Danell Leyva, high bar: Yin kisses Danell on the head just before he gets set to go. It’s truly touching to watch the two of them interact. Liukin. Layout Kovacs (applause and oohs). Tak half to layout Tkatchev, very clean. Jam to pop to front stalder. STUCK double double layout. Danell’s Olympic dream is so close I bet he can taste it. He walks off the podium rather calmly, takes one wave, with Yin trailing jubilantly behind, celebrating as he does. 16.35.
Steven Legendre, vault: Dragulescu but hands down. He does not look happy with that. If he is going to make the Olympic team, it’s for this reason, and a miss on both vault and floor today for him does not bode well. 15.7.
John Orozco, vault: Nearly stuck front layout double full. Tiny little movement. 15.9, same as night one.
He and Leyva are stronger in the AA than on any one apparatus, I’d say. Both are contenders for an AA medal at Olympics. A terrific one-two punch in the AA Final, should they both get through.
Of the two, John is slightly cleaner but slightly less dynamic.
… I recall a couple of years ago when this cocky young American kid was quoted saying he wanted to challenge World Champion Uchimura.
I admired the cojones it took to speak that aloud.
Danell’s getting closer. (Scores at this meet are higher than they will be in London.) Kohei, who won 2011 Worlds with a 93.631, is probably less than 2 falls ahead. 🙂