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By NANCY ARMOUR
AP National Writer

… Johnson won the U.S. gymnastics championships so handily Saturday night, the rest of the field might as well have gotten its own division. Her score of 123.650 was 3.450 points ahead of runner-up Shayla Worley …

And after the show she put on Saturday, she is sure to be a favorite for the world title.

“I remember watching these last year and thinking, `Oh my gosh, I could be a senior next year,'” she said. “To be here and win, it’s a dream come true.”

Just 4-foot-9, Johnson packs the power of someone twice her size yet somehow manages to still look dainty. She tumbles without fear, whether it’s on the floor or up on the balance beam, and makes the toughest tricks look easy. She’s the type of gymnast who you can’t help but watch, an automatic eye catcher.

When she finished uneven bars, her last event, coach Liang Chow threw up his arms in triumph and swept her into a hug. She grinned, then waved happily to the cheering crowd. In addition to the all-around title, she won gold on balance beam and floor exercise.

Two-time U.S. champion Nastia Liukin, long considered one of the world’s best, finished third after another rough night. Liukin is nursing a nagging ankle injury, and she took an ugly tumble on floor and had another bumble on vault.

But she finished strong, doing routines on uneven bars and beam that were among the best of the meet. She was named to the world team along with 2005 world floor champ Alicia Sacramone; Worley; Samantha Peszek; Ivana Hong; and Bridget Sloan.

Six of the women will compete at worlds, with one going as the alternate.

read more … Gatorsports.com
Johnson proof that good things come in small packages

Backseat coaching in the audience, that’s the same team Dana Brass (talent scout for Cirque du Soleil) and myself called.

From what I saw tonight, I’d say this team looks unbeatable at Worlds in Germany in a couple of weeks.

It has everything. Consistency, artistry, high level of difficulty, power. Everything.

Liukin’s bar routine tonight (7.1 difficulty) was the best routine I’ve ever seen on the apparatus.

Full RESULTS linked from the USA Gymnastics Championships page.

Another 6 or 8 gymnasts might have been named to this team, if they had had a stronger competition. Make no mistake, many others will be in the running for the Olympic Team next year.

Inside Gymnastics magazine had a live blogger reporting on Day 2 of the Jr Women’s Artistic competition.

Here’s a sample.

Warm-up notes:

-During general stretch, Sarah Persinger (Southeastern) climbed up onto the low bar and did leg kicks as if it were a balance beam. Many coaches in the arena stopped to watch the feat!

-Rebecca Bross worked on pulling around Yurchenko doubles without touching down her knee

-Solid beam warm-ups from All Olympia girls

­-Jordyn Wieber still doing full-twisting double layout (she had warmed up layout double-double during prelims)

-Shushunovas on bars from both GAGE girls (Sarah DeMeo and Rebecca Clark)

… more notes on the competition: Inside Gymnastics » Blog Home

sample screen shot

USA Gymnastics has something similar the call the Quick Hit Commentary.

A good flickr set of photos from USA Championships Day 1 Competition for Jr Women.

Photographer – flaw13

Junior prelims Nationals – a photoset on Flickr

Photo buffs should know that our favourite gymnastics photographer Grace Chiu is also in the house, her first USA Championships. Look for Grace’s fantastic pics in Inside Gymnastics magazine.

High speed internet connection required.

I’ve been studying how acrobats learn the air flare over the past few years. It’s the ultimate Floor Exercise not yet competed by an Artistic gymnast at an international competition.

On MakingTheOlympics.com Morgan posted the first video tutorial I’ve seen of a competitive gymnast integrating air flare into a routine. Well worth checking out if you have an athlete working towards this skill.

Morgan does it somewhat differently than I’ve seen before. His looks more like pommel horse and less like a handstand pirouette.

Unfortunately Morgan did not compete the air flare in his routine at USA Championships.

See the video on MakingTheOlympics.com.

Thanks TKO.

It was a thrilling night in San Jose the final day of Men’s Competition. The guys were far, far more consistent than Day 1.

We were very happy to see Durante finally have a breakthrough meet exactly at the right time — when the USA needs a strong leader going into World Championships.

He kept smiling.

As David Durante stepped off the mat after each of six routines Friday night at the Visa Championships, he grinned, pumped his fist or breathed easily. …

Nine months after finishing a disastrous 13th in the world, Durante and his peers made a statement at the U.S. championships at HP Pavilion by putting together the kind of performances they always knew they could.

“I had a sense this week, if I didn’t do it now, I never will,” said Durante, 27.

Fueled with newfound confidence, he backed it up, hitting all 12 of his routines over two days to win his first U.S. senior all-around title.

On an impressive night for the Cardinal, Stanford seniors Sho Nakamori and David Sender were third and fifth, respectively, in the all-around, making strong cases to be selected to the world championship team that competes next month in Stuttgart, Germany.

“We showed we have a lot of depth,” Nakamori said. “It doesn’t matter who makes it.”

It was just the kind of meet Ron Brant, national team coordinator, had hoped to witness from a talented but inexperienced group being asked to carry the Olympic torch.

The Americans must finish in the top 12 at the world championships Sept. 1-9 to qualify as a team for next year’s Beijing Games.

“We’ve got the people; we’ve just got to do the finishing touches,” Brant said Friday. “We’re close, very close.”

Durante, who resides at the U.S. Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., is even more optimistic. When asked if he had any doubts whether the Americans would qualify for the Summer Olympics, he said, “Zero.” …

San Jose Mercury News – Gymnasts’ confidence on the rise

Paul and Morgan Hamm competed only 3 routines between them and looked stronger. But no one is counting on them to carry the American Team to Beijing.

A good flickr set of photos from USA Championships Day 1 Competition .

Ivana Hong. Photographer – flaw13

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 16, 2007— 2007 Pan Am Games rhythmic gymnastics all-around champion Lisa Wang of Buffalo Grove, Ill., won hoop and clubs and leads the all-around competition at the 2007 Visa Championships at the San Jose (Calif.) McEnery Convention Center.

In the junior division, Marlee Shape, also of Buffalo Grove, Ill., claimed two individual event titles, hoop and ribbon, and is first in the all-around competition at the half-way point. The all-around finals for rhythmic gymnastics are Saturday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. PT.

News: Wang wins two gold medals in rhythmic gymnastics at 2007 Visa Championships

The top 12 juniors and the top 12 seniors in today’s competition advanced to the all-around finals. The all-around awards are based on the two-day scores.

full RESULTS – Sr. Rhythmic Preliminaries

Lisa Wang – Greg Aiken Photography

Just saw the cover of the July/August 2007 edition of International GYMNAST Magazine

Interesting cover story.

Shayla looked wonderful Day 1 of Championships.

… With less than 12 months to go until the Beijing Olympics, Johnson looked every bit like America’s next superstar gymnast Thursday night, handling the pressure of national championships with the same high-flying power and confidence she’s been showing all year.

The 15-year-old Iowa dynamo was in the lead after the first of two days of competition, scoring 61.7 points to finish 1.55 ahead of Ivana Hong and 2.65 ahead of two-time defending champion Nastia Liukin, who made major mistakes on two of four events and was in fifth.

“It’s very important,” Johnson said of her solid first day. “Now, since it’s a year away, every day, the competition counts.”

SI.com – More Sports – Johnson flying high at gymnastics nationals

larger photo – USA today

Overall, there were a surprising number of errors made by the fantastic 18 gymnast who qualified to Sr. Championships.

Shawn Johnson was not to be denied, however. She’s a house on fire. Wow.

full RESULTS for Sr. Women’s Preliminaries – USA Gymnastics

Only the top two after Saturday’s competition (combined scores) immediately qualify for the Worlds team. Congratulations to Shawn and Ivana and their coaches. Fantastic competition!

No doubt the media will focus on the errors made by Nastia. Actually, she looked very good. The fall on Vault was a complete fluke. Despite a fall on Bars dismount she still won the apparatus. (It may have been the best routine in history on the apparatus up to that point. The fall on Floor was not a surprise to me, however.)

I’m optimistic she can eliminate those errors and be better than ever before at Worlds in a couple of weeks.

Bridget Sloan looked fantastic. Technical and artistic. I’ve already raved about Shayla Worley.

I’d add Alica Sacramone to the World’s team for her maturity, personality and leadership. (Not to mention Vault.)

But there’s a long way to go before final team selection is made. No doubt some of the veterans will move up the list after day 2.

Good luck to all the athletes.