Yang Hak-seon’s new Vault

Our Olympic and World Champion competes Handspring front with triple twist, something that amazes even the top Vault twisters.

For the Final he’s also training the 1/4-on, 1/4-off, triple twist, almost the same thing but from a slightly different hand position.

Yang has not looked up to his usual performance level in Nanning. But for the Final, expect him to hit.

Oleg Verniaiev – P Bars

From the Individual All-around competition.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Sweet set. Ruined, a bit, by the knee bend too early in the descending swing on Moy.

I did end up voting Oleg for the Longine’s Prize, but Arthur OYAKAWA MARIANO is even better to watch.

Ellie Black best ever Canadian

#FIGWorlds2014ART WAG AA

Gymnastics Canada:

… In the women’s all around final on Friday Ellie finished ninth all around in a best ever women’s AA finish for Canada at the world championships. …

Canada’s previous best mark was held by Victoria Moors, not competing this year, who finished 10th at the 2013 worlds in Antwerp, Belgium.

read more …

When I went to congratulate them after the competition, coach Dave Kikuchi said:

“Still work to do.”

Ellie’s got the Beam final coming up.

Click PLAY or watch Ellie’s prelim Beam on YouTube.

a bee in your bouquet

At the time I had no idea what the mad antics on the podium were all about.

Seems there was a bee enjoying the flowers. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – Bee Chasing Champion Gymnast Off Podium Is Clearly Just Jealous

best smile at Worlds

Our World Champion is very popular with the Chinese audience.

Post by FIG.

It’s not easy for an American World Champion to stay at this level through the Olympics. But everyone I’ve spoken with feel that Simone Biles is one who can do it.

She has plenty of potential to upgrade her routines, as well.

top 8 to World Cup circuit

World Championships 2014 FINAL RESULTS, WOMEN’S AA

1 Biles USA 60.231
2 Iordache ROM 59.765
3 Ross USA 58.232
4 Mustafina RUS 57.915
5 Yao CHN 57.465
6 Ferrari ITA 57.166
7 Sosnitskaya RUS 56.166
8 Lopez VEN 56.133
(her best rank ever)

These eight are invited first to the upcoming major World Cup competitions. In the past, many have declined for one reason or another. (Marta is one reason.)

top 8

9 Black CAN 56.132 (highest CAN ranking ever)
10 Fragapane GBR 56.098

full results

Longines: Yao and Uchimura

As voted by the media at Worlds, mostly Chinese.

As voted before the AA competition. I’d love to see that vote in real time online immediately after the AA final concludes.

@TheBBSituation:

Nice for Uchimura to get recognition. He has toiled in the shadows for too long.

Kohei’s record breaking 3rd Longines! 🙂

World Champions: Biles, Iordache, Ross

In a shocker, Aliya Mustafina sat down her double Arabian on the last apparatus, Floor.

Everyone I talked to was very happy with this podium. Deserving medalists.

@uncletimmensgym:

Simone Biles performed 24.5 in difficulty.
Larisa Iordache performed 24.9 in difficulty.
Kyla Ross performed 22.9 in difficulty.”

top 25 AA D-scores

… shown by the women in qualifications. Italics mean they didn’t qualify to the AA, whether it be because of two-per-country or ranking too low.

WOMEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS BY THE NUMBERS

D-scores

Nastia in Miss Incredible

Nastia Liukin and “Dancing with the Stars” pro Mark Ballas have known each other for years. And despite the running rumor that she is always set to join the cast of the hit dance show — “never say never,” said Liukin — they have yet to work together professionally before. That is until “Mark called me a few weeks before the shoot and asked if there was any chance I would be interested in being in his video,” she recalled.

The video was for “Miss Incredible,” the second song off Ballas’ EP, “Kicking Clouds,” and was created to feature an array of women — from a trumpet-playing beauty queen to a young woman battling cancer. Ballas wanted to honor impressive women in their element as a tribute to the incredible woman who raised him. …

Team USA

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Nastia was in Nanning doing research with NBC. They’ve flown back to New York to prep for the TV broadcast of Worlds. She was worried about how she could keep up with homework while on the road. 🙂