Category: Olympics

Dan Purvis out, Louis Smith in

I can see Brinn over Dan. Though it’s risky. Purvis is a proven performer who only just recently showed inconsistency.

Dan Purvis confessed last night he was stunned after suffering a shock axe from the British gymnastics team for next month’s Olympic Games. …

British Gymnastics declined to comment on why Purvis, arguably the squad’s most consistent performers, was cut at the eleventh hour with selectors gambling on Smith to hit top form. …

The National

papaliukin:

… It’s pretty clear to me Brinn’s vault was a deciding factor. Brinn has been competing the Tsuk double pike again (6.0), so that helped his case a lot.

Nile and Dan are the weakest vaulters of the team (both just 5.6) who often have direction and landing issues. It would’ve meant having to put up one of them in team finals if Dan had been on the team. Fortunately for Brinn he has a few other strong events like rings, pommels, and bars. …

Daniel_Purvis_glasgow

top 5 AA gymnasts to Rio

Cordelia posted an interesting factoid:

All are aware that the P&G Championships and the US Olympic Team Trials are both qualifying competitions as spelled out in the selection procedures. If you look at the gymnasts AA scores over both competitions this is what you get:

1. Biles 248.25
2. Hernandez 241.65
3. Raisman 240.85
4. Douglas 235.25
5. Kocian 233.5
6. Smith 232.55
7. Skinner 232.1

As it turns out, the Olympic team that was chosen is composed of the top 5 AAers over the two competitions.

Certainly that’s not the only reason the American Olympic team was chosen as it was. They most likely picked top 3 AA … then filled in the best, reliable routines for the team final. I could still see Gabby being replaced if she’s not hitting Bars and Beam very consistently at training camp.

Gabby GK

I Am Second® – Shawn Johnson

You could certainly agree that Shawn should have scored higher in the AA than Nastia in Beijing. It was very, very close.

Personally, I was happy with the ranking.

Here’s how Shawn looks back on that day.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

via Gymternet Clan

★Ellie Black★ We Own It

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’d say Canada has a stronger team than they did in London when they finished 5th. But the rest of the world has stronger teams for Rio too.

related – Ellie Black profile

(via Fans of Canadian Gymnastics)

Kitten Summer Games

“Cat-letes” will compete in kitten gymnastics with balance beam, uneven bars, rings and floor exercises …

Who will bring home a gold, silver or bronze medal? Hallmark Channel offers an exclusive, playful look at the cat-letes to watch out for at the inaugural games. …

Pet Product News

KittenHissimone

Western Australia Institute of Sport closing

I’ve been there once. A fantastic facility. This is terrible news.

Aussie gymnasts are devastated by the surprise announcement.

Gymnastics Australia posted Allana Slater’s response.

Here’s GA’s response.

Australian Gymnastics Blog open letter:
The Hon. Mia Davies MLA BMM
Minister for Sport and Recreation
Western Australia

GA President Jacqui Briggs-Weatherill:

“I would have expected that the chair of the Western Australian Institute of Sport [Peter Abery] would have at least had the courtesy to ring me and discuss this with me at a very minimum…I don’t even fully understand the reasons this decision has been made.

“We expected some cuts to the program because funding is tight across sport. We had no idea they were looking to close the program.”

The gym closure – set for December 31 – will equate to a saving of about $700,000 annually for the WAIS, which is funded by the Western Australian government and leave Melbourne’s elite training centre as the lone facility of its kind in Australia for female artistic gymnasts. …

The Age

British Olympians announced

British Gymnastics:

Our men’s artistic gymnastics team will be Louis Smith MBE, Max Whitlock, Nile Wilson, Brinn Bevan and Kristian Thomas.

Our women’s artistic gymnastics team will be Becky Downie, Ellie Downie, Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harrold and Amy Tinkler.

Our trampoline gymnasts will be Kat Driscoll, Bryony Page and Nathan Bailey.

Team GB’s 2016 Olympic gymnasts announced

olmypic-team

No Dan Purvis. Sam Oldham is considering legal action after not being selected.

I’m very surprised Louis was selected again. What if Max, Nile or Brinn is injured during the Games?

related – Ambition Programme for Rio 2016:

39 young athletes and coaches getting the chance to experience the Olympic environment this summer.

Japanese Men’s Olympic team

“I don’t think of it as pressure,” the record six-time all-around world champion told The Japan Times. “I don’t think about what will happen if I make a mistake — I think about how the team will benefit if I’m successful.

Uchimura

Uchimura has been named team captain in what will be his third Olympics, and Tanaka has noticed a change in his teammate.

“He has more conversations with everyone now,” said the 26-year-old Tanaka, who was part of the Japan team that claimed silver in London four years ago along with Uchimura, Kato, Yamamuro and Kazuhito Tanaka. …

“We start on the pommel horse, and if we’re successful we can ride the momentum for the rest of the competition,” he said. “That’s the apparatus that’s easiest to fall off, so if we can do well it will help us to relax as a team. …

According to Uchimura, the timing of the preliminary rounds could also give Japan problems.

“The competition starts at 10 a.m., which is early,” he said. …

Uchimura determined to lead Japan to team gold in Rio

A few clips from a recent mock meet.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.