tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
“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. …
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. …
See more.
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.
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.
“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 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. …
A few clips from a recent mock meet.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Watch it on Today.com.
Elisabeth Seitz, now age 22, was 6th on Bars at the London Olympics.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Defending Olympic Champions from 2012. A reminder of who will have a chance to repeat the glory. I crossed out the names that won’t be in Rio.
MAG
TF: China
AA: Kohei Uchimura
FX: Zou Kai
PH: Kristián Berki
SR: Arthur Zanetti
VT: Yang Hak Seon
PB: Feng Zhe
HB: Epke ZonderlandWAG
TF: USA
AA: Gabby Douglas
VT: Sandra Izbasa
UB: Aliya Mustafina
BB: Deng Linlin
FX: Aly Raisman
UEG: What are your objectives in Rio?
Laurent Guelzec: In reality, they are threefold. First of all, the priority is qualifying to the team final. 12 teams start, of which 5 –China, Japan, USA, Russia and Great Britain- are clearly out of reach. This is obvious. It is up to us to up our game amidst the nations of the second table. After that, we’d like to be represented within the top 15 in the all-around, and, as icing on the cake, have 1 event finalist. It is ambitious but within our reach, given our potential.
interview with coach Laurent Guelzec
Gymnastics Coaching.com 