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The legend Li Xiaopeng did win Parallel Bars as many, including myself, had hoped.

World Champion Fabian Hambuechen made mistakes to finish Bronze on his speciality, Horizontal Bar. It really was a bad Olympics for the future superstar. But he’ll have many more Olympic medals to come, I’m sure.

click through to Gymnast.com for larger images of the results

Even better, click through to Steve McCain’s live blogging of the last day of finals. I particularly like the part where he says he’ll “throw this laptop” if Zou Kai wins.”

Many are thinking we need post every judge’s score from major competitions. Gymnast.com has done that for Beam, the final apparatus final in the Olympics.

click through for a larger image

I’m very happy Shawn finally got her GOLD. She’s an Olympic Champion.

Congratulations to Olympic Champion Sandra Izbasa.

Sandra Izbasa of Romania performs on the floor. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

1 IZBASA Sandra A=6.500 B=9.150 Final=15.650
2 JOHNSON Shawn A=6.400 B=9.100 Final=15.500
3 LIUKIN Nastia A=6.200 B=9.225 Final=15.425

full results

I’d have ranked them 1. Johnson, 2. Liukin, 3. Izbasa. But the routines are very, very close. Any order can be argued.

After she won the Bronze medal in the All-around, the amazing Yang Yilin was required to face the world media.

Two Americans had stood with her on the podium. Nastia Liukin got the gold, Shawn Johnson the silver, and they were late. As minutes passed, reporters crowded around Yang, scrutinizing, asking questions.

Unlike Johnson, who arrived later, obviously delighted with her medal, Yang displayed little outward emotion. She smiled obediently, all small teeth, when reporters asked her to pose for photos. Her little mouth pursed again when the lenses were turned away. …

World’s 2007 – AFP/Getty Images

From that AP interview quoted in a Gymblog post:

… Were your parents here to see you compete, among the cheering crowds?

“I don’t know.”

When was the last time you went home?”

“Ummm … before I joined the national team,” Yang said, her small voice hard to hear.

When was that?

“More than a year ago.”

Will you go on holiday after the games?

“I don’t know.”

How many holidays do you get a year?

“I have not had a holiday since I joined the national team.”

Yang Yilin speaks

Read more on the interview in this article: Commentary: The sad life of Yang Yilin

I hear He Kexin was rushed away from the media scrum after winning the Gold on Bars. They were asking her about her age. UPDATE: I’ve now heard otherwise: “He Kexin was not immediately shuffled away, instead she was bombarded by despicable American journalists trying to misguide her into giving away her age. The answer she provided was focused and well-trained.” … see the comments for more.

Clearly these young girls have had no media training. I still suspect they were under prepared for the media.

That’s poor coaching. I’m still shocked the Chinese girls were so unaffected by the pressure of competing in Beijing.

It’s official.

We are as bad as Figure Skating.

You can win a medal with a full fall.

… Cheng Fei next… almost stuck the 2 1/2 a beautiful vault. 6.5/9.575. Second vault – Cheng – She put her knees down and then her hands. She just cannot do that vault all the time What a shame. She was just a little short on the landing and couldn’t step forward. 6.5/8.55 Average 15.562… ahead of Alicia, that was a surprise….

Ziert Alert: Event Finals, Day 1 – IG

Her second vault was really, really bad. With a fall. And she still won the Bronze medal.

I’m not saying the judging was bad. … But I wish it had gone the other way and Cheng Fei had finished 4th.

I’ll post that video when I find a link to it.

Chinese gymnast He Kexin tied American rival Nastia Liukin on Bars. But under a complicated but logical tiebreak system, China got the Gold, USA the Silver.

(AP Photo / August 18, 2008)

Nastia’s father / coach Valeri tied for an Olympic medal in the past — when both athletes stood atop the podium, both winning gold.

Tiebreaks determined Beijing medals, so far, in

Pommel Horse

Bars

Men’s Vault

About.com Gymnastics has a poll on the topic. And some background:

… The rule to break ties has been in effect since after the 1996 Olympics, and was at the direction of the IOC, according to FIG president Bruno Grandhi.

He told NBCOlympics.com, “For me, it’s not correct. When two people arrive on the same level, they are champions. But this competition doesn’t belong to us. It is the IOC’s.”

Tiebreakers Add New Controversy to Event Finals Day Two

But before you get too outraged about yet another complication in our sport, frustrating the media and the general public, think back to what happened before the rule was imposed.

Judges who could not decide who should win a Final … deliberately tied gymnasts. We ended up with too many ties.

I’ve got mixed feelings on the tiebreak rule. I liked it in 2004 when Kyle Shewfelt took Gold on Floor over Dragalescu in a tiebreak. But it’s yet another barrier between our sport and the general public. First we lose the “perfect 10”. Now this.

During the Olympics in the USA I’m seeing many comments like this on the internet:

… The former Olympic gymnast is part of NBC’s coverage team for the gymnastics competition this week. Lots of times when Daggett is talking, you don’t just want to mute the TV. You want to break the speakers. …

You can’t be serious … Tim Daggett – News OK

For the record, I think Tim Daggett does quite a good job. (If he’s pro-USA, that’s mainly because he’s working for NBC broadcasting in the USA. Commentators in Canada are very positive about Canadian gymnasts.)

Even sidekick Al Trautwig is reasonably good as the “everyman” who asks the dumb question that regular viewers are thinking.

In the past I though Elfi Schlegel was excellent, spending a lot of time with the athletes in preparation for broadcasts. This Olympics she’s been positively “bland”, not contributing much to the conversation. Tim has to lead even on the women’s apparatus.

(I was horrible as a broadcaster myself last year for local cable TV coverage of the Canadian National Gymnastics Championships. That may be the reason I’m so supportive of Tim.)

… Since his retirement following the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Daggett has worked as a television commentator, covering the gymnastics events for NBC at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, and Beijing. …

Wikipedia

related:

The NBC Commentators Who They STILL Haven’t Gotten Rid Of – Polished Gymnastics 101

Why I Don’t Like Elfi Schlegel – blog

Coach Dave Adlard likes Shannon Miller, Missy Marlowe, Bart Conner, and Peter Vidmar. Both John Macready and John Roethlisberger would be good too, of course.

Leave a comment if you have a personal favourite gymnastics commentator from anywhere around the world.

Irina Karavaeva misses the medals. Another GOLD in Gymnastics sports for China.

full results

Karen Cockburn, He Wenna, Ekaterina Khilko – photo Grace Chui from Facebook

Congratulations to Karen Cockburn, my favourite, who has had medals in the past 3 Olympics!

Thanks Stu.

UPDATE: Though I competed Trampoline long ago, I’m no expert. But having now seen the Finals on NBC TV, I felt Karavaeva was badly underscored. What did she miss?

Slate has a slideshow of unusual gymnastics photos.

see more

Nastia … won the silver medal in the uneven bars during Day 2 of the individual event finals Monday evening at the National Indoor Stadium. The gold medal went to He Kexin of China, who was first in the rotation and posted a score of 16.725. Liukin followed and her score was also 16.725, but tiebreaking procedures placed her second. Beth Tweddle had the highest start value at 7.8.

Bars:

(L-R) Nastia Liukin, He Kexin and Yang Yilin. (Photo credit: Getty Images) – source

Too bad. I was cheeing for Jordan Jovtchev (in his 5th Olympics) but he finished 8th in the Final. Pinheiro Robrigues Danny attempted the impossible “Victorian Cross”.

Rings:

Dragalescu from Romania finished 4th on Vault nailing his awesome “Dragalescu” vault, but falling on the second vault — exactly the same thing he did in Athens. This means he will come away from Beijing with no medals at all. Perhaps the last “comeback” we will see from the dominant Floor / Vault man of this decade.

Men’s Vault:

Congratulations to Leszek who was not even allowed to compete in 2004 though he was then, as he is today, the #1 vaulter in the world. (Form is not great, however.)

more results – Gymnast.com

Steve McCain’s live blogging notes.

My predictions on who would win the Gold medals.