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A TERRIFIC meet for Team Canada — about a 6pt improvement from Tokyo. (That would have finished 6th as a team at Worlds.) I’m positive they’ll be through to the Olympics as a team. And just might be the top team score today.

CONGRATULATIONS

CAN 221.813
NED 212.061

AA
1. Lee 55.565
2. Gomez Porras 54.766
3. Vaculik 54.607
4. Moors 54.282
5. Lopez 53.999
6. Top 53.598

… The Dutch fortunes have declined since Tokyo, namely with the loss of top all-arounders Celine van Gerner and Joy Goedkoop. Their performance here wasn’t perfect by any means, but it is a good training ground for new seniors like Lisa Top, who may be the future of Dutch gymnastics. Dianne Teunisse was also very impressive — if not totally perfect — on bars, beam and vault. …

Examiner – Impressions: Flight one at the London Test Event (women’s)

Next subdivision features France, Belgium and Spain. Many feel France is the strongest team here — but one French coach told this group is quite unpredictable in competition. … Aren’t they all?

An excellent edit from FIG.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… starting to be posted on the FIGchannel.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

One of only two double doubles in the meet. The other is Ferrari.

She’s 2nd AA so far after 3 rotations. A great addition to the Canadian team. … Update: fall on side salto Beam. 😦

Gymnastics is a tough sport.

And a subjectively judged sport where you don’t always get a fair score.

I always tell kids not to leave it in the judges hands. If you really want to win you have to make sure the score is not “close” to your competitors.

As many have speculated over the years, Valeri Liukin’s former coach, Edouard Iarov, is going to Dallas. WOGA has added another of the best coaches in the world.

Edouard and Valeri recently together taught an FIG Olympic Academy course in Tokyo. They are back working as a team, again.

Edouard was formerly responsible for the Canadian Men’s National Team. He’s currently on FIG MTC. This is another big leap in a long career. Good luck.

Click PLAY or watch a promo for the upcoming WOGA Classic on YouTube.

WOGA Classic February 18-19 2012

I love skills like this.

Alberto BUSNARI (ITA)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

14.966 (Difficulty : 6.40, Execution : 8.766).

… starting in just a few minutes. #FIGTest12 🙂

The top 4 teams of 8 qualify to London.

I’ll be cheering my homeland, Canada, in the first flight.

Avril Enslow has more photos from Beam podium posted on Facebook.

And — as I’m sitting with Netherland’s @GymPOWER1 bloggers, the Dutch girls, as well.

They just played David Bowie’s Heroes (video) in the arena. I was struck how appropriate that song is for the BIG GAME:

♪ … just for one day
We can be Heroes, for ever and ever
What d’you say? … ♪

The men were amazingly tough under pressure yesterday. GRB and SPAIN had virtually perfect meets. Whom of these young women can do the same today?

The prospect of competing at a record sixth successive Olympics is not the only thing spurring Jordan Jovtchev to battle through the pain barrier this week. If the 38-year-old Bulgarian dynamo books his ticket to the London Games in July, it will also ensure the survival of his federation. …

Universal – INTERVIEW: Bulgarian federation’s future rests on Jovtchev’s shoulders

The old man looks great.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The FIG Executive Committee has unanimously decided to allow one additional place for Trampoline Women, Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual and Rhythmic Gymnastics Group to participate at the 2nd Olympic qualification held in London these days.

The reason for this decision is …

read on FIG – FIG Executive Committee unanimously allows additional places for 2nd Olympic Qualification

President Bruno Grandi (ITA) said: “I am happy that we were able to correct this situation and allow for additional countries to participate in the spirit of fairness in sport.”

OK — maybe there are good reasons to break your selection criteria, maybe not.

But if an organization breaks one rule — midstream — in their selection process, why not break more?

Another example is the case of Berki. FIG has confirmed that he has qualified to the London Olympics based on performance in Tokyo. Everyone who’s read the rules disagrees.

Berki should qualify to the Olympics — he’s World Champion — but didn’t based on the unnecessarily complex selection process.

Grandi keeps talking about simplifying rules, making them more transparent, yet the exact opposite seems to keep happening.

… another issue: Should FIG Executive be over-ruling Technical Committees?

Seems to me that the elected President and Executive have most of the power in FIG. The TCs and FIG Staff, very little.

The finalist list is here. (PDF)

Nice to see Ireland’s Kieran Behan in there on Floor.

Ken Ikeda is sitting 3rd on P Bars. Watch for his HUGE double pike dismount. He stuck that monster in prelims.

Thanks GraceClick.ca (as usual) for all the terrific Facebook pics.