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.

Malone had a good day going yesterday if not for a waking nightmare on HB that took his score way, way (way) down. Even a one-fall routine would probably have put him in first place in qualification. As long as that nightmare doesn’t happen again, he can be in line for one of the top spots. He’s not rotating in the top group, and if the coverage of the women’s final is any indication, we won’t see a lot from the athletes outside the top group. So be sure to pay attention to his scores as we go.

There’s a guy in the crowd with the Brazilian flag tied around his neck like a noose, and same. Looks like we don’t have the ESPNU coverage until the end of the final.

Close-up of a coach bringing in a rolly suitcase. We’re really living in a music video, aren’t we?

I love Arthur Nory’s game face because it has a very “WHERE’S MY PUDDING?” vibe. Robert Neff’s vibe is more of the younger brother in the murder mystery who isn’t set to inherit and therefore seems not to possess a motive. At first…

SIGH. It looks like Daniel Corral has withdrawn from the final and been replaced by Andres Perez from Puerto Rico.

Guys. You’re not supposed to fall to pieces until you rotate to vault!

Souza – FX – front lay to double front with a large bound forward OOB – double double tucked second pass, small bounce – 2.5 to front full, would have liked a little straighter legs in that front full – Russians, pretty solid control – slowly but comfortably up in spread-arm handstand – 1.5 to front full, little hop – 3/1, bounce back. Reasonable start.

13.600. He missed yesterday, so this lifts him up quite a bit already.

Perez – FX – The nice thing about being the alternate is that when you come into the event you suddenly get to become one of the favorites and the coverage will show you. Simpler tumbling than Souza but no major issues, and his stuck double Arabian 4th pass was quite nice. 2.5 final pass was awkward, large lunge forward

13.000 for Perez. Good score.

Cournoyer – FX – super high double double tucked, stepped out – front lay to double front, lunge forward – front 2/1 to lay 1/2, a little off line but secure – 1.5 to rudi, stuck to the side – 2/1 with a little bounce – full in final pass, step back, another possible OOB.

A 12.550 for Malone on PH, which would be a fall score for him.

Nory – FX – double front pike, very strong landing – front 2/1 to front layout, also stuck, gorgeous layout 2.5 to front full, stuck like woodland sprite – back 1.5 to rudi – 2/1 side pass is his worst landing so far (of course) with a hop – full-in, fairly large bounce back.

Oh Arthur, your stick-showing pose is so extra.

Neff – FX – radi, a little over, bends down and shuffles in place – back 3.5 to front tuck full, a little hoppy but mostly controlled – nice front 2/1 in combination – I appreciate the double Arabian position in the air, but he’s having some control trouble today – just a small hesitation in straight-arm handstand – OOPS, you just fell on a 2/1 side pass. So that’s not a great start.

Paterson – FX – front 2/1 to front full, stuck – double arabian, nice power, bounce forward – 2.5 to lay 1/2, strong stick – 1.5 to front tuck full side pass with a hop forward – did well to get the 3/1 around and hit because it looked like he got one inch of amplitude, but that may also be our angle

Aguero’s 14.450 on vault has him in first for the moment because vault. Nory’s 14.050 is the highest non-vault score so far, followed by Paterson and Souza, who also had quite strong showings on floor.

Martinez – PH – GET READY FOR ME TO LIVE BLOG POMMEL HORSE – one leg break on a single pommel, another on a Russian – pretty nice leg positions throughout, the normal amount of hip piking, but then he died trying to get up to handstand on his dismount and just pressed it over like a front tuck. He’ll have to redo that. Gets it on his second attempt.

Rotation 2

My favorite is when we cut away from routines about to start to show the compulsive prepping of the PBars. CONTENT.

Perez – PH – pretty solid n his Tong Fei and Russians early in the routine and then immediately comes off as I write that – resumes with a comfortable Magyar and Sivado and then comes off on his third travel – Russians to dismount were very “I DONE”

Aguero – PB – peach 1/2 and peach  are both fine – a little slow hsing out of his Tippelt but fine – front full twist dismount is crazy-legged with a step. Not a lot of content there but a hit.

13.500 rings score for Malone which is on line with day 1.

Cournoyer – PH – a couple scissor up to handstand elements to start, a slow struggle but works well to control them – keeps his position pretty well on his Russian circles, which are the wolf turns of men’s gymnastics – nice form throughout and a successful routine. 13.300 and he thinks it’s low. But Canadian version of thinking a score is too low, which is like, “I don’t love it, but fair enough.”

Nory – PH – nice height over the pommels though he has a pronounced hip angle throughout that’s going to keep his E score down – really losing height and legs in this final Russian circle series into dismount but he endures it, and that’s the goal for him.

12.950. He survived.

Neff – PH – That Mikulak scissor mount – immediately loses his legs and they fly opposite directions into the crowd on one pommel but does well to regain his routine because that could easily have been a fall – finds his rhythm – Magyar-Sivado, no trouble – really slowing toward dismount but he pushes it up to handstand in a bit of a struggle. Not great but a survival routine.

12.450 for Neff. He gets semi-destroyed there.

Paterson – PH – Nice elevation over the pommels, slow but smooth work, some hip angle but not devastating – legs go a bit crazy into dismount handstand but continues through, hit routine.

Paterson and Nory joking around and Neff sitting a seat removed from them looking like the nights are dark and the days are deep is a mood.

Souza – PH – nice speed up to handstand on scissor elements but his feet are killing me in the face – magyar, Sivado and Russian travel, alll low to the horse but smoothly enough worked through. Good hit. Almost like he’s Canadian.

Andres Martinez may have slipped the meet director a 50 before this because we’re seeing all of his routines -rings now –  his handstand body position with that leotard is very banana-evoking. Hop back on landing.

Villafañe is going to be in first after two rotations, followed by Fuenmayer, then Nory. Men’s rotation order and whatnot. Nory, Paterson, Cournoyer, and Souza will all be pretty comfortable with their meets so far.

More pants-changing closeups courtesy of this meet broadcast. Yesterday’s coverage was basically just the international house of bulges.

Hit rings for Beckford following a low PH score in the first rotation.

Rotation 3

Cournoyer – SR – good initial Maltese position – handstand swing up to another Maltese – straddle planche, well held – small hesitation in handstand – Yamawaki Jonasson to L sit, smoothly done – struggles to get up to that last handstand but gets there – double double tuck with a little slide. Nicely done.

14.025.

Nuñez – VT – big height on a handspring rudi  – enough height that he could do more but keeps it clean. Some pike down and a step. Good overall.

“Next up on high…….bar?”

Nory – SR – a little tentative on straddle planche to planche but gets it – straddle sit press up to handstand – arching in holding this handstand – 1.5-twisting double tuck with a hop. Fine. Got through.

Beckford – VT – ro 1/2 on front layout 2/1 – nicely done to nearly stick, small step back and kind of deep in the landing

Neff – straddle planche – uprise to L sit – Yamawaki Jonasson to L sit – this is not the event where he has the D – but no major problems – loses form in final handstand – 1.5 double tuck, step. Fine.

Malone gains some ground on vault (as you do) with a 14.550.

Robert Neff wearing his jacket like a cape because SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO. Now he’s getting a wrist booboo attended to.

Paterson – SR – maltese, a little brief in the hold – nice cross position – Y and J to L sit, smoothly done – really awkwardly muscled handstand just before dismount – little hop –

replay of Malone on vault – Kas 1.5 with a medium bounce forward, good vault.

13.350 for Paterson.

Souza – PH – he’s the rings one in this AA final – good smooth maltese positions, flat and comfortably help – cross – Y and J to straddle planche – most secure in all these holds so far – double double tuck, stuck landing. Well yes that will be one of our highest rings scores of the day. I said highest, but Cournoyer did do well himself. This was better though.

Aguero – HB – nice height on his tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, hesitates with an elbow bend swinging out of it but gets there – lovely early twist on his double double layout dismount, step.

Souza is into first now, followed by Cournoyer and then Malone, who got that big boost from his vault score. Mariano and Patterson are 6th and 7th. The leading group is on to vault now, though, so expect them to move up.

Rotation 4

This broadcast is always really into showing shots of PBars being prepped while waiting for the rotation to start and I’m like, “Dudes, it’s gonna be a while…”

We have Bart and Kathy now. Recapping that time Neff fell on a 2/1.

Nory – VT – Shewfelt and it was lovely, small slide, nice direction – great toe point, just came up short on landing with that hop back

Bart really had to stretch through those too-lengthy replays of what the TV coverage missed.

Neff – VT – Kas 1.5, a little under-rotated and a small hop back –

But he still went 14.450 because all vaults are the same.

Paterson – VT – DTY, chest pretty far down on landing with a hop back, flexed feet – hops outside the area.

Souza – VT – Shewfelt – nearly as strong as Nory’s – crossover step – good power – clean form throughout

Perez – VT – Kas 1/1, chest down, small bounce back

Cournoyer – VT – double front vault, not under control – large bound forward into the next state and a couple other hops after that. So…it might even not break 9 in E score because men’s vault.

Oh of course it still did. How silly of me. 9.000.

Fuenmayor – HB – Yam 1/2 – tak 1/2 – layout tkatchev is good – tkatchev – clean front giants, endo, not a lot of D but nothing majorly problematic – pikes down a bit on dismount and a hop. 13.350

Beckford – PB – peach – straddle front – Kathy approves of his toes – healy down – diam – stutz is short of hs – double pike with some form, small slide back

Malone – PB – early muscle up on a Makuts, off line against the bar, loses his form – tippelt and a little hestiation getting up to handstand – collapses in a healy and has to muscle out of it too – double pike, slide back. Not a strong one for him. 12.300

Leru – PB – front toss up to handstand – peach 1/2 and peach, quick – stutz, good hs – diam to giant to tuck 1/2 – a little hesitant in a healy but fine – straddle front, catches but his hand probably wasn’t quite on because he wasn’t able to work out of it without an adjustment – double front, deep squat but hit

Kathy’s like, I think PBars might be stupid. Why is this this way?

So we’re done with 4. It’s Souza, Nory, then Cournoyer, Paterson, and those four are looking like our medalists at this point.

Rotation 5

Neff – PB – front toss to peach, a little short – 1.25 to one rail, smoothly done – nice precise hs – healy is fine – diam, gets a little off lien, pulls it back – small handstand hesitation in the stutz, double pike, slide back. 13.400

Paterson – PB – healy , smoothly done, nice hs – good finishing position on most of these diam elements – tippelt is cleanly done – stutz – double front with a hop forward. Another reasonable set for him.

14.350 for Paterson and into first with the other leaders still to come.

Souza – PB – peach 1/2 and can’t get to handstand – has to walk along the rails in a scorpion position, so that didn’t go great – another hs issue, much smaller, after healy – the salto elements are nice – tippelt is smoothly done – double front 1/2 out, small hop.

Still 13.700, which is low for him but will help him maintain an edge.

Andres Perez had to sit on the rails on a Tippelt attempt and sat his double pike dismount.

We didn’t get to see Malone on HB, but a 13.500 is a lot better than that 7 from yesterday.

Daniel Corral is out with injury. I’m not sure where Bart got this info that he’s just resting for the event finals.

Cournoyer – PB – smooth Bhardwaj – tippelt, well controlled – stutz a little short of handstand – hits his front straddle – double front, small step back. Another clean one for him. Canada is rolling.

Souza, then Paterson, then Cournoyer, with Nory still to go on PB.

Nory – PB – hesitation on one rail but saves it – crazy leg break swinging through on his Bhavsar – healy down – Diam to one rail is solid – straddle cut, comfortable – double pike, hop back. Had two fairly significant problems at the beginning, but the second half was clean.

13.850 is lower than he wanted, but he’s into second behind Souza.

Advantage to Souza and Nory in the final rotation, having the lead and also being stronger on that event than the Canadians are.

If everything goes to plan, it will be Brazil 1-2, and then the Canadians fighting amongst themselves for bronze, but they’re both close enough to Nory that he has to be good. Not just stay on the bar.

Rotation 6

Paterson – HB – Zou Li Min good – Tak 1/2 – layout tkatchev, just a hit of feet – tkatchev good, tkatchev 1/2, same – stalder – DLO 1/1, stuck. Secure routine. Good day of competition.

13.750 for him. Solid score. 82.200 total.

Souza – HB – layout tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, fingetipped that first one a little but got it – giant full – Kolman, got it – tak full, a little bit of form but good vertical position – tak 1/2 – double double layout, hop to the side. SCREAMING AND TEARS. “He’s happy, I think?”

14.400 for Souza. Huge score, will confirm his title. 83.500

Nice HB routine from Perez, good speed and comfortable releases – DLO 1/1, stuck landing. Good finish.

Cournoyer – HB – Yam, nice and high – small pasue getting up to handstands – arch on a tak 1/2 but pulls it back – tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, nice power – a late full twist – double double layout, perfect and stuck.

Malone finished with a huge 14.050 to go to 80.450 with what ended up being the equivalent of two falls.

13.650 for Cournoyer, so he won’t beat Paterson.

Nory – HB – tak 1/2, clean leg form – giant full – layout tkatchev to tkatchev to tkatchev 1/2, good, well done – layout jaeger full, catches really close with bent elbows but did not break the bar this time, so that’s a win – double double layout and stuck the landing.

14.400 for Nory clinches 2nd place for him.

Neff – HB – tkatchev 1/2 – layout tkatchev 1/2, pretty solid swing out of it – tak – tak 1/2, short of hs – giant full – double double layout, stuck. His best routine of the day.

Nory in tears of course.

14.000 for Neff. That’s a significant routine despite not being a strong day overall because the US needs 14s on HB.

So it goes 1) Souza, 2) Nory, 3) Paterson, 4) Cournoyer, 5) Malone, 6) Nuñez, 7) Neff, 8) Leru

The potential is there for Malone, but I think selection camp will be important for him (and nationals if he goes, but the guys who went to Pan Ams don’t HAVE to do nationals) because he has potential to deliver some really significant scores for the US that could help, but we have to see him hit.