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PHNOM PENH, July 16 (Xinhua) — China Wednesday donated a batch of gymnastics equipment worth around 14,000 U.S. dollars to Cambodia for its gymnastics federation to carry out daily training of national athletes.

The equipment included balance beam, low balance beam, spring board, crash mats and landing mats, according to the relevant certificates signed by Cambodian Tourism Minister and president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Zhang Jinfeng.

While delivering his speech for the donation ceremony, Thong Khon wished that the upcoming Beijing Olympics and the current series of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries would score success.

China View

Gaofei

I was there, coincidentally, leading an Olympic Solidarity course.

The proceedings were hampered by an electrical outage caused by a HUGE thunder storm. But the Cambodians were charmed by the Chinese ambassador who spoke fluent Khmer and seemed genuinely interested in the young gymnasts who demonstrated for her.

Cambodia now has a full set of F.I.G. equipment for Artistic. But the Floor is badly damaged. Currently they tumble on a slightly less broken tumbling strip about 3ft wide.

“they should be worried.”

That was Paul Hamm’s reply when asked if the Chinese should be worried about his comeback.

(via StickItMedia)

It’s comments like this that make me cheer for Yang Wei.

I’m one of those who wished Hamm — and USA Gymnastics — would have handled Paul’s controversial 2004 Olympic win differently. As did this blogger:

… Hamm not only refused to give his gold medal to Tae-Young, but even announced his opposition to Tae-Young receiving a second gold …. in doing so Hamm missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. If he had stepped up and given Tae-Young his gold, he would have gone down as one of the great heroes of Olympic history, held up to generations of children as an icon of virtue and sportsmanship.

Hiphop Music

Perhaps we’re all due for a reminder of Vault in his 2004 Olympic All-around win.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The score of 9.137 seems a bit high.

If he wins the 2008 Olympics, Paul Hamm will still not be one of the great heroes of Olympic history. At least not to me.

Leave a comment if you disagree.

This is a video of a drill progression used to teach high level release skill like Kovacs, Kolmans and so use it for double layout flyaways. … The performer in the video is Alexei Bondarenko during a training in his club Dynamo Moscow. The body shape is not ideal and this is by no means a perfect example of how to perform the drill but it does illustrate the idea and it shows its application. Notice the safety mat that is slid on the bar after the release. Play safe. This video was used in the March 2008 Vol 2 Issue 1 of the TheGymPress.

watch it on Gymnast Tube.

http://www.gymnasttube.com/flvplayer.swf?file=http://www.gymnasttube.com/flvideo/293.flv&autostart=true&showfsbutton=true

Thanks Valentin for posting this.

I recall when we first saw it at Taiso Gymnastics in the early 1990s. And went straight to the gym to ask all the boys to try it.

They were a bit “freaked”. (I recall the first to do it successfully was Trent McClements.)

After that, all the boys did it easily. Found it FUN.

We did it first as a progression for Geinger.

Later I came to realize it was even more beneficial psychologically. Once the guys landed on the bar (with very little impact) the fear of hitting the bar was much reduced. At Taiso we always slid a mat for every release and dismount.

related post: video – gymnast learning Kovacs – horizontal bar

More good news from Jan van der Ham regarding Dutch gymnast Imke Glas who was injured on vault.

Her recovery continues. Check this out:

Imke was interviewed on T.V. last night in the Netherlands. See more photos.

I’m hoping Imke will inspire a gymnast from my Province, in hospital after a fluke training injury on beam dismount. A fractured vertebrate.

Send Get Well Soon messages to Sydney via her club website blog.

UPDATE: Ana-Lia points out that, if this is the line-up, that only two of Shawn, Nastia and Chellsie would qualify to the All-around Final. That Chellsie might score higher than Nastia due to her better positions in the line-up.

As projected by Andrew Thornton on Gymnast.com:

… Bridget Sloan could end up only doing one routine in the Olympics – bars in prelims!

read the rationale on Gymnast.com

It’s for this reason that the selection of the 6th and final competitor hardly mattered. Whoever was picked would not likely compete.

On the other hand, Sloan was a good choice as she can be back-up on any appartus … in case one of the named gymnasts needs be replaced between prelims and Finals.

Since the U.S.A. will certainly qualify in the top 8 to Team finals, the goal of the preliminary competition will be to qualify athletes to AA and individual apparatus Finals. Team rank is unimportant.

Sabrina Gill of Oakville Gymnastics in Canada is one to watch for the future.

Here’s a well edited video of her first National Championships, 2008 in Calgary.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

She’s coached by Kelly and Susan Manjak. Kelly coached Kyle Shewfelt, 2004 Olympic FX champion, but is now coaching girls.

I’ve had Olympic Selection fatigue. What about you?

The girls look very happy it’s DONE.

I.G. stated that “Johnson’s coach Liang Chow is the head coach. A female assistant coach will be named at a later date.”

Congratulations to all 9 superb athletes and their coaches! The alternates should be very proud. They will be training just as hard as the selected 6. And may yet compete, … if there is another stress fracture.

The team alternates will train in Tianjin, hometown of Peszek’s coach, Peter Zhao.

photo from Steve McCain on Gymnast.com

Congratulations.

This team will win the Olympics.

They are by a good margin more consistent than China. In the end, consistency will win out over start score.

Shawn Johnson
Nastia Liukin
Chellsie Memmel
Alicia Sacramone
Samantha Peszek
Bridget Sloan

Alternates will be: Jana Bieger, Ivana Hong and Corrie Lothrop

(NBC via Sports Girls Play)

(NBC via – Gymbrooke larger images )

I’m very happy for Bridget who deserved to grab the last spot. Her comment after day 1 competition:

“I felt amazing. I thought (Friday) went just fantastic,” she said. “I needed to do well on bars and floor, which were two events at trials where I had errors. And hitting that vault really helped my self-confidence.”

Houston Chronicle

details on Live.Breath.Love Gymnastics

This is storybook.

(AP Photo/Rob Carr) – Hamm handed

Eight weeks and two days after Hamm on May 22 broke a bone in his right hand during the closing seconds of the U.S. national championships in Houston, he’s competed AA at an in-gym practice competition in Colorado.

… “I’m starting,” Hamm said, “to feel pretty good.” …

He proved he will be ready to contend in Beijing:

… USA Gymnastics officials had asked him to show readiness on only three of the six routines on the men’s program, on still rings, high bar and pommel horse. Then he went out and took part in all six events. …

… A candid review would note that Hamm, 25, of Waukesha, Wis., did not put on a championship-caliber performance.

A side step on landing marred the big air he got on his vault. He wobbled some on rings. He ran through only about half his parallel bars routine. On the high bars, he initially seemed to have stuck the landing, then lost control and slipped onto his backside.

Minor glitches all. …

This “comeback” will be one of the most interesting stories of the 2008 Olympics.

Paul Hamm confirmed – NBC Olympics