It’s the final day from Lima, where some people will continue doing some things! Exciting! Today begins with vault/beam running together, then Pbars/floor, and then HB all alone at the end.

Judging from the schedule, I’m guessing our interminable awards break will come after vault/beam, and then we’ll have the final three events, and then the second awards session that we don’t have to watch because the competition will be over.

The beam final is the one I’ve been most anticipating across these two days (see: name of website), with McCusker and Eaker, Saraiva, and Francis, and Black on her quest to Simone the meet. Should be a delight. Let’s hope no one is encouraged to compete with a concussion today chum chum chum chum.

In withdrawal news, Daniel “The Shoulder” Corral has withdrawn from the HB final, which means Genki Suzuki will take his place.

Jorge Vega (remember that guy who called him Yorg?) just missed out on making the floor final, but he’ll be the favorite here in the men’s vault final.

Lot’s of fun shots of all the coaches (I mean fans) waiting for this meet to start. Everyone here has a credential or is the mom.

Things you don’t need to do: Introduce the FIG people before every competition. They are not the athletes. The people are here to see the athletes, not Donatella. This stuff is just pointless ego stroking.

Jorge Vega: still short. News.

Also short: Flavia.

These are the insights you come here for.

Men’s Crunch-death Final and Women’s Wobblies Final

Porto – VT – Shewfelt attempt with a massive lungex8 directly off the mat and into the Pacific ocean. Kept it to his feet?

Porto – VT 2 – Kas 1/1, lunge back, more comfortable than the first vault, feet apart in the air and flexed, still a fairly large lunge

13.650 average

Orrego – BB – why do we have to wait for this routine? It is the first one. bhs loso series, smoothly done – full turn – side somi, huge break, can’t save it, tries with a few leg up corrections but falls in the end – side jump, check and arch to save it –  – side aerial, solid – switch and switch 1/2, secure but short of position – aerial to split to bhs, broke connection after the aerial – 1.5, stuck, great dismount

11.366

Toro – VT 1 – Kas 1.5, pretty solid, medium size crossover lunge – knees and what not

Toro – VT 2 – handspring rudi, high, hop back –

14.033 average

Francis – BB – neck stand mount – side somi hit with an arm wave correction – split jump 1/2 from side, well done, secure and a nice split position – bhs loso loso and she falls. Went for the big difficulty, which you know I appreciate – switch to split leap – aerial to split to bhs, will get that series credit – Y spin with a leg-up wobble converted to choreo because UCLA, Carol decided it was artistic for no deduction, and same – transverase aerial to back full, a little short this time with a hop.

Danusia fell, final is cancelled.

11.733. She and Ariana are like, “Well, we both fell, so whatcha gonna do.”

De Luna – VT 1 – Kas 1.5, well done, nice completion of the twist, small hop back and a little off line

De Luna – VT 2 – handspring double front tuck, super deep landing with a hop back, but he got it to his feet.

14.183 average

Diaz – BB – bhs loso series, step back to control it – split leap 1/2, short of split – side aerial, large break at the hips, saves it – full turn – aerial with a check – switch to switch 1/2 with a check, probably broken connection as well – switch ring, awesome save because she landed with one foot entirely off the beam – punch front full. She hit.

12.433 for mission WE’RE TRYING TO GET PERU A MEDAL. That score is very high for that routine, is what I mean.

De La Cruz – VT 1 – Kas 1.5 – nice power, quick twisting, hop to the side. Nice form overall, just some crossed and flexed feet but not too aggressive.

De La Cruz – VT 2 – handspring rudi, a little awkward on landing with a hop back but mostly nice power and height

14.183 for him as well

Black – BB – switch leap mount, hit – double turn to full turn, small check in between – punch front, solid – bhs to layout, secure, she always lands that on her toes only, but it works for her – switch to switch, back leg on that switch, some short position – side sodi, small lean – 2.5 dismount, hop forward. Solid Ellie did Solid Ellie. Nicely done.

13.566

Lopez – VT 1 – Kas 1.5 – one of the stronger ones so far, a medium-sized hop forward, but he has the form until the very end, and has the direction and distance.

Lopez – VT 2 – his double front is super super deep as well, nearly a butt scraper but he pulls it out. Very Dipa style.

14.133 average puts him just behind

Pisos – BB – bhs loso series, nice and floaty – switch to switch 1/2, short on the switch 1/2 position – aerial, just got her feet mixed up it looked like, not quite right on and falls – split leap to side aerial, very small lean – 1.5 dismount with small hop.

12.200

Nin – VT 1 – Kas 1.5, small hop forward, solid, good height, just some feet, not quite the distance or direction as Lopez, but still a solid one.

Ellie is inquiring her D score on beam.

Nin – VT 2 – exceptional Dragulescu – he nailed that one today – just a small step back and the level of cowboy we expect on this vault, which is all

And his leg didn’t even fall off! Until afterward…?

14.416 average puts him in first.

McCusker – BB – wolf triple is smooth – same on the double – split leap to aerial to straddle, pretty elements, smoothly done – bhs bhs layout, a leg-up check today but she pulls it back – switch to switch 1/2 to Korbut, still a little short on switch 1/2 but this one looked a bit better – side aerial to split to back tuck, another leg-up check on that back tuck, has to hesitate to bring that leg back down – bhs bhs double tuck and sits it down. Overcooked that dismount but just a touch and couldn’t save it with a step back.

13.333 still puts her into 2nd behind Black.

Vega – VT 1 – struggles to land his handspring randi first vault – short landing and a large lunge forward/sideward and off the mat. Knees low but did not touch. Will get the benefit of difficulty.

Vega – VT 2 – Kas 1.5 second vault is comfortable for him but his landing is kind of awkward, a step forward and then a little lean to try to avoid another step but he took it anyway. In behind Nin and in second place.

Eaker – BB – switch leap mount, hit – split ring leap, sigh but secure – Y spin, overturns it by a hair but covers with a vage – aerial to split ring jump to bhs, well connected – side aerial to loso loso is very crisp, right on – split leap to side somi, hit – switch ring to bhs korbut, solid as well – she’s on today – switch to switch side – ro bhs bhs 2.5 dismount, stuck. Nailed routine. She got that one.

Leru – VT – destructive double front attempt, never had a chance and sits it down – huge cowboy and not close –

Leru – VT 2 – Sits down his Kas 1.5 as well. So not his day on vault.

15.266 for Eaker. She’s ahead by 1.7 LOL.

Saraiva – BB – bhs mount to split jump, good elements, questionable connection – ro layout, saved with a little lean – split leap to sissone, pretty – bhs loso loso, pretty solid, did well to hit it because she didn’t get her normal amplitude – switch ring, step back check – aerial to split ring jump, small hop forward – side somi and has to grab the beam WHY – split ring leap and lands with 1/3 of one foot on the beam and falls – double pike, two steps back. SIGH.

So, your beam podium will be Eaker (winning by 1.7), followed by Black with silver, and McCusker with bronze despite the fall.

Vault podium is Nin, then Vega, then De La Cruz. Vega lost it on that first vault landing.

This isn’t going to help the “McCusker can’t hit under pressure” thing because she’s had two falls in this competition, though if she’s consistent at nationals and selection camp, no one will remember or care. She has still won medals both times she has fallen.

So this is silver, gold, gold, bronze, silver for Black in her five competitions so far. One to go. Kind of want it to be bronze on floor so she can have two of each. It will be tough because she has the two Americans, Moors, and Saraiva in this final, but doable.

INTERMINABLE MEDAL CEREMONY TIME.

The three medalists in this beam ceremony have to go up 3rd, 6th, and 7th in the floor final in about 7 minutes. Fun prep.

I don’t know why I found the beam medalists raising those little teddy bears or statues or whatever aloft so hilarious, but that’s where we are.

Men’s Tippelts Final and Women’s Pretend to Dance Final

On floor, the Brazilians, Argentinians, and Americans are competing back to back, and the Canadians are separated. Which I think is racism.

Barretto – PB – front toss – peach with a little arch in hs – solid through the middle on the diam elements and the front straddle – tippelt, clean handstand, healy – stutz to one rail attempt and totally collapses and comes off. Resumes with double pike dismount, hop.

13.033

Saraiva – FX – solid DLO, some legs apart in the air, little step – split element that they changed angles during  – full in, just a little forward with a hop – split leap 1.5, around –  back 1.5 to front full, step – drops too early on Memmel attempt – split ring, a little hoppy on landing – double pike, feet, small shuffle back

13.766

Karstadt – PB – elbows up in first hs – a hitch in his healy getting back up to vertical, some form and a hesitation – stutz is off line but pulls it back – he does not die in his work to one rail, which is nice – double pike dismount, two lunges back

13.233

Fidelis – FX – 1.5 through to double arabian, large lunge forward OOB but I think she kept her initial foot in bounds for just .1 instead of .3 – full-in, bounce back – switch leap full, not quite around for me – double tuck, another fiarly large bounce, struggle to control these landings today – switch ring and split ring, a bit two-part in the split ring – double pike, another bounce.

12.966

Calvo – PB – healy is cleanly done – Bhavsar is smoothly executed – Tippelt, same – some long pauses in handstand, and an arch or two – double pike dismount, legs well apart, short landing with a large lunge forward

13.833

Flavia Saraiva is inquiring her floor D. Ellie Black is like eff this I need to do a handstand. INQUIRY REJECTED. Obvi.

Black – FX – popa, solid finishing position – front full through to 3/1, took it right into the corner and successfully landed, just a small shuffle – 25 through to double pike, was sure not to take it OOB this time but did land pretty short with a lunge forward – split leap full – fairly indistinct in some of these split positions, as in the difference between her switch leap 1/1 and a switch side 1/2 wasn’t as evident as it should be – front 2/1, just a tad under with a crossover step

13.433. Will be tough to get her sixth medal.

Bock – PB – shudder in elbows on his first hs – healy – peach with a readjustment and back arch – front tuck 1/2 to arms is solid – stutz – front straddle to arms – Bhavsar, very smooth – Tippelt, hit – double pike, a small stagger back. Had some issues at the beginning, but the second 1/2 was quite nice.

14.033

Dominici – FX – full-in, lunge back but keeps it in bounds – popa, nicely around – doubel Arabian, another lunge, just does keep it in the corner – switch ring and split leap full, solid – double tuck, bounce back – Floor Rulfova and I’m obsessed – switch 1/2, some position deduction there – double pike, smallest bounce up in place

13.233

Vergara – PB – arm walking on first handstand, and while I was typing about that, he’s already off the bars. I just saw him leaning toward of Pisa off to the side – super huge height on a front straddle – Bhavsar, good – Tippelt to healy, solid – stutz just a bit short of vertical – double front pike, bounce back

13.133

Magistrati – FX – double pike, chest up landing, bounce back – wolf triple, gets it around for credit – popa, good – whip to double tuck, shuffle back with two steps – wolf double, also credit, just a little hesitant in both – switch ring and switch side – just a front layout, but it’s clean? – 2/1, bounce.

12.866

Nuñez – PB – peach 1/2, quickly done – diam, solid – tuck 1/2 to arms – front straddle, nice and high – bhavsar, a little less smooth than some in his catch but fine – Tippelt – stutz 1/2 – double pike, hop forward. Very nice routine.

14.433

McCusker – FX – full-in, bounce back but keeps it in bounds – front 2/1 to front tuck, overcooked the front 2/1 today and really had to pull around the layout, was not able to stag and a OOB – split leap full, nice – double pike with a bounce back and what looked like another OOB, possible both feet – triple wolf, around, just a little clunky today – switch full looked pretty good today but a bad angle to judge – double tuck, deep with a hop back. Not her best.

13.300 currently in third. Got away with just the 0.2 OOB deductions and got credit for her switch full, so as high as she could have hoped really.

Malone – PB – hip circle up to hs – Makuts, hit well – muscles up a front toss, deductions there – Tippelt, solid – diam is super smooth, nice – stutz – double pike bounce back. That one handstand will hurt but a mostly solid routine.

13.533

Eaker – FX – front lay to front 2/1 to front tuck, a little hop – 3/1 with a somewhat large lunge back, two steps – double Y is full completed – 2/5 to front full, a little off line with a hop, just keeps it in bounds – leaps are lovely of course – double pike, stuck. Still don’t love that ring 1/2 at the end, rushed and a little bouncy. But nice routine.

13.800 puts Eaker just a tad ahead of Saraiva on floor.

Souza – PB – peach 1/2 – peach – double front tuck to arms, very difficult and well done individually, but he struggles a little in the straddle cut out of it – front straddle, good – Tippelt – double front 1/2 out, hop back, not too large

14.366 gives him silver.

Black is in third. Now you’re stuck between rooting for Moors or rooting for an Ellie medal sweep.

Moors – FX – brilliant Pod, just a small hop to the side – front 2/1 to front full and just does keep the hop in bounds with a couple arm waves to save another step – I MEAN ARTISTRY – double attitude turn, glorious – switch ring and split ring 1/2 – split jump 1/1 – 2.5 with crazy legs and a hop forward and OOB. Oh Brooklyn.

PB podium goes Nuñez, then Souza, then Bock

Someone in the crowd just murder-shrieked, so I assume that means Moors score came up? No?

“I stayed ON the floor today. So that’s good.” Ellie is a gem.

FUN EXTENDED WAIT.

Now we’re dealing with a Kara Eaker inquiry. GIRL YOU’RE IN FIRST AND I HAVE TO PEE.

Kara Eaker inquiry has been rejected. OH BIG SURPRISE.

13.900 for Moors! She wins even with the 0.1 for OOB, which I thought was going to sink her gold hopes! ARTISTRY.

So it’s Moors, then Eaker, then Saraiva for the medals. Black takes 4th.

Men’s Icarus Final

Martinez – HB – Yam, good – tkatchev – 1.5 – endo – tak 1/2 pretty late – stalder – finishes double doubel layout with bounce back, not a complicated routine on the bar but no major mistakes

13.233

Suzuki – HB – Yam, good elevation, not the most extended shape – tak 1/2, nice finishing position – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – tkatchev 1/2, not too jerky swinging out of it – just late in a couple finishing positions – double double layout with a hop. Nicely done.

13.800. Solid.

Nory – HB –  tak 1/2 close – giant full – layout tjatchev to tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, all good – layout jaeger full, best it has been in the three days – has to pull back a vertical postition from listing to the side afterward though and caught awkwardly on his subsequent release, which will be the biggest deductions – only a small hop on double double dismount

14.533, still comfortably into first

Zakutney – HB – ZLM, good – tak 1/1 is really late – high tkatchev to layout tkatchev, nice – layout tkatchev 1/2, hit – tak 1/2 – tkatchev 1/2 – DLO 1/1, stuck, a little bit of pike. The releases are great. I worry about the verticals.

13.966 and into 2nd

Cournoyer – HB – Yam, excellent height and position – small hesitation up to hs – tak 1/2 – tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, good rhythm, right to fingertips – layout tkatchev 1/2, a little legs on catch – pretty late full turn finish position – double double layout, forward but hit with a hop, not too large

Apparently they have no idea what to do with this score.

Finally 13.833 for Cournoyer, puts him currently 3rd.

Godoy – HB – ZLM, fine – layout tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, some legs on catching the second one – tak 1/2, really nice finish position there – tkatchev to layout tkatchev 1/2 – DLO 1/1, lots of piking there and a hop back but hits it.

This girl screaming just in the middle of a Stalder is an interesting choice.

14.200 still puts him into 2nd. I also officially don’t understand E scores. Because his was the highest.

Calvo – HB – Yam, a little piking – tkatchev, not the highest – tkatchev 1/2, a bit of legs – tak 1/1, quite late – tak 1/2, closer to vertical – double double layout, lunge back

13.666 for him.

Barretto – HB – ZLM – tkatchev to layout tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2 – tak 1/2, just a bit late – layout tkatchev 1/2, hit – tak 1/1, finished at horizontal – Yam – DLO 1/1, great stick on that dismount.

14.566! He goes ahead of Nory by just a third of a tenth! His routine was definitely cleaner.

Podium: Barretto, Nory, Godoy

And that’s the end of the Pan Am Games!

 

The schedule for today begins with men’s floor, then the women will join for pommel horse and vault running simultaneously, then uneven bars and rings will run simultaneously.

Based on the timing (with the UB and SR finals slated to begin an hour and a half after the VT and PH finals), I’m assuming we’ll have some sort of mid-competition award ceremony break/resting period. Or, they just have a realistic impression of how long it’s going to take to come up with these damn scores.

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In the women’s vault final, the fascinating storyline belongs to pre-meet favorite Shallon Olsen because she did not perform her full difficulty on the first day and qualified much lower than one would normally expect. Was that because she was keeping it safe and simple for the team/qualification? Or is that just the difficulty she feels comfortable competing right now? The answer to those questions will tell us whether she’s a medal favorite here or not. Black qualified in first by a solid margin and can win on execution even if Olsen upgrades, and she was followed in qualification by Ferrera then Dominici.

The big news is the withdrawal of Aleah Finnegan from today’s vault final. We don’t yet know the circumstances, just “injury.” This is particularly significant because it allows Marcia Vidiaux into the final. She was first alternate because of rough landings in qualification, but she should have the highest difficulty of anyone in the final and can medal if the landings are on today. It just got more challenging for the favorites, having Vidiaux in this final. She’s a real wildcard.

Also, the SEC Network is reshowing SEC Champs right up until event finals on ESPNU, so it’s basically just Shallon Olsen Day on the networks of ESPN. As was foretold.

But first, we’re going to be treated to the Tomas Gonzalez final. I mean the men’s floor final. Sadly, Jorge Vega missed this final. We didn’t see his routine on the qualification stream, but he had 0.4 ND, which will do it.

As usual we’re supposed to have B and K on ESPNU, and I’ll have the backup Spanish-language stream for when we miss some of it due to Cold Beach Volleyball or routines during commercials. Seems like there’s going to be a lot of cold beach volleyball.

Neff, followed by Corral, Martinez, and Gonzalez were the top qualifiers for the men’s floor final, and Corral is here. Maybe there was something to that “just resting” thing? ESPN Mexico yesterday said it was a shoulder injury. Could be both things.

Men’s Back-to-Back Flippies Final

Martinez – FX – double front 1/2 out, small slide back, chest a touch too low – excellent landing on double double tucked – and his 2.5 to lay 1/2 fourth pass – mostly sticking here – 3/1 with a small stagger. A couple sticks, the rest of the passes with minimal movement. Nice routine. And I appreciate a five-pass routine like this instead of six and one of them is a 2/1.

14.100

Zanetti – FX – pretty much nailed front double pike – front lay to double front is short, hop back – DLO 1/1, pretty nice form with that little hollow, bounce to the side though – 2.5 to front full – full in, larger bounce back – double arabian, short with a step back. Nothing HUGE, but not the control Martinez showed.

Also I will never again be able to watch him on floor without thinking of Kathy describing his run as a chassé.

13.733.

Nory – FX – double pike, short today, two steps back – front 2/1 to layout is gorgeous again today, small movement – 2.5 to front full, stuck – clean twisting form, controlled after that first landing – I enjoy that part of his routine has a tribute to when he won a medal in 2016 and was just a ball for a while – full in – bounce back.

He’s thrilled. That tells us nothing. He’s always thrilled.

13.966.

Bock – FX – double pike front, some knees, short with a lunge – front double full to layout – college stick? – 2.5 to front tuck with a bound out, intending layout? – V sit up to handstand, smooth but slow – press handstand solid – back 1.5 to rudi, good stick – 3/1, hop forward.

13.166. Got a 5.2 D compared to 5.5 on the first day, and he will want some of those landings back.

Corral – FX – shoulder heavily mummified – front double pike, small hop, good – front 2/1 to 1/2, secure – 2.5 to layout, whipped over the layout a little with a hop but mostly nice form – 2/1, stuck – flare work, nicely done, so shoulder good? – 3/1, his weakest landing, a stagger bounce back, but overall very clean.

13.933, third place so far.

Neff – FX – randi, small hop – 3.5 to front tuck full, another little hop – a little under on his front full out of the third pass but should be fine – double arabian, step back – 2/1, didn’t fall today on that, so a win – 3/1, step back. Bounces on most everything but nothing major. He should have one of the highest Ds in the final

14.166 puts him into first place. Nice recovery from yesterday. E score was lower than the three behind him, but he got it on D.

Gonzalez – FX – double front pike 1/2 out, only the smallest shuffle – holds the stick on his double front, just barely – double double stuck – a little hop on his rudi, which should have been his easiest landing so far – CHOREOGRAPHIC ARTISTRY – 2.5 to 1/2, stuck – 3/1, some leg form, medium lunge back. Very nice, and some big sticks in there. I mean, that’s my winner, obviously.

14.600. Well into first place, and well deserved. He thinks he has a 5.8 D, but he got 5.9, so winner winner?

Aguero – FX – punch randi, stuck, excellent – double double tuck, little bounce back – FTDT, small hop back – oof steps OOB on his front full, which will be significant – 2.5 to 1/2, a little hop – 2/1, stuck but with a swim to hold the stick – 3/1, a bit crunched, lunge back. Beginning was excellent.

13.766 puts him in 6th.

Gold: Gonzalez, Silver: Neff, Bronze: Martinez

We’re moving right into the next finals — vault and horse.

Neff has to go up first in this final after just finishing floor.

Corral has ditched some of his shoulder taping for pommel horse.

Women’s Yurchenko Final and Men’s Falling Sideways Final

Pinto – VT – handspring front tuck rudi with a little hop. 14.000

And we’ve already started with Neff on horse. Couldn’t have managed to just alternate? Hit routine from Neff, moments of knees and legs on most elements, nothing major.

Pinto – VT 2 – Tsuk layout 1.5 attempt but enough tucking to put that into question, lunge sideward and out of the area.

13.466 for Neff. Interested if we missed something as I didn’t see the start of his routine.

So, you had vault and horse start at the same time and now a long wait on both? This isn’t complicated, guys.

13.750 average for Pinto.

Malone – PH – scissor travel mount – nice elevation over the horse on one pommel – has one hitch but keeps going – mostly smooth – some hip angle in these circles – legs really break on his cross-pommel travel but keeps it going – has to struggle a bit to get up to handstand on his dismount but gets there in one motion.

Vidiaux – VT 1 – Tsuk double twist with a large lunge to the left and off the mat entirely – mostly nice form in the air, only a little piking at the beginning and end and a touch of foot separation.

12.766 for Malone. They destroyed him for that break at the end.

Vidiaux – VT 2 – goes for the rudi but nope. Hands down. Really close to the table and well short of rotation.

Clay – PH – must have clipped the mic somehow on his scissor mount because I will be hearing that in my dreams, but fine – nice clean legs in all of his travel elements – it was going so well! But he hesitates in dismount and has to drop a little bit before getting it up to handstand. The interior was lovely.

Santi – VT 1 – nice DTY in the air, good height and fairly clean form, but she comes in rather short, chest well down and a hop forward

12.366 and a 4.9 D for Clay. The hip drop on dismount ruined him.

Santi – VT 2 – Tsuk lay full, pretty uncontrolled in the landing – bounce back and then another step-salute – clear piking to find the landing.

She goes in behind Vidiaux’s fall.

C Calvo – PH – scissors up to handstand, a touch clunky – between pommel Russians, fast, some hip angle position – nice clean owrk on the magyar and sivado – and he too struggles to get his dismount up to handstand with a pause and a muscle to try to keep it going. Gets there in the end.

Dominici – VT 1 – DTY, much better than in the AA final, a touch short with a small hop forward, but solidly done.

Dominici – VT 2 – ro 1/2 on pike 1/2 – knees throughout, some chest on landing and a hop to the side. Honestly, she should just post the layout instead of the pike version because her vault is not that different than a lot who claim to do it layout. You never know, you might trick them.

13.666 average puts her behind Pinto and into second place.

13.233 for Calvo puts him in 2nd.

Barretto – PH – scissor travel at the beginning a little clunky but worked out easily – loses his leg form a little in a Russian travel, and again in another – Russians into dismount. Good routine. He didn’t try to get up to handstand on his dismount, which seems to be the trick to hitting today.

Ferrera – VT 1 – huge DTY, a large lunge back but a better mistake, chest well up and got a ton of height – pretty solid form, just a bit of feet, they’ll still get her for the size of the lunge and the extra step after it though.

Ferrera – VT 2 – ro 1/2 on layout 1/2 – that version of the Lopez is pretty well laid out, not really proving my point here Yesenia. Just some piking at the end, the same large lunge back as on her first vault, but good showing.

13.533 for Barretto, which counts as a big score so far today.

Corral – PH – scissor up to handstand – such smooth work on one pommel and nice elevation – pretty clean straight positon through Magyar and Sivado but he loses his form completely on Russians and has to sit on the horse in protest.

Palacios – VT 1 – goes for a DTY, short with a lunge forward and OOB – quite a bit of knees in the air – it’s still a really useful vault for her to have in her quest for AA Olympic qualification at worlds this year, but it won’t score with the others.

Palacios – VT 2 – Tsuk 1.5, pretty nice – knees again but a fairly small hop, just a little shuffle to the side

Karstadt – PH – scissor work early on is pretty precise and then he loses it completely and flies sideways off the horse in a crab shape just like we always hope for in PH finals. Gets back on for a clean remainder of the set, but no one’s having a great time on PH today.

Palacios is nonetheless into 2nd on vault.

Black – VT 1 – hs front layout full, not quite as strong as yesterday, little hop back – otherwise the usual form – should still score pretty well – has the amplitude and a more comfortable landing than most vaults we’ve seen today. 14.500

Black – VT 2 – Tsuk layout 1.5 – basically stuck, just a little hop in place, a touch of knees, best vault of the final so far. Nicely done. Should have no trouble moving into first.

Moreto – PH – crappit, hits his leg on the pommel on a magyar and has to come off. His score from qualification would have been good enough to win this final. And…a second fall.

Well, this PH final has been really pommel horsey, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Black into first on vault but not by as much margin as I would have expected over Ferrera.

Olsen – VT 1 – DTY – a bounce back but stronger than in qualification – good chest up position – definitely enough height – just those bits of leg and foot form.

14.400 means she needs to make up some ground on Black with this second vault.

Olsen – VT 2 – she has posted the Cheng – and she goes for it – and….not great but landed? Super far over with a large lunge forward, just avoids putting her knees down – basically has to tuck it at the end.

Still gets 13.966 for that second vault, which will give her a bronze.

Gold: Barretto, Silver: Neff, Bronze: Calvo

Gold: Black, Silver: Ferrera, Bronze: Olsen

That’s two golds out of two events for Black. #Simoneing

Olsen’s Cheng didn’t look ready yet. Probably should have just gone for the safer vault, but I’m also glad she upped the difficulty. Ferrera had some large landing errors on her vaults, but the direction was better and that basically counts as under control for her.

The pommel horse final was…not ideal.

ESPNU has been able to join the broadcast for…the medal ceremonies. Everyone is thrilled by how this is going.

Are we finally ready for the bars and rings finals?

Finally? Maybe? Ish?

Women’s Handstands and Men’s Strongies Finals

Introductions done. We actually get to see some routines? Weird. Like it’s gymnastics? I don’t understand.

Pedro – UB – Shap to pak, legs apart, a little close on catch – toe full to Maloney, gets it – connected to bail – to stalder shoot – very shoot handstand on high – nice amplitude on jaeger, flexed feet – toe 1/2 is well short of handstand, double tuck dismount, hop back. Fine, but won’t be a huge score. Too many handstand and form issues.

12.766.

De Luna – SR – pulls right up to planche, nicely done – lover to cross, good flat shoulder position – maltese, strong – tuck up to maltese – another solid cross – up to planche, just a tad of hesitation – 1.5-twist double tuck, hop to the side. Strong routine.

14.500. Good score.

Moors – UB – She’s in a bars final, you guys. Have I talked about that? Shap to pak, nice legs on Pak, small break on Shap – toe full, late – Van leeuwen with some legs – clear hip to Khorkina, some leg form in the air – toe pike 1/2 dismount, slide back. Good hit!

Two actual clear-hip Shaps in the first two routines, which is a skill we don’t see a lot.

13.000 for Moors. Two good bars hits in this competition for her.

Zanetti – SR – up to planche, strong – straddle planche, cmoothly help on both of course – flat maltese shape – Bart saw something on his Yamawaki Jonasson and I’m man enough to admit I have no idea what he saw – maltese right to cross – OOF totally loses shape in a handstand, full pike at the hips – DLO 1/1, hop back. Far from his strongest routine.

14.400 and behind De Luna.

Dammit I had the stream minimized during Magistrati’s bars routine and TV went to commercial. Fully missed it. Sorry about that. My bad.

It was a 12.200 for Magistrati and now everyone is just standing because of entertaining sport. We see a replay of her DLO, large stumble back on that.

Oliveira – UB – Maloney, very clean connected to a pak to VL, lost her feet a little on the VL but otherwise lovely combination – small pause in L grip giant full – piked Jaeger well done – one short hs on high on 1/2 turn – double front, some cowboy, pace forward. Feet throughout but pretty much her normal.

13.833. Big score for her on bars.

Rosendi – SR – smooth pull up to cross – moving to maltese – nice flat positions on those – good vertical hs – a little hesitation in straddle planche position after his pikes – tucks up to handstand – shudder in hs – DLO 1/1 dismount, some hip shape, hop

13.500

Dominici – UB – clear hip to Maloney to giant full to Ray to pak – huge combination and gets it with only minor breaks – Van Leeuwen, no trouble – piked jaeger, good distance from the bar – a little form casting out of it into a 1/2 turn – finishes double tuck with a hop back. Legs apart moments on a lot of things. Nothing much else.

13.433, second place

Molinari – SR – up to maltese – a little shaky, just a touch higher in his cross position than the top scorers – a little quick moving out of maltese into cross – has to bring the rings together a little on a handstand – DLO 1/1, a little pike and a little slide. I wouldn’t have that near the top Es, but a hit routine.

Wong – UB – inbar to inabr Shap to pak to Stalder shap 1/2 – lovely – short hs on high – toes 1/2 to jaeger, pretty smooth – saves a 1/2 turn hs on high bar, an arch but brings it back – DLO, stuck landing. That arch on the high bar was the main things, a couple other handstands, nothing major. Most dramatic performance goes to Al Fong’s arm gestures.

Lugo – SR – small hesitation in planche, a little lower – maltese is good – shaky in inverted cross – just not quite as secure in these strength holds and clear in the positions – nice cross – generates some swing on the pike into handstand – DLO 1/1 with a bounce back

14.300 for Wong puts her into first place.

McCusker – UB – stalder full to Maloney to tkatchev, good – Ricna to pak to Stalder shap 1/2, hit well, just a moment of legs, otherwise nice – dismount, just a bit short and a hop. Not quite at the level of her first routine but close. Very clean, pretty routine. Should win.

Souza – SR – Maltese to cross, nice – large hestiation in his straddle planche, nearly brings the rings together – cross is excelelnt – arch position in handstands – double double tuck, short with a bound forward. Not his strongest either. 14.066

14.533 for McCusker and an accurate 6.0 D score. Didn’t realize until it was just pointed out to me on twitter that the judges inaccurately gave her 6.1 on the first day. In qualification, two of McCusker’s D scores were a tenth too high.

Black – UB – toe Shap to Hindorff, close catch with some form – SHang, good – hop change to piked jaeger to pak, some legs – Shap 1/2, good – giant full, great vertical finish – small hop back on her toe tuck 1/2 dismount. Good, but wonder how much the close catch on the Hindorff will hit her.

Cournoyer – SR – maltese, nice – only a small hesitation on straddle planche – L sit up to handstand, fairly smooth – double double tucked, hop back. Smoothly done, no trouble on anything.

14.000 for Black is enough to put her into 3rd place so that she can continued winning medals on every event.

13.833 for Cournoyer, clean routine but doesn’t have the difficulty.

Villafañe – SR – smooth opening maltese into cross, but has to lower a little on these crosses after hitting the initial position – has to control that handstand a little – pikes up into a maltese – struggling to hold that straddle planche and some form in the handstand – DLO 1/1, small slide back

So, that will do it for today’s finals.

Gold: McCusker, Silver: Wong, Bronze: Black

Four medals on four opportunities for Black. No surprise on the podium here, with McCusker and Wong having the cleanest and most difficult routines in the final when hitting.

Gold: De Luna, Silver: Zanetti, Bronze: Molinari

De Luna well deserved, clean and difficult and didn’t have the problems that Zanetti did. Molinari with the bronze, had a lot of E issues in there, kind of surprised he scored as high as he did, but Souza in 4th also had issues and Cournoyer doesn’t have the D despite getting the highest E of the final.

Until tomorrow!

We should have a much less predictable podium when it comes to the men’s all-around final (surprise, surprise) because the top group is close enough to each other that the kind of errors we saw in the women’s final would make a greater difference in the standings.

Robert Neff of the US comes in as the top qualifier with 82.350, just a tenth and a half ahead of Arthur Nory. They are followed by Rene Cournoyer, Daniel Corral being all back from the dead, Caio Souza, and Cory Patterson. But certainly keep Brody Malone in mind. Continue reading Pan American Games: Men’s All-Around Final →

Expectations for the women’s AA final haven’t changed since before the meet, when a podium featuring two Americans and Ellie Black was the obvious assumption. Still the case—we just now know that the two Americans competing for those spots are Riley McCusker (or Brilly McCooster, obviously my favorite pronunciation ever to happen) and Kara Eaker.

But don’t count out Flavia Saraiva. She managed the fourth best score yesterday, which included a fall on beam, so a clean day from her today should also produce a very compelling total. An all-around medal going to anyone outside that collection of four, however, would qualify as a true upset.

The top four are joined in the primary rotation group by Martina Dominici and Thais Fidelis, while group NCAA4EVER begins on bars with Danusia Francis, Ariana Orrego, and Sandra Collantes all rotating together, along with Victoria Woo. Continue reading Pan American Games: Women’s All-Around →