Category: Olympics

#PacRim2016 Women’s Finals

USA withdrew Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez to keep them healthy. And get another look at the American Olympic team contenders who replaced them in Apparatus Finals.

Vault
1. Shallon Olsen (CAN): 14.750
2. Brittany Rogers (CAN): 14.437
3. Courtney McGregor (NZL): 14.25

https://www.instagram.com/p/BECyj4qCNqC/

Bars
1. Ashton Locklear (USA): 15.625
2. Larrissa Miller (AUS): 14.675
3. Brittany Rogers (CAN): 14.600

Brenna fell. 😦

Click PLAY or watch Ashton’s routine on Facebook.

Beam
1. Ragan Smith (USA) 15.225
2. Aly Raisman (USA) 15.100
3. Nagi Kajita (JPN) 13.700

Click PLAY or watch Ragan’s routine on YouTube.

Floor
1. Aly Raisman (USA) 15.100
2. Brenna Dowell (USA) 14.825
3. Shallon Olsen (CAN) 14.400 … upgraded routine from prelims

Aly

Read the Gymternet LIVE blog (MAG and WAG)

USA, Canada, Australia

1. USA – 243.2
2. Canada – 219.1
3. Australia – 217.85
#PacRim2016

The Aussies fly directly to Rio for Olympic Test Meet.

https://twitter.com/gymaustralia/status/719016672787476480

(via FloGymnastics)

some girl named SIMONE …

… won #PacRim2016. All hail the greatest gymnast who ever lived. 🙂

1. Simone Biles – 62.450
2. Alexandra Raisman – 59.900
3. Laurie Hernandez – 59.800

I think we have to start blocking Laurie in the same group with Simone, Gabby, Aly for Olympic Team selection.

Click PLAY or watch Simone’s FX on YouTube.

16.050 = 6.9 + 9.15

Her first tumbling line warm-up is full twisting double layout. Ho hum.

Claudia Fragapane wins the British

1. FRAGAPANE Claudia Bristol Hawks Gym Club 58.100
2 TUNNEY Rebecca City Of Liverpool Gym Club 56.350
3 DOWNIE Elissa Notts Gymnastics Academy 55.250
4 TINKLER Amy South Durham Gymnastic Club 54.700
5 HARROLD Ruby The Academy 54.350
6 SIMM Kelly Dynamo School Of Gymnastics 53.850
full results

Bristol’s Claudia Fragapane took the title with a personal best score of 58.100. Claudia started off cleanly on the bars but it was the beam where she really made her mark with a highly difficult routine to score 14.750. She then continued onto floor, her strongest piece of apparatus to score a 14.700 and sealed the deal on the vault. The four time Commonwealth gold medallist was overjoyed.

Claudia Fragapane: “It feels absolutely amazing! I’ve never been all-around champion and I got a personal best so really pleased.

British Gymnastics

Click PLAY or watch Claudia’s Beam on YouTube.

Max Whitlock 92.7

1. WHITLOCK Max South Essex Gymnastics Club 92.700
2. PURVIS Daniel Southport YMCA Gymnastics Club 89.500
3. WILSON Nile Leeds Gymnastics Club 87.150
4. HALL James Pegasus Gym Club 86.600
4. OLDHAM Sam Loughborough Students Gymnastics Club 86.600
6. TULLOCH Courtney Pegasus Gym Club 85.250
full results

Max Whitlock performed sensationally to score a personal best of 92.700 to take the title. Having never broken the 92 mark before it is a huge score for Max that would have won both the last Olympic Games and World Championships. A particular highlight was his pommel horse routine where he scored a 16.250. However that wasn’t the only 16 for the world champion, he also scored a 16.050 on the floor and an impressive 15.450 on the high bar. Max’s scores also secured him British titles on the pommel horse, floor, and high bar.

Max: “I’m really really happy – preparation went well, the build-up was perfect and that’s my personal best and I’m very happy to do it at the British. I felt good throughout the competition, tried not to get ahead of myself just focussing on the next piece, step by step and I’m happy to have done it on all six pieces on the right day.

British Gymnastics

Click PLAY or watch his FX on YouTube.

China’s Deng Linlin – interview

Valerie Theodora Ko posted an excellent and informative chat with our defending Champion:

Valerie: How will you describe the 2008 WAG Team of China?

Linlin: We were a fiercely strong team. That was why we won. Especially our big sister Cheng Fei, who was the only Olympian of the team. With her many experiences, she led us to claim that gold. As the younger teammates, the other five of us were great too. We all delivered our performances. TF is not just about one individual, but it is about the team, with the gymnasts, coaches, and those who work behind the scenes.

Valerie: How were your two Olympic experiences different?

Linlin: 2008 Olympics was my first huge competition, I was like a tiger cub and did not think a lot. I did three routines in the TF and became much more confident. In 2012 it was different because I was the team leader, I felt more weight on my shoulders. Also, 2012 was more about realizing my dreams. I knew 2012 would be my last Olympics, so I hoped I could win beam gold. I did it despite the difficulties. I conquered myself.

Valerie: Who was your favourite gymnast during your competitive years?

Linlin: I admired Li Xiaopeng (China MAG, four-time Olympic champion and eight-time World champion). He was not only handsome, but more importantly, he had a commanding presence in the arena. He was a genius in my mind.

Read more – Exclusive Interview With 2012 Olympic Beam Champion Deng Linlin of China

Click PLAY or watch some highlights from the 2012 Olympic Beam Final on YouTube.

Russian Men’s Olympic training squad

Denis Ablyazin
David Belyavski
Nikita Ignatyev
Emin Garibov
Nikita Nagorny
Artur Dalolyan
Ivan Stretovich
Vladislav Polyashov
Dmitri Lankin
Nikolai Kuksenkov

Denis
Denis

Head coach Valery Alfosov has unreservedly supported Russian AA champion Nikolai Kuksenkov, naming him to a group of ten gymnasts eligible for participation in Rio even though the gymnast’s selection for international competition is currently impossible due to a positive drugs test.

The RGF is employing Swiss lawyers to defend Kuksenkov’s ‘honour and innocence’. …

RRG

It really does sound like Nikolai is innocent.

Cal qualifies for Championships

Recall 2010? Cal Berkeley announced that both Gymnastics teams would be CUT. For budget reasons.

Both team survived. And both teams have thrived. 🙂

Both will be competing with full teams at Nationals 2016.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

related – TONI-ANN WILLIAMS will miss Championships. She’ll be competing for Jamaica at the Olympic Test Meet.