Watch on Flo.
Live scores, sort of.

Let’s do this. This second subdivision features the US, Australia, Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand. The big five, I guess.

After the first subdivision, the scores are semi-incomplete and slow coming in (Hooray! This is good!), but it appears Israel Chiriboga Guerrero of Ecuador leads the senior AA with 79.350. Lee Chih-Kai had some huge scores on PH, VT, and FX (currently leads all three events) but did not compete all six pieces.

USA starts on floor. Looks like Kimble will not be doing floor. Other five present to judges. Chris Kaji warming up some nice flare work for Canada on PH.

Barnhill – FX – USA – nice double double, good chest up position – back 2.5 to front full, some knees, small hop – back 1.5 to rudi, stuck – 2/1 side pass, stuck – double tuck, stuck. Good start.

I love that he’s 84 feet taller than everyone else on the team.

First Canadian junior hits horse. Nice little set.

Chow – FX – USA – double double comes in very short with a run forward to save the landing – many lunges – 3/1 with a hop to the side – full-in, fairly large bounce back – V sit to press handstand – lay full side pass – Rudi with a hop back – 2/1, stuck. Won’t be happy with a couple of those landings, especially the first, but endured.

Kaji totally loses his legs on a travel but keeps his rhythm, struggles up on dismount handstand but gets it – a fight but a hit.

Hong – FX – 3/1 with large bounce back – 2.5 to 1/2, fortward with a little hop – front full to rudi, a little hop, damn he twists so fast – strong flare work – 2/1, small hop back. Hit routine. The Sam Mikulak/Asher Hong dynamic is my jam.

Modi – FX – USA – front double pike, small hop, some fet – 2.5 to front full, also a little hop, front full to rudi, same – some knees, little hops in everything – V sit up to press handstand, smooth – randi, hop back – sticks 2/1 side pass – 3/1 small hop. A solid hit but he gave away a little bit on every single landing

Sandro fights though horse for another hit – some breaks in rhythm and low moments.

Thrope for Australia finishes rings with nice tucksand pikes, too high in the hips in straddle planche – full in dismount with step.

Mikulak – FX – front double full to drouble front tuck,, nice – double front 1/2 out,also strong, just small hops – nice flares – back 1/5 to front full, pretty, almost controlled – hop forward on 2/1, will be unhappy with that – 2.5, deep landing but saves with hop back, could have been a fall/could have been a stick. One of those. Nice shapes and execution, won’t be thrilled with the landings but fine.

Most events done now. Allen of NZ just did a layout full dismount on PB.

The US will drop Chow’s score and have four scores in the 13+ zone, led by Mikulak’s 14.250. Impressed by Barnhill in that first rotation, strong landings, very competitive.

Asher Hong is BARELY taller than the pommels. He’s the Shang Chunsong of our time.

Looks like all six will go for the US on horse.

Chow – PH – you’ll notice I’m not going to do skill identification on these routines because I cannot do that for you. You’ll live. nice smooth scissor elements to open and then his hand just slips right off the pommel. Weird-looking fall because he wasn’t off, just sort of died into the center of the horse. Nice toes as he resumes, potential as a PH worker, but then he dies again on his handstand dismount and does a clavicle plant onto the horse – won’t get credit for that so needs to redo it – ohhh tries again to circle up to dismount, third fall – tries again and gets it. But three falls there.

Kas from Australia (Hall?) quite piked, lunge back

Hong – PH – he’s a nice little PH worker, and he has those flare travels DOWN – good toe point, good speed – and then collapses onto the horse as he’s trying to dismount, rests leg against – but he’ll accept that as a dismount and move on –

REALLY nice stick on a Kas 1/1 from Australia. I don’t know them by sight but it’s Heath Thorpe’s number, so there’s that. Anyway, nice open, stuck, good presentation.

Taking a long time for Hong’s score as they try to assess that dismount

Australian junior Kipp Smith, Kas with quite a bit of pike.

Hong still 13.500. They’ll definitely take it.

Modi – PH – great spindle work and Russian travel from Modi, loses his legs for a second in his swing but keeps his rhythm well, solid hit. Showing the juniors how it’s done.

14.450.

Martinez – PB – Colombia – digging his shoulder tattoo –  front straddle to arms, jarred himself but works through – nice Bhavsar – small hesitation up to handstand after Tippelt – andddd Flo gives us a commercial in the middle of the routine. I’m thrilled!

Mikulak – PH – very strong opening scissor travel – good legs together throughout – nice rhtyhm – no major breaks – strong set -gives himself a few claps – will be happy with that one

15.150

Kimble – PH – nice one-pemmel circle, always a favorite – good height above the horse on his swing – huge leg break on a travel but keeps himself going, nice save and does well to fight through being a little off without going to pieces like Kimble of old, not panicked. Overall they’ll definitely take those senior performances.

Barnhill – PH – won’t count for team but can for individual – a little clunky though opening scissor elements – but a smooth swing overall – one larger arch and leg break in there – gets through it with a hit, so good job there. A simpler routine than the others the US brought here.

13.150.

Mikulak is in the in-progress leader in the AA, more than a point ahead of Modi in second. Barnhill leads the junior AA by a tenth over Hong.

Chow – SR – straddle planche to L sit – L sit to press handstand – a little hesitation in these handstands, and then a larger one – and then an even larger one that drops to horizontal as he brings the rings together – DLO 1/1 dismount stuck with some pike throughout.

Sandro – VT – Canada – Tsuk 1.5 with a hop forward.

Hong – SR – pikes to tucks to straddle planche, a little high, to straddle sit – finishes DLO 1/1, stuck – he can rings because he weighs an actual ounce, though it’s not going to be one of his strong ones.

Kaji – VT – Cnaada – Kas 1/1, deeeeeeep with a bounce back

Gagnon – VT – Canada – Kas 1.5 with a large lunge to the side and off the mat, but really nice body position and direction

Modi – SR – Maltese, good – tuck to pike to cross hold, solid – L sit – struggles up to handstand a little but gets there – another arched handstand at the end – double double tuck with a small hop, nice.

Good stick from Vargas of Colombia on HB. Also enjoyed his height on stalder tkatchev.

Mikulak – SR – Maltese, hit – straight planche, very secure – cross, good hold length – tuck through to cross – pikes up to handstand, pretty well held – secure strength positions – double double dismount and a lean to hold the stick.

Nice high DLO 1/1 from Martinez for Colombia on HB. Small hop.

Barnhill – SR – something in between a straddle planche and straddle sit – tucks and pickes – L sit, more solid – big arch in swing up to handstand but fights through – hop forward on dismount. OK.

Vargas next up for Colombia hits Kolman, falls on Kovacs. Nice one-arm pirouette work. A lot to like in this routine despite the fall – DLO 1/1 dismount with flexed feet and a hop.

Hall – PB – Australia – L sit up to a good handstand – healy down and misses his hand and jams it on the bar – OUCHIE – back up – peach – just trying to struggle through – clips his foot on a Bhavsar but keeps going – low Tippelt but holds it – double tuck wayyy short and rolls onto his head. Sad face.

Carlos Calvo – HB – Colombia – Yamawaki, good – layout tkatchev – tkatchev, hit – tkatchev 1/2 – stoop full, the usual amount of late – endo – stood half just a little past hs – stalder through to double double layout with multiple large bounds forward

Hong moves a point ahead of Barnhill after rings. Sandro of Canada in second (in in-progress group, but this second subdivision is where the winners will come from)

Medina – HB – Colombia – Yamawaki, legs – stoop 1/2 is finishes at exactly horizontal – tkatchev – very quick work but right on the edge of totally crazy like on these pirouette finishing positions – basically an open double tuck dismount?

Mikulak has opened up more of a lead on Modi in the senior AA. For the team, the US will drop the 11.8 from Barnhill on rings and count the 12.8 from Chow and 12.9 from Hong. Modi was 13.900, Mikulak 14.350.

Fun fact: Mikulak is already 8th all-around in total scores and he’s done just three events.

Hong – VT – Kas, hop back, quite piked and of course no distance because, as mentioned, he is the Shang Chunsong of our time.

Nice floaty piked jaeger from Thorpe on HB –

Chow – VT – Kas 1/1 from him  – much more height and layout position, lunge back. I misidentified that originally. In my defense, men’s. Or something. Yes, good vault. Kas 1/1. Duh.

Barnhill – VT – Kas 1/2, nearly holds the stick with a step to the side, good landing position

Modi – VT – Kas 1.5, really struggles with the landing – large lunge to the side and off the map and then more steps to control himself

Mikulak – VT – Kas 1.5 with medium hop forward and then a lean to control the hops at just that. Once again the best the US has in this rotation. Wonder what’s up with Kimble. Only done pommel horse so far. We saw that Tsuk double pike from him at Winter Cup.

Moore – HB – Australia – Yamawaki, a little pike – hop full – blind change to stoop – endo 1/2, OK – stalder – DLO 1/1, deep with lunge forward.

Siminiuc – PB – Canada – peach – bhavsar, good swing out – solid Tippelt – stutz – double pike, small hop. Nicely done.

Hall – HB – Australia – Yamawaki, same – stalder – stoop, good fish – endo full, quite late – endo – DLO 2/1 to a knee –

Gagnon – PB – Diamidov – good – pretty comfortable in releases – tuck 1/2, solid – stutz to double pike, small hop back

Sandro moves into the lead of the junior AA, a tenth ahead of Barnhill. Hong falls farther back because of vault.

Costin – Hb – Australia – nice high Yamawaki but too high, can only get one hand on and has to improvise some swings – hop full to triple tuck dismount attempt, to his hands.

Kaji – PB – You don’t have to check that he’s Clair Kaji’s brother because they’re absolutely identical – finishes with a double pike with hop back –

Mikulak extends his lead in the senior AA as he and Modi are both well ahead of everyone else. The large majority here are not doing all the events.

Asher Hong should really take advantage of long swing elements on PB while he doesn’t have to fold himself into shapes to do it.

Sandro – HB – Canada – yamawaki with some legs – can’t get up to handstand and goes over with a little horizontal situation – improvising some swings – endo full, rather late – stalder – DLO 1/1, stuck, good finish

Barnhill – PB – nice line and hs positions – diamidov to stutz, good – L sit – double pike, really tight pike shape and stuck, nice, very simple PB routine but did what he did quite well again.

Dolci – HB – Canada – Yamawaki – some full turns that will get hit for being late – WOGAtchev, hit – small hop on dismount –

Chow – PB – USA – peach – nice bhavasar, smooth – tippelt to a solid handstand position – diam – nice toes – collapses in handstand a little but saves – Moy – double tuck with lunge back – Overall good though

I notice that Yin is not one of the coaches on the floor. It was hard not to notice that.

Asher Hong has to stand on someone’s knee to prep PBars. I’m in heaven.

Hong – PB – Tippelt – hit – healy down – diam, solid – stutz – good toes and handstands, double pike, stuck. He’s not doing a lot yet but as is typical, very efficient work with good technique. He has all the pieces except being a few years older.

Kaji finishes HB with mostly pretty DLO 1/1 with hop to the side.

Modi – PB – peach – giant diam with some crazy legs – bhavsar, good height – tippelt, same, smooth handstand – solid, quick work – diam to stutz- finishes with full in dismount with bound forward

Mikulak – PB – healy – nice hs – peach 1/2 short of vertical but works through – nice tuck 1/2 – huge front straddle, excellent – Bhavsar, hit – Tippelt, good hs – stutz – double front with bounce back to save landing. Solid.

Barnhill has retaken the junior lead with one event left. .350 ahead of Sandro.

Mikulak is now already 4th AA and still has an event to do. He has a two-point lead on Modi but they look set to go 1-2 AA.

Siminiuc finishes FX with front 1/1 side pass, then 2/1 with little hop.

Branhill – HB – loose back in 1/2 turn – stalder – tkatchev, hit – stalder 1/2, quite late – stoop – front stalder – DLO 1/1, extremely deep, nearly knees it, with a lunge forward

Sandro rather bouncy on first couple passes – hesitation in press handstand but gets it up – stuck 2/1 side pass – 2.5 with a hop, which will end the set

Hong – HB – full piro – front stalder 1/2 – nice toe point – tkatchev, hit – bent elbows swinging through – stalder 1/2 – pretty late – front stalder 1/2, front stalder – stalder – SOMONE LIKES STALDERS – DLO 1/1 with a couple steps back –

Chris Kaji just did a double front pike to an accidental front tuck into another country and seventy miles OOB – followed by a double front sat down – and then another crazy landing on this third pass. He’s having quite a time here and rushing through – the routine just got away from him after that first pass.

Chow – HB – Kovacs, nice – tkatchev, takes it too flat and far and falls – falls again on tkatchev when back up – had a couple rougher events today but also some highlights. It’s early in the career.

Gagnon – FX – randi, good – double double tuck, small hop – front 2/1 to 1/2, landed OOB but stuck – back 2.5 to front full – finishes 3/1 with a step OOB.

Modi – HB – stoop 1/2 – tkatchev – layout tkatchev – layout tkatchev 1/2 – all solid – tkatchev 1/2 some legs and muscle but OK – stoop full a little crazy position there on the wrong side of the bar – forward stalder to forward stalder 1/1, quite late – DLO 2/1 with hop back. Will get E hit in places, certainly, but a good routine and good hit day overall for Akash.

Time for another game of “Cupping marks or do I need to call the police? (Or both?)”

Mikulak – HB – Cassina, hit – Kolman hit – layout tkatchev, nice – tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, some legs but good hit – Zou Li Min – stoop 1/2, a little late – hop full – stalder – DLO 2/1, stuck, excellent finish. Sam just hit all six events, you guys.

Current scores have Barnhill finishing first in the junior AA, with Sandro second and Asher Hong with bronze. [After inquiry, Hong moves to second.] Scores not in for the senior AA yet, but Mikulak will win and Modi will be second. We’ve never received scores for the team, so no idea how that is shaking out for the other medals. BANG UP OPERATION.

Mikulak finishes with 87.700 in first place. Modi is second with 83.500. Just a casual 4.200 margin of victory.