It’s not like a regular world cup. It’s a cool world cup.
That’s because sweet, sweet Olympic qualification points are sitting around, ready to be won in Cottbus. You can follow the points race and get (most of) your rules questions answered here, with the true bounty of points (30 to the winners) on offer starting today in the finals of the first five events.
MEN’S FLOOR
So it looks like Nguyen is into the final despite finishing 10th in qualification. Tang and Nory must both have pulled out? Not sure yet what we do about that in the final awarding of ranking points. Presumably he’ll now get points for his finish in the final, and Tang and Nory will get the points for the top 2 non-final-qualifying spots?
Nguyen – FX – double double layout – hop – double front pike, small hop – front 2/1 to front 1/1, small shuffle – double double tuck, a little short with a lunge – 2/1, stuck – 2.5 to half, stuck – shourt on full in, large lunge forward. Not bad.
14.266 for Marcel.
Remuta – FX – double front pike half out, a little stagger on landing – front 1/1 to front randi – 2.5 to front 1/1, some steps here – double double tucked, bounce back – 3/1 finsla pass, sticks it but deep. 14.333. Hm. Thought Marcel was stronger in amplitude and would get rewarded for that.
Onder – FX – double front pike 1/2 out – front 2/1 to half, stuck – double double tuck, short, lunge forward – 2.5 to front 1/1, holds the stuck – 1.5 to rudi side pass, short with a lunge. Full-in final pass, good, hips just moving back a little for a step.
13.933 and into 3rd.
Soravuo – FX – big high double double tuck and stuck, excellent – front full to front 2/1, holds the stick a little deep – 2.5 to front 1.5, stuck – 2/1 side pass, stuck – really nice beginning and style – just a front lay to front 2/1, stuck – 3/1, with legs, almost holds the stick with a lean. Well, obvi I have a favorite. Doesn’t have the difficulty. I love that he’s trying to pump up the crowd and flex like he’s not a small albino Finnish boy.
14.200. Gets close despite being way lower than the others on D.
Frasca – FX – front 2.5, short, lunge foraward – he’s flaring, it’s fine but he travels a little too much – punch front double tuck, small step forward – front lay to front 2/1, just hers it around to hold the stick – probably a little too hoppy in these final twisting passes – just a small step in 3/1 final pass. Not the best control. Shouldn’t be up there.
13.600 for Frasca.
Schmidt – FX – double front 1/2 out, hop back – front double pike, stuck – 2.5 to 1/2, holds the stick with a lean – same hold on his next pass – Russians, fine – really nice open FTDT position – small slide on 3/1. Good one.
14.500 for Casimir, currently in first place with the top 2 qualifiers still to come.
Dolgopyat – FX – solid landing on first pass, small hop – strong randi landing, holds it – double double layout, a little short with step,small – awkward landing out of front full combination pass with lunge to the side – supppper short on final double double tuck, but sure going short it, large lunge forward. Will his difficulty get him there regardless?
It did. 14.800. Some of the weakest landings of the final toward the very end of that one, but he had seven tenths on Schmidt in D.
Yulo – FX – front double pike 1/2 out, boncy – 2.5 to front randi, a little short, step – 3.5 to half, tries hard to hold the stick but it such a bouncy little spring that he takes a hop – stuck side pass – stuck front 1/1 to front 2/1, excellent – 3/1, hop back. Big difficulty in the twisting skills, bounces but nothing major.
14.600 for Yulo, second behind Dolgopyat, and a lower E score as well.
So that’s 30 Olympic points for Dolgopyat. He’ll be hoping to get a spot outright at 2019 worlds with his placement on floor, but if not, his backup plan is off to a strong start.
We’re doing the medal ceremonies for each event after it finishes. SNOOOORRRRREEE.
Oh, looks like Yulo got bumped down to 14.500 after originally posted as 14.600, so he’s now 3rd and Schmidt is 2nd.
WOMEN’S VAULT & MEN’S POMMEL HORSE
Wang – PH – It’s very China to be able to pull out a series of random apparatus specialists who can do PH like that in a world cup final. One arch balance on an early scissor to handstand, mininal form breaks throughout.
14.700
Akhaimova – VT 1 – handsrping rudi, pretty good this time, legs all over the place of course and some distinct piking, but landed comfortably with a large lunge back –
Akhaimova – VT 2 – Tsuk 1/1, a little pike on landing with a two-foot bounce back, but fine.
Average 14.170
Merdinyan – PH – one of old our PH standbys – his speed is excellent – he is one who swings with a little bit of a hip angle throughout – very good difficulty, though, and no clear form errors. Will be pleased with that.
14.800 puts him into first ahead of Wang.
Moreno – VT 1 – strong rudi from her as well – better form in the air than Akhaimova, actually quite clean for a rudi – bounce back with two feet. 14.783
Moreno – VT 2 – also a Tsuk full on her second vault, but I fear the landing will get her – huge bounce back and then another small bounce – she had posted the DTT as well, so won’t be happy that she didn’t do her intended vault either.
14.241 average and in ahead of Akhaimova. That’s right. Rewarded for form.
Keikha – PH – yasssssss – he will be one of the favorites because of his super fast flare and sindle work that dominates his routine. Worry a little about the piking in the hips once he resumes legs-together circles – but a delightful routine
15.133. Rewarded on D and E.
Barbosa – VT 1 – strong DTY, small hop to the side, within the area – not much leg separation at all the air, acceptable distance – just a touch of pike. 14.533
Barbosa – VT 2 – oooooh, a little Omelianchik action for her second vault – she knows her way into my heart – really nice form in the pike but a huge lunge forward on landing
13.983 average. Didn’t have the difficulty of the others.
Weng – PH – #pommelhorsewithglasses – one hesitation in a scissor up to handstand – fab height above the horse on his one pommel and flare work – makes Russians look non-dumpy – my dude, why did you have a chest position deduction on a pommel horse dismount? He had to lean way down to hold the stick. The rest was exceptional.
15.266 and into first place.
Andrade – VT 1 – the most excellent DTY, super high, maintained form throughout – the Amanar will be back soon I’m sure because she looks ready – jusssst couldn’t hold the stick with a small step forward, stick-worthy DTY though. So good. 14.866
Andrade – VT 2 – Lopez, also basically too easy for her, lovely open, did get off to the side on this one with a small hop that took her out of the area –
14.728 average and easily into first as deserved.
Bertoncelj – PH – If we’re talking about speed and height over the pommels, Saso is our guy, but he has a leg break in the middle of the routine (possible clipping knee on pommel) tried to get it back together but came off a few circles later
Karmakar – VT 1 – handspring front (layout?) full – lunge forward – quite a bit of piking in the air and loses her legs at the end. 14.233
Karmakar – VT 2 – Tsuk double full and a much stronger showing, controls the landing with just a medium step back with one foot – chest well forward on landing
14.400 for the second vault gets her average up to 14.316 for 2nd place.
Ude – PH – It was going so well for a while, but now we have our second fall in a row from one of our southeastern European horse kings – and he’s fallen a second time, this time funnier than the first one, so that’s something.
Carey – VT 1 – good power on her DTY, has the distance but not the landing control – large bounce back that will take away the score, and a couple adjustment steps after that. 14.633.
Carey – VT 2 – nice Lopez, gets some open on it because she had the height – small hop back – some feet. Good one. Shouldn’t go ahead of Andrade. 14.400
14.516 average for Carey and into 2nd place.
Lee – PH – he’s like, “you ain’t seen a flare-heavy routine till you’ve seen this” – it’s so fantastic to watch – excellent extension, delectable routine – but OMG did he not stick his dismount either?
15.508 is a gigantic score. Puts him in 1st. Well deserved. All these PH E scores have been super high.
Belak – VT 1 – handspring front layout full, sits it down. That is often the case when Teja tries to got for her more difficult option.
Belak – VT 2 – Y1.5, completed well but has to lunge forward and then take another step. Adela Sajn’s like, “whatcha gonna do? Vault’s stupid. We all know that.”
13.466 average has Belak in last.
Seligman – PH – Seligman is fun to watch here because of his aggression, but he always does look a little seasick as he’s going, like he’s being buffeted to and fro by the harsh winds of this 18th century voyage – A hit routine, no huge breaks, but he got a little sluggish in places, a little low, and took on some shape deductions as he went.
14.3 puts him 6th
Chuso – VT 1 – rudi, gets it around but landed short with a lunge forward and to the side, out of the area and some knees in the air. 14.358
Chuso – VT 2 – has her arm up for 50 hours waiting for the judges to see her – Tsuk 1.5, her usual, solid shape, bound forward. 14.200 for that one.
14.279 average puts her in 5th, behind Moreno on E score.
Andrade takes 1st-place points on vault, with Carey second and Karmakar in 3rd. Lee Chih-Kai wins horse, with Weng Hao 2nd and Keikha in 3rd. Very happy with that podium. Only issue I have with the women’s vault podium is I would have had Moreno in 3rd place.
I have to say the little glass globe the winners get is one of the least offensive of the little podium gifts. I want one.
UNEVEN BARS & RINGS
You – SR – good hold time, well over the two seconds – nice secure positions – layout saltos instead of the pike and tuck we usually see – perfectly straight cross position – hesitation in final handstand, double double tuck, short with large lunge to the side. Was going rather fantastically until the dismount landing.
14.833
Bui – UB – piked jaeger to Pak, excellent – toe Shap to bhardwaj, a little break this time but well done – toe shap 1/2 – toe full a little late to piked gienger, excellent – FTDT with her usual closeness to the bar, small hop. Good routine overall.
14.033
Ait Said – SR – crazy difficulty in his early strength connections – really clear position, good horizontal holds in maltese and planche positions – holds the stick on his DLO 1/1 dismount, some clear pike in the air but a stick nonetheless
14.900 and in 1st
Derwael – UB – Nabs, caught – Derwael to yezhova to Shap to bhardwaj, perfect – toe Shap 1/2, small amount of legs – toe full to FTDT, hop back. Yes, almost her usual excellence but definite .3 on that dismount landing.
15.100 nonetheless. Will make things tough on Fan.
Radivilov – SR – excellent difficulty and strength security – a bit quicker on the holds than the previous two, but I think he’s getting his 2 seconds – double double tucked dismount, ball-shaped landing with a hop but not the disaster of the worlds event final.
14.783 has him 3rd.
Varinska – UB – stalder Shap to Pak to toe Shap to clear hip full to tkatchev 1/2 to jaeger – awesome – toe full to FTDT, shortish with a hop forward. There was a hesitation in the clear hip full after the Shap, maybe a little late on the toe full, but not too much to destroy in there.
14.200 and in 2nd place.
Tovmasyan – SR – planche, roll down to maltese, solid – tucks and pikes to maltese – lower to cross – DLO 1/1 dismount, step back. Favors the maltese and planche skills, as most do, a hesitation in a handstand, some pike in some of those planches, but good. I thought his worlds EF showing was just OK, but the judges were like, “Marriage proposal!” so we’ll see what happens here. I’m not exactly the king of knowing what’s happening on rings.
14.700
Lyu – UB – Toe Shap to pak, small leg break to toe Shap 1/2 – a leg break as she initiates each one of her E pirouettes – nice piked Jaeger – 1.5 twist dismount, not usual, but cool. Too many leg breaks for me in that routine. Will have the D.
14.433 and ahead of Varinska. I’m sort of errrr about that result. The legs were all over the place in those pirouettes.
Tulloch – SR – he has the security, duration, and flat position in these holds – that final handstand will get you, arching adjustment hesitation – DLO 1/1 dismount with hop back and piked position in the air.
14.633. Scores getting lower for each one.
Spiridonova – UB – inbar full to inbar Shap to Pak, quick – high toe shap 1/2, nice – inbar 1/2 to piked jaeger, clean – orphan 1/2 turn – toe full to FTDT, a little forward witha step. Good set. Understand why she’s back in the fold now. I thought that first inbar 1/1 was going to be too late to connect out of, but she got it.
14.358 and into 3rd. I still don’t really get Lyu’s score comparatively.
Liu – SR – now this is smooth rings – so crisp in these positions, right to the next like buttah – a little low in the legs on an initial planche but was able to rise into it – nearly sticks his double double tuck, small hop back – still the best one.
15.200
Andrade – UB – toe Shap to stalder full with little elbow-bend hesitation in the middle, to tkatchev to pak – toe Shap 1/2, excellent – piked jaeger, great distance – toe full to FTDT, great stick. Dismount was highlight, there were some handstand and leg issues in there, and the enbows in the middle of the stalder full will be a thing.
14.500 and into second place despite not having the D of the others.
Colak – SR – pull up immediately to planche like a monster – really secure hold positions – at least he had the common decency to look like he might explode during them though – double front pike, stuck, excellent routine –
14.766 and 5th place. Scores are all bunched in the same range of about a tenth. Everyone’s getting the same E scores.
The secret: like me, the judges also don’t know how to judge rings.
Simm – UB – toe full to stalder piked tkatchev, closed hips in these tkatchev elements – Ricna to pak – stalder Shap to bahrdwaj, just does get her hand around because she was a little late completing the twist – toe shap 1/2 – DLO, a little flung but finishes it well, small hop.
14.233 for 5th.
Zahran – SR – very smooth on his pull up right to planche – he whips out the inverted maltese which sets himself apart from the group – finishes DLO 1/1, very piked with a little shuffle back
14.300
Fan – UB – inbar shap to pak to stalder Shap to gienger, absolutely lovely – inbar 1/2 to E pirouettes too NOOOOOOOOOO – falls on her 1/2 turn to double back. Was a perfect routine until then.
That dismount and I are OVER.
So, Nina Derwael will take first-place points on bars, followed by Andrade and Lyu. Andrade is coming for all the Olympic spots.
Rings is Liu, followed by Ait Said, and then You. I have some side eye at each of final leaderboards on these events. Rings is to be expected because I don’t understand, but bars…side eye.
Meet back here tomorrow for the other five events? Deal.
Points are updated on the standings page.