Gymnastics Coaching.com

When I first heard China had selected Zou Kai alternate, I was shocked. … But not-so-secretly pleased.

He’s been our least popular Olympic Floor champion in decades.

… All along I reckoned he’d eventually be put on the competing team. He was. And has qualified for both H Bar and Floor finals.

His floor is amazingly difficult. But unartistic, as far as I’m concerned.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We cannot avoid Zou Kai defending at the London Olympics.

We are not worthy. Three times World champion on this apparatus, this 15.70 routine was the top score.

Give him the gold medal now.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

His kickout of that dismount is my favourite part. Masterful.

Ever since FIG started letting the media into the training gym, we’ve looked like idiots — especially when reporting what happens with the Russian girls:

… Komova looked great on bars and beam, except when she lost grip on one arm coming out of a Tkatchev and had to be caught by a coach.

Today it was her legs and not Demy’s all strapped up in kinesio tape and she is clearly still very sore in the calves. She was having terrible trouble doing her double Arabian pass, sitting it down time and time again, even when she tried to do a single. She started a full routine twice and had to stop after missing it and kind of staggered off after her second attempt and sat down rubbing her calves. ..

Couch Gymnast – Last Open Team Training

Never mind — Komova will hit EVERYTHING tomorrow any way. Right?

That’s a great read. Click through for sure. It’s got updates on Russia, Australia, Great Britain, Romania, China and USA.

Or click this photo …

… Speaking of sore, He Kexin, who was NOT having a good time on bars and could not seem to get through a routine. …

Men’s Gymnastics in Japan is kind of a big deal.

Though it’s nowhere near as popular as baseball and soccer, gymnastics gets respect.

I had a Japanese coach and most of my earliest heroes were Japanese. At age-12 I once performed a P Bar routine immediately after … Mitsuo Tsukahara. (Hopefully I was cute.)

So when it was first announced that Japan would host Worlds, I was determined to attend. In fact, I’m staying in Japan for up to 2 months. It’s an honour to be here.

_____

There were hundreds of amazing routines on display, from nations large and small. The depth of men’s gymnastics worldwide is staggering.

… It’s silly, in reality, to have Dominican Republic (pop. 9 million) compete against China (pop. 1.3 billion)

Talk about an “unfair” competition.

Yet we have a girls from Dominican Republic and Vietnam in Vault finals — and no Chinese girls. For the fan there’s something interesting in watching the athletes from the lesser known nations.

Men’s gymnastics is even better. We have event finalists from Israel, Slovenia, Venezuela, Chile & Hong Kong.

_____

Here’s the most important result — the list of those nations who qualify a team directly to the Olympics.

1. JPN 364.191 2. USA 361.583 3. CHN 358.226 4. GER 354.132 5. RUS 353.725 6. KOR 351.331 7. ROU 350.900 8. UKR 350.434

CONGRATULATIONS. Well earned!

I had predicted: CHN, JPN, GBR, (USA / GER) …

I’d still bet on China in that Final.

France is 9th. 😦

Non-qualification (so far) for Olympic host Great Britain is the story of the meet, I’d say. The girls made it. The guys didn’t.

Click PLAY or watch Keatings try to explain it on YouTube.

_____

Russia surprised with their excellent performance after erratic training. (Similar to the RUS women.)

They were easily the most impressive Vault team.
_____

Next, the 8 teams that move on to London “test” event from January 10-18th, 2012. (With only 5 gymnasts — Olympic rules.) Buy your tickets here.

9. France 349.828
10. Great Britain 348.742
11. Spain 348.725
12. Canada 347.076
13. Brazil 346.626
14. Puerto Rico 344.460
15. Italy 343.642
16. Belarus 342.575

Four of these teams will there qualify for London. Four will not.

The happiest gymnasts in Tokyo tonight are teams Ukraine and Belarus. The least happy … France 9th and Switzerland 17th.
_____

The “routine” of the day was defending World Champion Thomas Bouhail on Vault.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

He did a second vault to qualify for finals. A Tsuk double pike. STICK.
_____

Here are the qualifiers from prelims to World Championships Finals:

FX QUALIFIERS
1. Zou CHN 15.700
2. Dragulescu ROM 15.566
3. Shatilov ISR 15.500
4. Hypolito BRA 15.500
5. Uchimura JPN 15.466
6. Legendre USA 15.433
7. Gonzalez CHI 15.400
8. Koczi ROM 15.400

PH QUALIFIERS
1. Berki HUN 15.866
2. Smith GBR 15.600
3. Sellathurai AUS 15.566
4. Bertoncelj SLO 15.500
5. Uchimura JPN 15.433
6. Teng CHN 15.300
7. Tommasone FRA 15.300
8. Hidvegi HUN 15.266

SR QUALIFIERS
1. Chen CHN 15.700
2. Zanetti BRA 15.533
3. Yamamuro JPN 15.533
4. Van Gelder NED 15.383
5. Horton USA 15.366
6. Morandi ITA 15.366
7. Carmona VEN 15.333
8. Uchimura JPN 15.233

VT QUALIFIERS
1. Bouhail FRA 16.6204
2. Okiguchi JPN 16.349
3. Dragulescu ROM 16.333
4. Shek HKG 16.237
5. Golotsutskov RUS 16.233
6. Yang KOR 16.216
7. Kasperovich BLR 16.199
8. Wammes NED 16.166

PB Qualifiers: Feng, Cucherat, Zhang, Uchimura, Berbecar, Leyva, Tanaka, Tsolakidis

HB QUALIFIERS
1. Y. Tanaka JPN 15.600
2. Uchimura JPN 15.533
3. Hambuchen GER 15.500
4. Orozco USA 15.266
5. Boy GER 15.266
6. Zou CHN 15.166
7. Zonderland NED 15.133
8. Zhang CHN 15.133

AA QUALIFIERS

Uchimura
Orozco
Leyva
Yamamuro
Purvis
Boy
Garivov
Kuksenkov
Nguyen
Martinez
Tommasone
Rivera
Koczi
Fokin
Belyavskiy
Kim
Teng
Kim Sm
Dragulescu
Shatilov
Gonzalez Sepulveda
Stepko
Likhovitskiya
Bucher

R1 – Gafuik
R2 – Gomez Fuerts
R3 – Almeida Campos
R4 – Cappeli
_____

Pommels was the strongest apparatus. Rings weakest.

Nearly every team has a pommel guy who swings this sweet.

Click PLAY or watch Emin GARIBOV on YouTube.

I’m still liking Marcel Nguyen for the Longines Award. Or should it be Russia’s David BELYAVSKIY?

Click PLAY or watch him on YouTube.

_____

Here are the best links from men’s prelims:

• FIG – China third as Tokyo prelims conclude

• Inside Gymnastics DAILY 5 – MONDAY, OCTOBER 10

• Team qualifications report card — who exceeded expectations?

• Men’s Worlds prelims day 1

Details on what happened via LIVE blogs: Examiner and TAA and Gymnastike.

Two of those 3 bloggers are ladies — and they’ve learned a LOT about MAG over the past couple of years, often correcting my mistakes. 🙂

On to Team Finals over the next two days. I love the sudden victory, 3-up ~ 3-count format. Anything can happen.

That’s a low res photo from the 2011 World Championships – Men’s Qualifications Facebook page, the best pics of Worlds I’ve found so far.

Twitter has been the best way to follow the meet online. But that will change if internet TV is available starting tomorrow. Check to see if you can get Universal where you live.

It’s “sudden victory”, 3-up ~ 3-scores count, anything can happen, format.

USA (starts first on vault)
VT: Raisman, Wieber, Maroney
UB: Vega, Wieber, Douglas
BB: Vega, Raisman, Wieber
FX: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman

Check the other 7 teams on Between The Olympics. Or download the official list (PDF)

Looks like we’ve seen the last of He Kexin at Worlds 2011. Perhaps forever.

It was an honour to watch my countrymen do smart, disciplined, clean gymnastics today. They’ll easily qualify to the London “test” event from January 10-18th, 2012. (With only 5 gymnasts competing — the new smaller Olympic team size.)

Here’s one of the veterans, Kenji Ikeda, back in his ancestral homeland. About to rock the pommels for his team.

At this moment we’re still waiting to see if Nathan Gafuik qualifies to the all-around final.

Click through to the Inside Gymnastics Men’s Qualifications Day 2 photo page on Facebook.

Canada probably hit as many routines as any nation in this competition, But as good as they were, the coaches still weren’t satisfied. They had been even better in podium and in the training gym. A perfect day might have landed them 8th position.

Congrats to Naosaki and the everyone involved in preparing this team. I was one proud Canadian today — especially on Pommels.

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Japan 364.291
2. USA 361.583
3. Germany 354.132
4. Russia 353.725
5. Romania 350.900
6. Ukraine 350.434
7. France 349.828
8. Great Britain 348.742
9. Spain 348.725
10. Canada 347.076
11. Brazil 346.626
12. Puerto Rico 344.460
13. Italy 343.642
14. Switzerland 340.646
15. Australia 339.574
16. Netherlands 336.077

AA STANDINGS
1. Uchimura JPN 92.256
2. Orozco USA 90.532
3. Leyva USA 89.848
4. Yamamuro JPN 89.765
…….. 5. Horton USA 89.689
6. Purvis GBR 89.132
7. Boy GER 88.697
8. Garibov RUS 88.664
9. Kuksenkov UKR 88.648
10. Nguyen GER 88.464
11. Martinez ESP 88.306
12. Tommasone FRA 88.231
13. Rivera PUR 87.831
14. Koczi ROM 87.732
15. Fokin UZB 87.698
16. Belyavsky RUS 87.632
…….. 17. Hambuchen GER 87.507
18. Dragulescu ROM 87.032
19. Shatilov ISR 86.732
20. Gonzalez CHI 86.665
…….. 21. Legendre USA 86.598
22. Stepko UKR 86.565
23. Bucher SUI 86.466
24. Gafuik CAN 86.457

China & Korea yet to compete.

That’s the way it looks right now … with CHN and RUS yet to compete:

1. JPN 364.191 2. USA 361.583 3. GER 354.132 4. ROU 350.900 5. UKR 350.434 6. FRA 349.818 7. GBR 348.742

The top 8 teams qualify directly to Olympics.

A bad day for one of my favourite gymnasts, Daniel Keatings.

It’s not the end of the world. In fact, it MIGHT be good preparation for the host nation to be competing in the Olympic venue at the “test” event from January 10-18th, 2012.

They should easily place in the top 4 teams of 8 (ranking 9th-16th in Tokyo) — and move on to the Olympics. With 3 strong all-arounders, GBR should be in even stronger contention since team size will be reduced to 5 athletes for that meet.

The GBR girls made it through already, finishing in 8th place.

Now that’s a LANDING.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (16,066)

The star from Belgium, Donna-Donny Truyens, will not likely make the Pommel final this year. (15.233) Too bad. He was 2nd at Universiade 2011 in China.

Pommels is easily the best apparatus at Worlds Tokyo. There are dozens of guys trying to qualify.

Click PLAY or watch Truyens at last Worlds on YouTube.

Tommasone, the French pommel specialist, might get there with 15,300.