OK, so this is exciting! The woman’s team final is starting,
and everyone is full of anticipation over who is going to get the silver and
bronze medals! I mean, the USA is getting gold. No question. Even without Biles
they could still fall multiple times and win.
Also, they are winning the leotard game, if that interest you.
And they are going to be starting on vault, and Grace
McCallum is up! It’s her 16th birthday too.
Her double twist is lovely, clean, high. Shorter than I
realised, and with a 0.3 deduction worthy step on the landing. But a good performance,
pretty usual for her.
And now China is on bars, I think it’s Chen Yile. (the
commentators announced her name in a way I wasn;t expecting). She has a lot of
beautiful transition elements linked together, with more of a leg break than I
expected on her Shaposhnikova (a release from the low to the high bar). She
goes clean though, which is what China needs to start them off.
Grace McCallum scored 14.533, which seems about right of rhe
vault. The double twisting Yurchenko (back flip onto the vaulting table, then
two twists) she performed starts from a 15.4, so she lost less than a point in
deductions).
Now, our first look at Japan. This team wants a medal. This
team might get a medal. Let’s see. Anyway, it’s Hitomi Hatakeda on beam to
start with. Beam is where falls are most likely to happen, so Japan will want
to get through this rotation as cleanly as possible to set them up for the other
pieces.
So, her routine. She has a gorgeous front flip in the tucked
position, she goes so high on that. Then a free walkover (forwards layout somersault
with her legs split), and she tries to connect it to two jumps. Hm. Nobody
knows if those will be credited or not. Linking skills together give bonus
difficulty points, but recently the judging on beam has been stricter and less
consistent. Her next skills confuse me, I think she’s doing a side aerial,
where you land facing along the beam, but she actually lands facing the side of
the beam. Which would be fine, but she then immediately does a side somersault,
has a big wobble but fights to stay on. Something strange happened there. The
rest of the routine is solid, a good fight. Japan will be pleased with that.
Chen Yile scored a 14.1 by the way. Pretty good.
Wait, we’re onto Russia on vault? ButIwannaseetherestoftheusa….
OK. Stop panicking. This is a BBC stream, the often skip
back to show the best missed performances at the end of each rotation.
Well then, Angelina Melnikova on vault. Just a quick note to
say the Russian leos are beautiful. Her vault really isn’t. Another double
twisting Yurchenko, but her legs are wild. They are meant to stay locked
tightly together, they come apart by quite a bit, but she lands the vault well.
Hatakeda gets a 12.366 for her beam routine. In this final,
no-one knows if that’s good or not. It depends on the judging and the direction
the wind is blowing in.
And yes, for some reason they are showing Biles’ vault
now!!!
Now, Simone Biles, best gymnast of all time, has just
debuted a new vault that has been named after her. It is also, casually, the
hardest vault ever performed.
And the big question is whether she will do it now…..
And she doesn’t do it. She does a measly 1.5 twists rather
than 2. Ugh.
I know it’s still the second hardest vault in the world, and
the hardest there will be in the team final, and almost certainly a sensible
decision for the team, but….
Oh well. There’re the other finals to go.
And the vault she
does perform, a Cheng, is so high, so beautiful. She flies twice as far as most
other gymnasts.
Now, Lilia Akhaimova for Russia on vault. She competes a
Rudi, a front punch of the board with 1/5 twists, a really difficult vault, but
unfortunately her legs give on the landing and she falls. That’s a shame, she’s
the floor/vault specialist, she would have wanted a hit here.
Now, Kim Bui from Germany on floor. Germany have gone back
to the classic neon leotards, which… well, it makes them easier to see. I
actually quite like them. Kim Bui is something of a veteran at 29. She starts
with a double straight somersault, her legs aren’t quite tight together. Her
leaps are beautifully high. Next tumble is the same as before, but in the
tucked position. Then a two and a half twisting somersault into a front tuck
which looks like she barely manages it. Finishes with a double pike. It amuses
me that she did all the possible double somersault variations, but this is a
clean and stylish routine, what Germany need is they want to creep up the
rankings a little.
Akhaimova scored a 13.233 for her fall on vault. In the team
final, every score counts.
Now I think we’re going to see Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos
from France on floor. This should be exciting. She starts with a double layout with
a full twist, one of the hardest things you can do on floor. It’s really clean
too, and has a solid landing. I really like her dance too. Next tumble is a
full twisting double back, another great landing! She’s really reigning in her
power today. And then, the first wolf turn of the competition. People hate wolf
turns (spins in a crouch with one leg straight out to the side.. They are
over-valued in the scoring system, and many people say they are incredibly ugly,
especially when done poorly, but this one is good. I really like her next line,
it’s a front somersault with a walkout then a round-off into a double back. I
don’t think I’ve seen anyone else do it. The routine finishes with a double pike,
probably her worst landing of the lot, but still good. A nicely performed
routine, with nice dance as well as big skills.
Kim Bui gets 12.866 for her floor routine. So it looks like floor
is the new beam when it comes to inexplicably low scores…
Now, Mai Murakami’s beam (japan). This will be interesting,
she’s the reigning floor campion, but will also be hunting for a medal in the
all around. She starts off with a change leg split leap mount, into a free
walkover and another split leap. She likes these split leaps. A tiny wobble on
the change-leg to ring, ands probably gets a lot of deduction on it because…
everyone does. Lovely double pike to finish. Strong and steady, she’ll want to
do that again tomorrow.
Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos gets a 13.433. Which is really,
really low. But hey ho.
Now, Liu Tingting is up on bars for China. She’s a real beam
queen, but her bars are really good too. She has the same bent legs on the
backswing after her shap that we say from Chen Yile, but otherwise she’s
throwing big combinations with good form. Oh no! Her legs bend when she’s in
handstand. She looked like she was about to go into a skill, but she missed it.
That could be counted as a fall, and she’ll lose the value of whatever skill she
was likely to do as well. She also has a big step back on her double layout
dismount.
Mai Murakami gets a 13.766 on beam, which is a high score
for that piece nowadays.
Nor Morgan Hurd’s vault. Another high, clean double twisting Yurchenko,
maybe slightly bent knees, but gymnasts are also scored on height and distance,
which she has plenty of, so she should score well.
And she is rewarded, scoring a 14.633, so probably one of the
cleanest double twists we’ll see.
Liu Tingting gets a 13.4, which is rather a lot lower than
she would have wanted.
Now, Elsabeth Black from Canada on bars. Canada have done
well to qualify in fourth here, and they’ll want to push for a medal. She
starts with a nice shap, then immediately goes into a big release over the bar.
She’ll get a nice bonus for linking those together. Now she does the same
release again, but in a piked position, which gives it an extra tenth in
difficulty. Then another release, this time a forwards somersault called a
Jaeger, in the piked position which again, is more difficult than that straddle.
But afterwards, she casts to handstand, but finishes well short. She could lose
0.5 at least for missing the handstand there, but she manages to catch the Pak
salto (flip down to the low bar) after it. Then a shap with half turn, then a
full pirouette, into an interesting shoot forwards to tuck with half turn.
Ellie Black get’s 13.566 for that routine. Lower than she
would have liked.
So, now we’re on to the second rotation. The USA is already
leading by 2.7 points over China, with Russia less than a point behind them.
Ah, I’ve just realised why the order is strange. In the past,
they’ve put up the three gymnasts from each country back to back, now they’re
alternating one country than the other on each piece, so Melnikova will start
on bars, followed immediately by Hurd, then Alekseeva. Weird. I wonder what
prompted that decision?
Anyway, first of this rotation is Shallon Olsen from Canada
on beam. She starts with a free walkover, then a back handspring-layout-layout,
but her knees are bent on all of them. Doesn’t quite hit splits on her next two
leaps. I like her dance though, but there’s a long pause before the Onodi (jump
backwards with half turn into a front walkover). Then she does an illusion! On
beam! One of my favourite skills, and really difficult. There are rarely many of
those going around. I can’t really describe what an illusion is, it’s kind of
like a full turn where you bend down and stick your spare leg up to 180 degrees
while you’re going round. It looks awesome, is what it is. Her dismount is a
double pike with two back handsprings into it, with a hop back. Quite a slow
routine, relying on lots of single elements to build difficulty. Solid though. It
looked like she was just trying to hit well.
Now it looks like we’re seeing Melnikova on bars for Russia.
She can show some beautiful work here. She starts with an inbar (where the
gymnasts use fairy dust to squeeze their toes between the bar and their body)
with a full pirouette coming out of it, which is a bit late. Then does another
inbar into a shap. This is one of the harder shap variations, which will gain
her some bonus difficulty, as will connecting it straight back into a pak salto
to the low bar. A shap with half turn takes her back to the high bar, then it’s
an inbar half into a piked jaeger. Small leg separation on that release, and I
think she flexed her toes for a moment then, both of which will lose her
points. Small hesitation through the full turn into her full twisting double tuck
dismount, but she makes it. Basically, a good piece for her. A few things she would
like to fix.
One thing I like about the countries alternating is that the
gymnasts seem to be friendlier, exchanging words as they come on and off the
podium.
Shallon Olsen’s beam score is 12.333. I understand why, but
last quad that would have been a mid to high 13 routine.
Now, Jade Barbosa on floor. Another veteran at 27. She opens
with a whip (a back handspring without hands, basically a layout somersault)
into a full twisting double back. Her music is lovely, and she dances so well. It
almost sounds like Lord of the Rings. Now another full twisting double back,
piked this time. A 1.5 twisting split jump next, a really tricky element, and
she actually gets it around! A rare thing that… Next a 1.5 twist backwards to a
full twist forwards, both C elements which means they get 0.3 each, but they then
get a connection value for being done one into the other. And the dreaded wolf
turn, she doesn’t get it all the way around, so will be credited with a full rather
than a double. She finishes with a double pike back somersault. A lovely performance.
Melnikova scores 14.166. A good team score there. Also, she
hugs Morgan Hurd from the USA team, and I am officially a convert to the
alternating country thing.
And now it’s Hurd’s bars. She is normally so efficient here,
and has got into the bars final. She starts with an inbar shap to the high bar,
then a stalder (v-shaped leg as you go under the bar) into a full pirouette,
then a straddle tkatchev, a release over the high bar. TRhen she does it again
from the stalder, into a pak salto. Inbar half, then inbar full into a full
twisting double back. Solid as ever, and scores a 14.433. Just proving that she
deserves to be in the bars final, even if she would have been knocked out if
her team-mate Riley McCusker hadn’t fallen in qualifications.
Jabe Barbosa gets a 13.1 on floor.
Asuka Teramoto is now on floor for Japan. She opens with a
lovely double spin with leg at horizontal, of course, because everything she
does is gold dust. Her first pass is two whips into a triple twist, which is
fully rotated. Can the rest of the world stop and watch how to do a tripe twist
for a minute? There are so many landed under-twisted with the feet pointing the
wrong way and they always make my heart skip a beat, because it would take so
little for one of those ankles to give… Also her dance is beautiful. Next is a
double twist forwards. Forwards tumbling is harder than backwards tumbling, something
to do with the aerodynamics of the human body, so 2 twists forwards is as
difficult as 2.5 twists backwards. Next comes a quadruple…um… triple spin on
one foot and a high full twisting split leap. Now a 2.5 twist, and two more
connected leaps. She finishes with a double pike, another solid, clean routine
that will probably be hammered by the judges. On replay, I can see her legs
were crossed in that triple twist quite badly, which is a shame. Still, safer
to have slightly messy form and land it than be clean and not get it around.
So now we have Chen Yile from China, but they also just
announced Riley McCusker’s bars routine, which I really want to see, especially
after her difficulties in qualifications. But anyhoo…
Candle mount from Chen Yile. This is a new fashion, the
gymnast flips backwards at the beam from a springboard, and tries to catch it
so that she is in a shoulder stand. The hard bit is not smashing your head
against some pretty solid wood, I imagine, but I’ve never actually seen someone
do that… she does it well. She does a beautiful round-off (like a cartwheel where
the legs are snapped together to generate power) into a back layout, which is
super high and floaty, but has quite a bit wobble on the landing. She holds it
though. Free walkover connected to a couple of jumps, then a change leg ring,
which will probably get credit. Then, she falls on a free cartwheel. Bother. A
couple more jumps, steady, and a split ring leap, she might have managed to
tough her foot to her head. Then a triple twist dismount, gets it all the way
around but has crossed over legs in the air.
Asuka Teramoto scores 13.333 on floor, which is good
considering how harsh the judges have been there.
Now Aliya Mustafina is coming to bars. The world must stop
and hold it’s breath. Two time olympic gold medallist, since Rio she has had a
baby, had a couple of injuries, and is still somehow back two years later. She
isn’t competing all around here, but is in all but vault. Bars is her piece.
This will be gorgeous. And it is, of course. Sorry, I was a bit too stunned to
write anything while it wa going on. She starts with a stalder full turn, then
a shap, pak, shap half combination. A toe on half turn into piked jaeger is
next, and it’s so, so beautiful. I could cry with joy. Every handstand is
perfect. She sticks her full twisting double back. Because Aliya Mustafina. Everything
linked together gets her a colossal amount of bonus. It’s slightly less
difficult than her Rio routine, but, you know. She’s just had a baby.
Chen Yile scores 12.833. Not a bad score actually, given her
fall and bad wobble.
Now, Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos is on vault for France. She
performs a lovely clean double twist, with slightly flexed toes but does a
really good job of keeping her legs straight and locked together. She scores
14.633.
Mustafina gats a 14.5 for her bars. A great return for her.
And now from one great to another, Biles is up on bars. Once
her least favourite and weakest piece, she’s trying to change that in her
comeback. It’s the only piece she didn’t qualify top on. Oh no, she’s sitting
in a measly second place going into the final. She starts with a Weiler half,
connected to a shap and a tkatchev over the high bar. Just, casual “this is my
weakest piece” stuff. Toe on full turn, then a piked tkatchev into a pak salto.
Then the half turning shap, and into a double twisting double back dismount
with a small hop on the landing.
Now, Mai Murakami on floor. The 2017 world champion, who
will be trying to defend her title from Biles. She starts by falling out of a triple
turn. Not a very good beginning, but she follows it up with a double twisting
double somersault. Which is, you know. Quite hard. And she sticks it. Her
second line is a double layout, maybe slightly bent knees? But another stick.
Next is a 2.5 twist into a full twisting straight front somersault. She does
well in her leaps, a switch ring into a 1.5 twisting split jump, which is fully
around. Her next spin is a double L turn, with one leg held at horizontal, and
she staggers out of that one too. It looks like she might have bene trying to
connect it to another, but didn’t make it. Her double pike is almost stuck,
just a tiny shuffle. So, her tumbles and leaps are beautiful, but has trouble
with hr spins today.
She scores 13.766. A really good score.
Biles scores 14.866 on bars. Biles just beat Mustafina on
bars. I don’t know if my heart can take it.
And the US are now 4.6 points ahead of Russia in second.
So, the third rotation. Luo Huan starts on floor. Floor is
really make it or break it for China, so this first performance could be
telling. A lovely double spin with the second leg held up by her ear. Then a
double back, which is really easy for a first tumble. Her next spin is a triple
spin, I think? She doesn’t fall out of it too badly. Her next line is a front
tuck which she steps out of, then goes straight into a double twist. Again,
comparatively easy, but well performed. I quite like her dance as well. Her next
skill is a leap… of some sort. It looks like a switch ring, but then she
suddenly twists after it and throws in a half turn. It was just… weird. I don’t
know if that was the skill or her performance of it, but it’s just a bit… ugh. Next
is a double pike, which she runs into so casually I thought she was going to
scratch the tumble. She lands it well inside the floor, demonstrating a power
that has been kind of lacking throughout the rest of the routine even if she is
bent almost double when she lands. She finishes with a ring leap and a switch
ring, a good textbook demonstration of the two skills.
I think we’re about to see Lorette Charpy on bars for France
now. It’s a nice routine, a few short handstands, and a very business-like approach,
sometimes rushing into the next skill. She winds up into a double layout to
finish, and has to hop forwards the save it.
Luo Huan gets 12.866.
Hitomi Hatakeda is on vault now, vaulting a 1.5 twist Yurchenko
vault. It’s really clean, but not very long or high. She scores a 14.033.
Lorette Charpy gets 13.366. Seems about right.
Now, a routine that has inspired a lot of controversy. Kara
Eaker for the USA on beam. The only piece she is competing here. It’s difficult
because she relies a lot on connections and ring leaps, two things that no-one
can really know if the judges will credit or not. She also has the most lovely
free cartwheel to two layout step outs for her acrobatic series. It’s gorgeous.
She is very efficient, but has a little wobble on her leap series. Her dismount
is nice too, thought she pushes off with a foot of beam left, so frankly we’re
all relieved that she hasn’t cracked her skull open on the end of the beam. I’m
so glad she performed well, this is her only piece at this worlds.
Now Flavia Saraiva for Brazil on vault. Is this the first we’ve
seen of Brazil today? They’re not attracting much coverage… Anyway, it’s a
pretty good double twisting Yurchenko, high and long rather than clean, but should
score decently well. And does, a 14.433.
Kara Eaker gets a 14.333! Best score of the day.
Now Mustafina on beam. She starts with a backflip to layout
stepout, then a free walkover. Two jumps joined together, a double spin finished
with boatloads of confidence. She has a pretty nice change-leg ring leap, then
an onodi and ring jump. After Eaker’s, this routine looks pretty disconnected,
lots of individual elements with no connection between them. Her double back dismount
is good, and she fake-sticks it (steps back and salutes to hide the fact that
she was off balance). She gets 13.266, losing an extra tenth for going over
time.
Now then. Biles on beam. It will be interesting to see if
she beats Eaker here. Her triple wolf turn is fast and strong, as are her two
connected jumps. Her front somersault with half turn is just easy for her. She
backflips, then connects two layout step-outs. There was maybe a hesitation
between her leaps and her back pike, then wobbles and almost grabs the beam on
her front pike. That’s a difficult element, and new for her. Free walkover into
another jump, easily connected. Now, her dismount. A thing of beauty. Two back
handsprings into a full twisting double back, small hop back. She will be disappointed
with that routine, but will still probably score among the best of the beam
scores. Her difficulty is enough to mask the mistake.
Now Chen Yile for China on floor. Nice jump to open, then
opens with a triple twist, all the way around, then a triple spin. 2.5 twist to
piked front somersault is her next pass. Switch ring leap, textbook. Double
tuck next, really quite nice, with a small hop on landing. Again, not the most
difficult, but well presented. She gets
12.9.
Biles gets a 13.733. It looks like some of her connections
weren’t credited. Still a big score with a big wobble.
Back onto bars, Juliette Bossu for France. She has a lovely
handstand line, and a lovely inbar action. Her pak salto is a little whippy got
my taste. She finishes with a stuck double front, and scores a 14.033, which
puts her among the best.
Now, Mai Murakami on vault. It’s another strong double
twist, lots of height and length but pretty good form as well. Slightly bent
knees. 14.6.
Oh, that’s the end of the rotation. China is down in seventh
now, while the US have a 6.5 point lead over Russia, and Brazil are in third. Chine
is going to have to vault really, really well.
So, Aliya Mustafina on floor. She’s bringing back an old
favourite floor routine, she wasn’t originally meant to be competing here
because of knee injuries. No sign of them here, she goes straight into a full
twisting double back. Her leaps are gorgeous, her dance is lovely. A slightly
loose-legged 1.5 to full twist. A slightly fall out of her triple spin, but
well hidden. Next is a double back, and a slow and easy looking double spin
with the leg held up. She has the triple in that position names after her, so
it should be easy. It’s a great routine given that she wasn’t expected to
perform a couple of weeks ago, and beautifully artistic.
France and Germany are tied at the moment. Now they’re both on
beam, both hunting for a bronze. Is anyone else excited?
Lorette Charpy is up for France. Nice layout stepout mount. Then
a back handspring layout on the beam. She goes for the triple and the double
wolf turn, one after another. She’s showing a lot of control, but not going
super quickly. Her double pike dismount is low and long, and she lands short.
Now, Morgan Hurd on floor. Another great performer, she starts
with a double twisting double back, super hard, but bounces out of the floor.
Next a floaty high double layout, much better landing there. Her third pass is
still a straight front to full twist, rather than the double twist she can do,
but it’s well performed. Her jumps are high and well rotated. Her double pike
is under-rotated too, and she had to lunge forwards to hold it. Not the
performance she could have given, but still really good.
13.066 for Mustafina on floor, and 13.366 on beam for
Charpy.
Now Sarah Voss for Germany. Another candle mount. Their leos
are amazing. She has two connected layouts in her acro series, and a full
turning split. It looks like she’s going for loads of difficulty here. She’s
been really clean though, she handles the difficulty well. 2.5 twist dismount,
just a step forwards. This should score well.
Hurd gets a 12.966. Um… why? There’s no way she should have
got less than Mustafina. With that difficulty. It won’t affect the team score
though.
Now Jade Barbosa on bars. Nice shap, small leg separation
but goes straight into the tkatchev. She swings well, but then has to take and
extra swing and has bent legs on the low bar. That will count as a fall. She
has loads of extra giants at the end, but manages a double layout dismount
well.
Now Liu Jinru on vault. She vaults a double twisting Tsukahara
vault, and gets 14.366. Really good, actually.
Now Grace McCallum on floor. She lands her double double
just inside the floor, and sticks it. Next is a straight front to double twist,
again well done. I’m not the biggest fan of her choreography, it’s a bit
childish. Hopefully she can improve on it in future. Triple twist for her third
pass, which is good but has some split legs. . Finishes with a lovely double
tuck, just a small step on landing.
Barbosa gets 12.233 for her bars.
Sarah Voss gets 13.6. A nice score there, well deserved.
Now Flavia Saraiva gets on the bars. She’s so powerful, but
sometimes has split legs when she shouldn’t, and some of her handstands are a
bit short. Beautiful double front with pointed toes (yay!) but a lunge forwards.
Angeline Melnikova on floor. Opens with full twisting double
layout, legs a bit loose and goes out of bounds. Her double layout is good,
looks a touch short maybe? She holds it though. Her leaps and spins have all
been good so far. Short on her finishing double pike too, and bounces up and
forward. The same sort of mistakes as Morgan Hurd, it will be interesting to
see how the scores compare.
Grace McCallum 13.633 for floor.
Marine Boyer for France on beam. Nice and steady in her
opening dance series, and has a really nice layout to two feet. She’s been
super steady so far, but not lacking in difficulty. Dismount is good to, so….
Is this a medal for France?
Saraiva gets 12.466 on bars.
Melnikova gets 12.966 for her floor routine. Exactly the
same as Hurd.
Now, Biles emerges to confirm the USA victory. And opens with
the hardest skill you can do on floor, a double layout with two twists, bounces
out of bounds. Double layout with half turn, the skill names after her, then
leaps out of it. Her combination pass is almost stuck. Three tumbles in and she
starts smiling. Her wolf turn is well controlled too. She dismounts with a double
twisting double back. Because, Biles things. Simone Biles is queen. The USA are
our world champions. Also, just noticed that her teammates were dancing along
with her.
Now, Rebecca Andrade on bars. This will determine a lot. It’s
a strong piece for her, and she showed it at first, then falls on a cast to
handstand, the simplest skill in her routine. The rest of her routine is
lovely. So Brazil on bars… what might have been. Still, they’re a team on the
rise, they’ll be looking to continue to improve.
Biles gets 14.766 with a 0.3 penalty for going out of bounds.
The US have won, of course.
Marine Boyer gets 13.966, France is in 5th at the
moment.
Now Shallon Olsen vaults for Canada. It’s a Cheng, the same
vault Biles did, but much flatter, and looser in the legs. Gets a 14.800,
Canada is in 4th at the moment.
The confirmed standings are:
USA 171.629. Of course.
Russia -8.766
China -9.233 (That’s quite close to Russia actually. They crept
their way back up the rankings with good vaults)
Canada -9.985 (That’s a really good finish for them. So
close to a medal though... next year?)
France -10.335
Japan -11.367
Brazil -11.799
Germany -12.201
So all in all, a lovely team final to watch. And now it’s
over, I’ll be going back to my usual pedantry. I’m planning to write a much
shorter review of the all around and apparatus finals, so come back and check
those out when they’re up!
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