Luciana Alvarado for #BLM

Luciana made a statement on social justice as part of her choreography.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

ROC, Japan, China

WOW.

An incredible show.

3-up, 3-count alternating teams is super exciting.

So much difficulty. Yet there were very few large deductions and no falls from the medal winners.

It came down to the final rotation. The final routines.

The gamble of having Dalaloyan compete all 6 apparatus … worked.

Full results.

Riley McCusker to Worlds?

Seems logical that the USA send Riley to specialist Worlds 2021 in Japan.

Could she do that and still start at Florida this autumn?

I would think so.

There’s a very good argument that Riley should have been chosen for the Olympics spot over McKayla Skinner. Since that didn’t happen — Riley should get first priority on the Worlds assignment, should she want it.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Rhys reflects on Pommels qualification

He tours the Olympic village on his day off.

The ASICS shop is cool.

Rhys is happy so many of the top guys made the final. He wants Pommels to be an EXCITING event. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

superb Brooklyn Moors

A case study in artistry for judges.

Can they score higher than 10.0 at UCLA? 😀

She’s one of the reserves for the Floor final.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Ellie Black – Beam

14.1 and into the Final.

6.3 start. Third highest in the competition.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

WAG Olympic finalists – Apparatus

Despite having a surprisingly off day in prelims, #Simone still qualified to all 4 apparatus finals. She has 6 medal chances in Tokyo.

Vault

  1. Simone Biles USA 15.183
  2. Jade Carey USA 15.166
  3. Rebeca Andrade BRA 15.100
  4. Yeo Seo-jeong KOR 14.800
  5. Shallon Olsen CAN 14.699
  6. Lilia Akhaimova RUS 14.699
  7. Alexa Moreno MEX 14.633
  8. Angelina Melnikova RUS 14.616

Full results.

Finally. Rebeca Andrade has long been one of the best gymnasts in the world, but had 3 ACL tears, limiting her chances in the past.

She qualified 2nd in the world in the AA and to both Floor and Vault apparatus finals.

Bars

  1. Nina Derwael BEL 15.366
  2. Sunisa Lee USA 15.200
  3. Anastasia Iliankova RUS 14.966
  4. Angelina Melnikova RUS 14.933
  5. Lu Yufei CHN 14.700
    — Elisabeth Seitz GER 14.700
  6. Fan Yilin CHN 14.600
  7. Simone Biles USA 14.566

Full results.

The showdown we wanted. Nina v Suni.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Beam

  1. Guan Chenchen CHN 14.933
  2. Tang Xijing CHN 14.333
  3. Sunisa Lee USA 14.200
  4. Larisa Iordache ROU 14.133
  5. Ellie Black CAN 14.100
  6. Simone Biles USA 14.066
  7. Vladislava Urazova RUS 14.000
  8. Flavia Saraiva BRA 13.966

Full results.

Beam judges were slow. And also bad. What they are doing now makes Olympic Gymnastics look bad to the general public.

China put on a Beam clinic with 5 of the top 11 scores.

It was wonderful to see Larisa hit. Romanian Beam like past Olympics. Sadly she hurt her ankle on the triple twist dismount.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Floor

  1. Vanessa Ferrari ITA 14.166
  2. Simone Biles USA 14.133
  3. Jade Carey USA 14.100
  4. Rebeca Andrade BRA 14.066
  5. Jessica Gadirova GBR 14.033
  6. Viktoria Listunova RUS 14.000
  7. Angelina Melnikova RUS 14.000
  8. Murakami Mai JPN 13.933

Full results.

30-year-old Vanessa Ferrari was one of the last qualifiers to Tokyo. And finds herself in the final ahead of unbeatable Simone Biles. Congratulations. Also — vindication for 2010 Worlds where she should have been #1 on Floor, but judges ranked her 6th.

WAG Olympic finalists – AA

  1. Simone Biles USA 57.731
  2. Rebeca Andrade BRA 57.399
  3. Sunisa Lee USA 57.166
  4. Angelina Melnikova RUS 57.132
  5. Vladislava Urazova RUS 57.099
    • Viktoriia Listunova RUS 56.932
  6. Nina Derwael BEL 56.598
  7. Tang Xijing CHN 56.432
    • Jade Carey USA 56.265
  8. Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos FRA 55.431
    • Mykayla Skinner USA 55.398
  9. Jessica Gadirova GBR 55.199
  10. Lu Yufei CHN 55.066
    • Zhang Jin CHN 54.932
  11. Zsofia Kovacs HUN 54.732
  12. Jennifer Gadirova GBR 54.699
  13. Carolann Heduit FRA 54.299
  14. Elisabeth Seitz GER 54.232
  15. Alice D’Amato ITA 54.199
  16. Roxana Popa ESP 54.099
  17. Brooklyn Moors CAN 53.966
  18. Murakami Mai 53.965
  19. Ellie Black CAN 53.699
    • Aline Friess FRA 53.632
  20. Jutta Verkest BEL 53.632
  21. Martina Maggio ITA 53.566
    • Liliia Akhaimova RUS 53.565
  22. Lee Yun-seo KOR 53.540
  23. Giulia Steingruber SUI 53.533
  24. Kim Bui GER 53.398

Alternates Lieke Wevers (32nd, 53.365), Eythora Thorsdottir (36th, 52.899), Georgia Godwin (37th, 52.865), and Hatakeda Hitomi (39th, 52.732).

As always, you have to feel badly for those gymnasts who had a fantastic meet but still did not qualify because only 2 / nation go to the final. Jade Carey and Mykayla Skinner are two of those.

WAG Olympic finalists – Team

  1. Russia 171.629
  2. United States 170.562
  3. China 166.863
  4. France 164.561
  5. Belgium 164.195
  6. Great Britain 163.396
  7. Italy 163.330
  8. Japan 162.662

Full results.

Russia had a fantastic meet to finish ahead of Simone Biles’ USA. Congratulations.

The other big, happy surprise is Belgium finishing 5th.

Team final will be 3-up, 3-count. No room for mistakes.

photo @nastyailyankova

Samir Ait Said’s Olympic story

Nancy Armour:

In Rio, Ait Said’s left leg snapped on his vault landing during qualifying, the sharp crack echoing throughout the arena. As he rolled over, clutching his leg just below the knee, his foot and the lower half of his shin dangled in the opposite direction of the rest of his leg.

It was not the first time his Olympic dreams had been disrupted by injury. He missed the London Games after suffering three fractures in his right tibia at the European championships. But this was a particularly gruesome injury, one that has ended the career of other athletes.

Even as he lay in a Brazilian hospital, his leg immobilized, Ait Said vowed that he would return for Tokyo. …

Opinion: French gymnast Samir Ait Said’s resilience a reminder of the power of the Olympics