Category: Uncategorized

Raj Bhavsar knows of what he speaks.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Here’s the IG interview with Svetlana Boguinskaia. (VIDEO)

Prior the competitions start, Tokyo already broke a record! The media attendance!

530 journalists and photographers, technicians. This is a first in the history of the FIG World Championships.

Another record! The television coverage: more than 120 territories!

Public and media are coming to support our gymnasts:

81 delegations and 533 gymnasts
288 male gymnasts
245 female gymnasts

Bruno Grandi – OPENING PRESS CONFERENCE (PDF)

Why is the online coverage of Worlds so much better than in the past?

Thank FIG staff Philippe J. Silacci, Meike Behrensen and team. Volunteer Slava Corn is the Executive member in charge of media here.

From my perspective, the official addition of “bloggers” has enriched the coverage greatly. Most of my links are to (almost) unpaid volunteers.

The Spidercam, first introduced in Rotterdam, is back.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Personally I love the new perspectives gained. And the sloppy cameramen taken off the field of play. Marcus points out that many people would prefer a fixed camera.

They have the Vault track camera here too, following the gymnast during the run.

Check with your national federation to see if you get TV coverage from Tokyo. I’ll link to any video feeds that come online.

Kieran Behan from Ireland is competing this skill at Worlds.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Tong Fei introduced the full twisting butterfly on Floor back in the 1980s. This is similar, but backwards.

It’s nice to see something interesting that’s not tumbling. In the good old days, every male gymnast had a “floor exercise” that made his routine unique.

(via Full Twist)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

NOTE – So far on this site, I’m projecting results for the preliminary competition. (The team final is a totally different ballgame. Let’s jump off that bridge when we get to it.)

The World Championships competition begins in about 12hrs. Podium training is finally finished.

____ But first …

Big story of the day was the (probable) Achilles tendon tear of Alicia Sacramone.

It really calls into question the wisdom of bringing Anna Li who prepared for 2 apparatus, at most.

Instead of using Anna, USA will compete their final 5 healthy gymnasts on all 4 apparatus in team prelims.

This brings CHN, ROM and RUS decidedly closer to the Americans. But I still think USA could win the team prelims, if they hit. And avoid any further injury.

If CHN hits, as well, it will be close.

RUS continues brilliant but inconsistent.

ROM is happy where they’re at, I think. (One Romanian delegate told me their only goal is to finish in the top 8.)

____

In the competition venue today we saw the other half of the men’s teams on podium.

The best link is Examiner – Quick hits: Podium training, day four (men’s)

Click PLAY or watch a MAG podium training edit on YouTube.

China was in the last rotation and looks unbeatable. Superb Pommels. Great P Bars. Average Rings … aside from their best two who will likely go Gold, Silver in Finals.

But I’m not a fan of their H Bar — boring at best, embarrassing at worst. The safest possible skill selection. Long Zhang Chenglong, reigning world champion, is the exception. He swings.

On vault China does no double somersault vaults. So they can land. RUS likely has the most exciting vault team — but how many will land?

JPN should finish second as a team, comfortably. They are dynamic, exciting and fun to watch.

Still I’m thinking GBR v GER v USA for 3rd place in team prelims.

Nobody else has the depth to challenge. Not Russia. Not Korea. Not France, though they did look very good today.

The team that “won” podium training, I’m pleased to say, was Canada.

The Canucks had very few errors over 6 events today with a strategy to go “clean” rather than throw every skill they can do.

____

The guys all love the Floor. But rather than add difficulty, they are focused on absorbing the landings. It’s easy to bounce right out of bounds on landing. Like Russia did many times today,

Pommels is by far the strongest apparatus for men. Nearly every team has a guy who could challenge for Finals. Amazing.

I’m liking SELLATHURAI Prashanth for World Champion. He did Magyar Spindle between the pommels today. Cool.

Aussie Aussie Aussie.

Korea will likely win PH as a team.

Rings is weak.

Who’s ready to challenge the Chinese here? … Leave names in the comments.

I could see old man Jovtchev and van Gelder (now eligible for Olympics) in the Final.

____

Vault will be a make-or-break event for many teams.

If you throw the 6.6 and higher vaults, will you land them?

What percentage of male gymnasts will fall on vault?
35% … 40% ??

Still, everyone wants YANG Hak Seon (KOR) to compete his new vault – Handspring Front layout 3/1 twist (7.4).

He did it only once in podium. And almost landed.

_____

In AA prelims I’d agree that Uchimura could fall twice. Or three times … and still finish 1st. None of the other top contenders look ready to challenge.

It’s nice to see Hambuchen, Dragalescu and Keatings back doing the AA, though.

Even Jotchov, our eldest gymnast, is doing AA, I hear.

High res photos available for purchase from fig-photos.com.

But you’d never know it by how he’s handled one bad night after drinking.

… Olympic gymnastics champion Paul Hamm … has pleaded not guilty to assault and two other misdemeanor charges in Ohio.

He is accused of kicking a taxi driver in suburban Columbus, damaging a cab window and refusing to pay a $23 fare. …

Defense attorney Bill Meeks said before the plea was filed that he had no comment from Hamm. …

Washington Post

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related post – Paul Hamm should have resigned

There’s all sort of speculation about Alicia’s injury. I’m assuming it’s a partial or complete Achilles tendon rupture.

Very common in older power athletes … like Alicia Sacramone.

As much as I’d love to blame the rules, too severe training or the Gods, I can’t. That’s the result of thousands of take-offs over many, many years.

It can happen any time.

Don’t blame Marta for this one.

Recent Achilles tears: Hambuchen, Becky Downie, Vanessa Zamarripa, Michelle Stout (Arkansas), Benoit Caranobe, Sandra Izbasa, Courtney Kupets, Casey Sandy … to mention a few that come to mind.

Amanda Castillo and these College girls:

Natasha Kelley, Oklahoma
Kareen Kaveh, Auburn
Maria Scaffidi, Nebraska
Brittany Howse, Cornell
Kara Pinjuv, Iowa
Angela Walker, Minn
Amanda Castillo, Florida
Courtney Hawkins, Centenary College

Official announcement:

USA Gymnastics has announced the U.S. women’s line-up for the qualification round at the 2011 World Championships at the Tokyo (Japan) Metropolitan Gymnasium. The U.S. women compete at 1:15 p.m. local time on Oct. 8, the second of two women’s qualification days.

The six women on the U.S. Women’s Team are: Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute; McKayla Maroney of Laguna Niguel, Calif./All Olympia AOGC; Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics; … Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y./Dynamic Gymnastics; and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA.

Anna Li of Aurora, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics LLC, is the alternate. …

USAG

Still a “team”. But they can’t afford another injury. It looked scary for a short time when it seemed that Aly was injured, too.

Blythe’s assessment:

… This means the U.S. will compete for World gold with only five gymnasts, while every other team has six. …

Alicia Sacramone withdrawn from Worlds after Achilles injury

Here’s the plan at this point:

Vault – Vega, Douglas, Raisman, Wieber, Maroney;
Bars – Raisman, Maroney, Vega, Wieber, Douglas;
Beam – Maroney, Vega, Raisman, Wieber, Douglas;
FX – Douglas, Vega, Wieber, Maroney, Raisman.

The top 4 scores count for team in prelims. In team finals it’s 3-up, 3-count, equalizing things (somewhat) for team USA.

… Sacramone injured her Achilles tendon earlier today while tumbling …

People who were there are sure it’s Achilles. Injury on take-off.

Too bad. But very common in older power gymnasts.

… new bar routine in the Tokyo training hall before the start of competition at the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships. …

Lopez is a 2008 Olympian and a former University of Denver collegiate gymnast. She placed 10th all around at last year’s World Championships and has continued to improve each year. Watch for Lopez in both the uneven bars, and all around finals.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/NTU5NTA5MTQx?related=1

Watch more video of World Gymnastics Championships Tokyo 2011 on gymnastike.org

One of my favourite gymnasts.

related – Couch Gymnast – Jessica Lopez Training Update

Have you seen a higher execution score on Pommels recently?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

He’s not on the Tokyo Worlds team, however.

via @SyqueCaesar