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Women’s Podium Training Day 1 – FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships TOKYO 2011

Produced by Inside Gymnastics magazine. Sponsored by Tumbl Trak.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The best swing so far today.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (fall)

Donna Donny Truyens is a a Belgian … coached by Dirk Van Meldert at the Topsportcentrum in Ghent.

He was the first Belgian ever to qualify to a Worlds apparatus final last year in Rotterdam.

I watched Great Britain’s podium training with Gummi Brynjólfsson, men’s judge and women’s coach from Iceland. He’s a big fan of their men’s program, as am I.

Yet Gummi recalled being at their national training centre only 8yrs ago when the British men’s program was at low ebb.

How times have changed since London won the Olympics 2012.

In 2011 there’s a very realistic chance that GBR could finish as high as 3rd as a team, ahead of USA, GER and KOR.

How would that happen?

First, they’d need to hit Pommels. Get a lead of as much as 2pts on their strongest apparatus.

Count how many Russians they compete on pig, I dare you.

Second, they have to hope that the Men’s judges actually judge. GBR has execution in the league with JPN and CHN. … Based on Rotterdam, the men’s judges don’t seem to bother with execution, “boxing” all E scores relatively close together:

bad routine = 7.9
average = 8.4
good routine = 8.9
perfect routine = 9.1

If the MAG judges do that, the “cleaner teams” (CHN, JPN, GBR) suffer relative to the uglier teams.

Still … predicting men’s gymnastics results is a dangerous game. Anything can happen in Team prelims. And by “anything”, I mean disaster can strike on 6 different apparatus. Every gymnast might fall on Vault, for example.

It’s going to be a great battle GBR v GER v USA and perhaps even KOR.

Blythe Lawrence lives part of the year in France. She’d add that team to the mix:

… I wrote awhile ago that France, which pulled a surprising fifth place finish at the 2010 Worlds despite losing Benoit Caranobe early in the competition, could have a shot at a medal here. We’ll see.

They have two of the best vaulters in the world in Samir Ait Said (who’s also good on rings) and defending World champion Thomas Bouhail. They have good pommel horse from all-arounder Cyril Tommasone. They have pbars and high bar from Yann Cucherat. They are capable. What they may not have is a second and third gymnast on every event. …

FRA has just begun podium training. Examiner LIVE blog.

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Recently I wrote that Shogo Nonomura just might be the next Uchimura.

Now I’m thinking 18yr-old Sam Oldham just might be a future world champion. Amazing Pommels for a young guy. He trains with Smith and Keatings.

Click PLAY or watch Sam on YouTube.

The British men will qualify in the top 8 teams, no problem. It’s essential that their girls do, as well, so far as the host nation is concerned. Neither team wants to do the “test event” in January.

related – British Gymnastics – Artistic Worlds- GBR boys ready to go!

Update from @USAgym:

Alicia Sacramone was injured today at practice and is being evaluated. Aly Raisman took a short dismount off beam but is fine.

Anne Phillips:

I attended the American women’s training session this morning in the Yoyogi Training Hall and am afraid I have some very unfortunate news to report. Brestyan’s gymnasts Alexandra Raisman and Alicia Sacramone both went down with injury during the team’s practice.

details – Gymnastike – Two Americans Down in World Championships Training

Awaiting prognosis.

Alternate alternate, Shawn Johnson, is a long way away.

If this man had been a coach, he’d have been a coach of champions.

Beth:

Louise Giblin makes a body cast of me ready to be made into a sculpture in an Olympic series.

Those photos are posted on an official fan page album on Facebook.

How’s that for an attention grabbing headline?

The gymnastics start joins a long list of male and female athletes that have posed nude in celebration of the ultrafit human body.

ESPNw – Why pose for the Body Issue?

It’s a huge honor and a cool opportunity. I wanted to show that you don’t need to be 13 or 14 years old to be a gymnast. You can be older and still have good results.

When I first got the offer I was a little nervous. But then I thought, “You’ve worn a leotard in front of a billion people; this isn’t that different.” Plus, I work out really hard and I’m proud of my body.

Watch the video about the shoot from ESPNw – The Body Issue

This is good publicity for our sport, I feel.

Keith Russell brings gymnasts into his University Anatomy lectures to show real muscles. (They guys wear shorts, however.)

(via Full Twist)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Full In Full Out)

Aubree Balkan is one of several people who contacted me regarding trampoline coach Doug Boger who was placed on the USA Gymnastics ‘permanently ineligible’ for membership list June 2010.

I linked to reporter SCOTT M. REID who published an article about Boger — Banned after accusations of abuse, some gymnastics coaches continue to teach

Follow that link if you missed the story.

Here’s what one of his more recent former athletes has to say:

I am writing in response to the media outrage and allegations against Doug Boger. He was my former gymnastics coach and I feel compelled to share my experiences and those of my teammates that have been coached by him within the last ten years. Doug started coaching me when I was 12 years old in 2001. He coached, guided and mentored me through my gymnastics career and is still one of the most instrumental people in my life. Without his faith and devotion to me as an athlete, I would have never accomplished nearly as much I was able too. Without him I would have not made the national team and competed at three world championships. Doug and I made a great team. We travelled the world together and in 2009 both won awards for sportswoman and double-mini coach of the year. I would not be who I am today if it were not for his passion and love for the sport as well as his devotion to the well being of his athletes. Never in the last ten years did I experience anything to the nature of what Doug is being accused of. I have learned so much from him and will stand by him regardless of such allegations with my unforgettable memories and nothing but positive and life-shaping experiences through my gymnastics career with Doug for the past ten years.

Aubree Balkan

I once had a teacher friend wrongly accused and imprisoned. So I’m well aware that there is some chance that’s the case here.

At this point Doug Boger, family and friends must respond in the court of public opinion, as well as court, if it comes to that.

Half the teams had the competition venue today. All chose to treat it as a “mock meet”, saluting the judges who were in all day too … in civies.

Inside Gymnastics has a nice overview of the first day of two:

Japan’s Kohei Uchimura, the defending World Champ, has become the poster child for these World Championships, and he is handling the fanfare with his signature class and grace. Team is his first priority and humility is the nature of his character (I don’t like to see the signs,” he joked of all of the billboards and signage around town with his image). Good natured and personable (he smiled, laughed and joked throughout the interview session following podium training), Uchimura lets his gymnastics do the talking. …

read more on IG2 – Daily 5 – October 5

Kohei, like last year, had some odd moments. Especially on Floor. But there’s no one that doubts he will win his 3rd World Championships in series.

I watched USA and GER closely to see which of the top teams would finish ahead of the other. It’s close to a draw. USA is weak on Rings. GER (surprisingly) weak on Floor.

They are close enough that the team that hits best in prelims should take it. Recall that Germany was about 3pts ahead last Worlds.

Both are keenly aware that GBR could beat them both. With Keatings back they are my pick to finish Bronze behind CHN and JAP.

We’ll see GBR and CHN on podium tomorrow to confirm my expectations.

I call GBR a surprise pick for a team medal. Gary over on Gymnastike did not include them as contenders on a MAG preview post.

A few other highlights of the day …

• Epke Zonderland connected Cassina Kolman as he did last year in Podium. Also Gaylord 2 piked. Perhaps 7.7 start.

In prelims last year he did an “easier” routine for team.

• Dragalescu is back. Again. But this year he looks in much better shape than his unretirement of 2010. He could win Vault if he can land both huge tricks.

• Hambuchen and Uchimura did the best Horizontal Bar routines I saw today. Zonderland’s is more difficult, but I just can’t abide his scissoring legs on Rybalko. Horton was excellent, too. All 4 should qualify to apparatus finals.

Hambuchen is not doing Pommels, unless needed by his team last minute.

• Leyva‘s P Bars was the best routine of the day, overall, though there were many great sets. In 2011 it’s smart to leave out the “double salto” tricks, if you can.

• Nguyen from Germany truly should be world Floor champion. He’s the best tumbler. But Kosmidis could easily win again. I’d be happy to see Tomás González from Chile on the podium.

Nguyen’s vault is superb. And he’s the only guy in the meet competing 1/1 twisting double back off P Bars.

• Most of the best Pommel routines are in day 2 podium training. Uchimura is silky smooth and consistent.

• an interesting Tippelt half on P Bars was shown by Wai Hung “Stone” Shek from Hong Kong AlDAYANI Ahmed From Qatar. Thanks for the correction, Essem.

• Ireland submitted a new skill on Floor — something like a backward butterfly with 1/1 twist (from ‘Tricking’, perhaps)

Compared with the women’s podium training the previous two days, the guys hit a higher percentage of full routines. Have fewer falls. And are generally less scarifying.

When a male gymnast crashes a vault landing, my heart rate does not accelerate. But when a tiny little girl crashes DTY, it hurts me.

The main story of Men’s gymnastics in 2011 is the depth of ability worldwide. Mohamed Srour from Egypt, for example, can challenge the best in the world on Floor and Vault.

It’s incredible how many fantastic male gymnasts there are in the world today.

This Code is not killing Men’s gymnastics.

Universal has a good photo gallery of the men.

I’ll be LIVE tweeting tomorrow @GymCoaching.
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Meanwhile, over at the WAG training gym:

Brigid McCarthy:

There have been way to many tears in the Yoyogi training stadium today for my liking.

… aggravated injuries, frustration, angry coaches. Just one of those days, I think!

The girls do too much in podium. They need to learn to taper.

The best place for more WAG photos is Brigid Couch Gymnast McCarthy on Facebook.

Don’t miss this Couch Gymnast post – Why Have You Been Ignoring Korea?

Though they finished only 20th at last Worlds, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the top 8 for Olympic team qualification.