Gymnastics Coaching.com

One of the best gymnastics blogs just got hipper. (And I’m not talking about the latest fresh look of the site.)

Live.Breath.Love Gymnastics now has a new domain address on the web. Update your link: LBLgymnastics.com

Of the many U.S.A. Women’s Olympic Trials previews, the best (perhaps) is from Polish101- Gymnastics.

New to me was this conspiracy theory:

The judges likely want a win for Nastia, so that Shawn won’t have to feel the pressure of being America’s top gymnast and so that the media will continue to hype up this supposed showdown between power and grace.

Hmm.

No doubt the judges would refute that.

Personally I don’t think Nastia has much of a chance to beat Shawn, if they both hit. And — of course — the B-panel judges do justice to the code on Nastia’s execution on Floor and Bars. Nastia is often over-scored on those apparatus in the States. Shawn is not. Or … not nearly as much.

Read the detailed post for yourself: Final Thoughts Prior to the 2008 Olympic Trials

Ivana Hong – USAG

Horton finally hit Horizontal Bar. Artemev finally hit Pommels.

The enigmatic Sasha Artemev seized the halfway lead here at the men’s gymnastics U.S. Olympic Trials …

Excellent. This should get Sasha through to the selection camp.

(AP Photo/Rob Carr) – ESPN

Raj Bhavsar and Justin Spring, who showed consistency across all six events, Spring finishing first or second in four of six, Bhavsar scoring a second, two thirds and, in the pommel, fourth.

NBC Olympics

I don’t mention Kevin Tan because he’s a lock. Give him his ticket to Beijing right now.

Kevin Tan turned in the best score of the night, 16.550 on rings, his specialty, and he leads the weighted total in that discipline by – in gymnastics terms – a mile …

details on all competitors: Live Coverage: Men’s Prelims – Inside Gymnastics

Justin Spring – AP Photo by Julie Jacobson

The gymnasts will tell you that Justin Spring is the “monster” of the field. He does huge difficulty. But I expected him to be knocked out at this stage because of bad execution. His form can be atrocious.

Looks like I’m wrong. Again.

As always, I look to Andrew Thornton to tell me what’s really going on at Trials:

Although the scores alone won’t directly determine the Olympic team, there will be two spots announced immediately at the conclusion of the competition for both the men and the women. In fact, the men’s selection committee might announce the full six-member team just prior to the final women’s competition on Sunday. At the very least, they plan to announce a nine-member Olympic training squad, with the alternates to be determined at a later date. This means that on the men’s side, we will either know the Olympic team by Sunday or have a pretty good idea of the team. On the women’s side, there will undoubtedly be a bit of mystery that remains at the end of the competition, and fans will simply have to wait a few weeks for the announcement of the final team. …

Gymnast.com

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I just heard today that Casey Sandy did not attend the Canadian Men’s Olympic Training Camp and Test Meet tonight. But did not hear why. Has he withdrawn from Olympic team selection?

In the lengthy debate about double amputee South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, you knew there would be other “special” cases.

But you probably didn’t guess it would be another South African.

Natalie Du Toit qualified for the Beijing Olympics after she finished fourth in the 10km race in the Open Water World Championships in Seville, Spain.

The 24-year-old, who lost her left leg when she was hit by a car while riding her scooter in 2001, clocked a time of two hours two minutes 7.8 seconds, just 5.1 seconds behind winner Larisa Ilchenko of Russia.

The 10km open water race is making its debut as an Olympic event in Beijing.

Du Toit almost qualified for the Sydney Olympics in three events at the age of 16 but she suffered the accident a year later. …

She missed out on qualification for the 2004 Athens Olympics, but did compete in the Paralympics the same year where she won five gold medals and a silver. …

Reuters

Right now Natalie is in. But Oscar has not yet qualified.

Pistorius, who hopes to run the 400 at Beijing, must run the 400 in less than 45.55 seconds to qualify for the Olympics. His personal-best is 46.56 seconds.

South Africa names du Toit to both Olympic, Paralympic teams – ESPN

natalie du toit – official website

http://www.westphoto.se – Andreas Svensson

Beautiful.

see more here and here

Thanks Leif Danielsson who recommended the pictures from Swedish Championships 2008.

International Gymnast posted an interesting interview with Filip.

Though he qualified as an All-Arounder, Filip plans to compete only Floor and Pommels in Beijing, due to injury. (There will be many more, I expect. The AA is a dying event in Men’s Gymnastics.)

His best apparatus is Pommel Horse. Very smooth.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I like the Magyar Spindle at the beginning.

Word is that Sasha has reduced difficulty on Pommel Horse and Vault. (No triple twisting Yurchenko this time.)

I REALLY hope he hits at Olympic Trials tonight, Thursday. It would be a shame if he does not get through to Beijing.

IG

Katrina sent us the bad news:

Add U.S. men’s gymnastics national all-around champion David Sender to the list of athletes who are injured as the U.S. Olympic trials begin tonight at the Wachovia Center.

Sender won the national title last month when Paul Hamm was forced to withdraw after getting injured the first day of competition. Wednesday night, Sender was planning to get an MRI on his right ankle after team officials determined it was not broken during an accident.

After finishing his practice session on the high bar, the bar was vibrating. He jumped up to tap the bar to make it stop. When he came down, his foot rolled off the mat.

“It’s one of those things you do every day in the gym,” men’s program director Dennis McIntyre said. “It’s really unfortunate.”

McIntyre said Sender wasn’t talking much: “He knows what’s on the line.”

USA Today

Last week Jonathan Horton had a less serious injury scare. He rolled his ankle on a pommel mat.

I talked to “Svetlana” this week at the Level 4 course in Calgary, a friend of mine, one of the coaches at Salta Gymnastics in Canada.

Salta posts many videos from the club.

But the best of all is her hilarious Svetlana Handstand Queen video. (Gymnast.com)

You’ve got to see it!

Samantha Sendel (born 1991) is another trampoline superstar out of Toronto, Canada. She finished 3rd at Canadian Championships behind teammates and 2008 Olympians Karen Cockburn and Rosannagh MacLennan.

This makes Samantha the Olympic alternate.

Not many male trampolinists have ever done Samantha’s repertoire of big tricks. She rocks!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Sam’s coached by Dave Ross who also built this “Super Tramp“.

A Super Tramp is 13 feet wide (3.96 meters) and 20 feet long (6.09 meters). A regular trampoline is approximately 7 feet wide (2.13 meters) and 14 feet long (4.26 meters). The Super Tramp’s bed is string with approximately 960,000 spaces. Designed by Dave Ross and Rebound Products, Inc.

Related post: Canada a trampoline superpower

I saw this video linked from Don Eckert’s Saltocafe, my favourite YouTube channel.