Gymnastics nations including Belgium, Taiwan, Philippines, Israel, and Ireland.
Vault
1. Biles Simone USA 15.399
2. Carey Jade USA 14.883
3. Downie Ellie GBR 14.816
I thought Jade slightly better than Ellie, but it was close.
Shallon 4th. Qi Qi 5th.
Bars
1. Derwael Nina BEL BEL 15.233 = 8.733 + 6.500
2. Downie Becky GBR 15.000 8.500 + 6.500
3. Lee Sunisa USA 14.800 = 8.400 + 6.400
Most people will be content with this podium. I’m thrilled.
Floor
1. Yulo (Caloy) Carlos PHI 15.300 = 8.800 + 6.500
2. Dolgopyat Artem ISR 15.200 = 8.800 + 6.400
3. Xiao Ruoteng CHN 14.933 = 8.733 + 6.200
No controversy. Xiao had one poor landing and the lower D-score. Yulo and Artem were close. Amplitude of Yolo’s tumbling superior. I felt judges got the ranking right.
Artem wins Olympic qualification with this medal.
Yulo should be a national hero, of course.
Pommels
1. Whitlock Max GBR 15.500 = 8.500 + 7.000
2. Lee Chih Kai TPE 15.433 = 8.933 + 6.500
3. McClenaghan Rhys IRL 15.400 = 9.000 + 6.400
Zou Jingyuan only 6.300. And had some leg brushes. Doesn’t swing as well as Rhys in my opinion. Some feel Max’s E-score is high since he took a 0.3 deduction on the first handstand.
Rings
1. Colak Ibrahim TUR 14.933 = 8.733 + 6.200
2. Lodadio Marco ITA 14.900 = 8.600 + 6.300
3. Ait Said Samir FRA 14.800 = 8.600 + 6.200
Sadly, the Olympic Champ and one of the greatest all-time, Petrounias Eleftherios from Greece, has not yet qualified to Tokyo. He was 4th with 14.733 = 8.433 + 6.300. But he still has a chance to qualify through the World Cup route, as can Epke Zonderland who’s in the same situation.
Recall Samir is the guy who broke his legs during Vault qualification at Rio. Vowed to come back. And did it. Legend.
reality check – could Khorkina beat Biles?
Hmmm …
After Valentina, the next Russian spokesperson most often wrong, most delusional is the great Svetlana Khorkina.
But, to be fair, you be the judge.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch Simone on YouTube.
heard of the Yonekura Vault?
It was landed well by James Bacueti from Australia in the qualification round.
Click PLAY or watch Yonekura’s original on YouTube.
DALALOYAN – Handspring double front pike
Best Vault at Worlds Qualifications, so far.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Sun Wei – Podium Vault
China tends to do twisting vaults. Very well. Double saltos risk a fall.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Ellie Downie – Cheng
Ellie had a surprising bad day in preliminaries. But leads Vault qualification so far with DTY and this awesome Cheng.
Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.
Shallon Olsen – Vault
Last year’s silver medalist — currently training at Alabama — look likely to qualify to the final. She’s in 2nd position half way through the qualification round.
As Canadians had NO legal way to watch their team — WHY can’t FIG figure this out? — Gymnastics Canada is posting routines on their YouTube channel.
Click PLAY or watch YDT on YouTube.
YEO Seojeong – Qualifications Vault
Though she warmed-up the Handspring front 2/1 twist in podium, Yeo didn’t need it to qualify through to the Vault final.
She was playing safe, trying to help the team score.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Jorge Vega Lopez – Podium vault
I am always impressed with Jorge’s attention to detail. And landings. He could make the final.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Jorge won Guatemala’s first ever gold medal in gymnastics at the Pan American Games in Toronto 2015.
He’s a celebrity back home.
