In the second subdivision, we expect Belgium to put up a team score that outpaces what Australia and Ukraine did in the first rotation and therefore makes team Olympic qualification look a much more comfortable prospect from here out, but it still has to happen. In addition, we’re looking for Nina Derwael to of course make the bars final, perhaps a beam final, and set important scores for those events. Jonna Adlerteg is also aiming for that bars final as she races teammate Jessica Castles for the all-around Olympic spot for Sweden.

TEAMS: Belgium, Czech Republic
INDIVIDUALS: Ana Palacios (GUA), Kimberly Del Valle (GUA), Marcela Bonifasi (GUA), Irina Sazonova (ISL), Danusia Francis (JAM), Toni-Ann Williams (JAM), Kiara Richmon (JAM), Jonna Adlerteg (SWE), Jessica Castles (SWE)

It’s all about the Belgians in this subdivision, but also Jamaica and Sweden in the cool mixed group – and the likelihood that someone from CZE (probably Holasova) will get an AA spot.

Belgium starts on floor, looking to beat the 38.816 Australia put up there.

Rotation 1

Brassart – FX – and in between leg-up turn to start – split leap full – a bit short on piked full in, step – front full, awkward landing, hesitant – double pike, bounce back – this floor routine is very violiny and I miss the bird calls. 12.766

Francis – VT – large bounce back on her full but good distance –

Daveloose – FX – starts with a double tuck, step back – 2.5, some legs, step – switch 1/2 – wolf turn 2.237 – front full, fine – she’s a performer, though the rest of the routine was just kind of there.

13.366, so cool I don’t understand floor scores at all today, apparently.

Jessen nearly missed her foot on her beam dismount but landed it

Derwael – FX – split leap full, good – double tuck, small bounce back – double Y spin, falls out of it a little bit – wolf turn triple, gets it around, follows with wolf double – 1.5 to front full, step – split leap, lovely – 13.600.

Nooooooo, looks like Jessica Catles fell on her full on VT –

Jirikova just butt-planted on beam.

So FYI, all floor E scores are based on how much eye contact you make with the judges. Low eye contact – 7.900, high eye contact – 8.500. Just did floor judging.

Vansteenkiste – FX – that lion eating that mosquito routine – good split leap 15 – 3/1, nicely around, hop back – 1.5 to front full, wayyyy short and sits it down, I am ended. double tuck, controlled step back – pulls open her lion mouth.

Holasova has a fall on beam.

Francis went 13.500 on her full, Williams 13.666

12.200 for Vansteenkiste after the fall. But still 39.732 for Belgium puts them well in control.

Sazonova – UB – toe full to Maloney with a leg break to pak – toe shoot – khorkina, a little low but solid – double tuck, very secure

Rotation 2

Jessen hits a full-in on FX, chest down but fairly secure – swtich to switch side 1/2 – 1.5 to layout with a hop – double tuck, lunge back

Derwael went 13.500 for her full on vault. Brassart solid with hop back on hers.

Francis – UB – toe Shap to baiul, a little short of vertical – to toe shoot – front giant to jam to piked jaeger, nice and high – a short hs before tkatchev – 1/2 turn – giant full a bit late – double pike dismount, just does save it with a stumble back. That was close.

Hit Y1.5 for Vansteenkiste with a large lunge. 14.100

12.350 for Francis on bars. Not ideal but manageable.

Adlerteg – UB – Attempts her Shang and falls. Everything is terrible. Resumes Pak is good – Shap to bharwaj a little rushed bu t she got it – hesitation on a cast hs but works through it – DLO, small hop. Just not her day with that bars routine.

Castles has been let back in the race for Sweden because they’ve both had falls now.

Fall for Sazonova on beam. Another fall on her dismount.

Castles – UB – hit jaeger, a bit close – pak, fine – Maloney to bail to toe full – toe shoot – double tuck, stuck. Solid.

Holasova – FX – great height on her DLO, possible OOB – double arabian, controls it with step forward – double pike, short with a hop – nice popa – 2/1 final pass, cleanly landed – good one.

41.266 for Belgium’s vault, just behind Ukraine’s number.

Williams – UB – Hindorff – clear hip to nice bail, good vertical position – front giant 1/2 – DLO and holds the stick like an NCAA pro. She doesn’t have quite enough content in her elite bars, but she did what she can do.

Palacios has gone 30 years overtime on her beam routine but hits her 2.5 dismount with a lunge backward/sideward.

11.800 for Williams on bars, so she’s a few tenths behind Francis in the Jamaica race now.

Rotation 3

Richmon falls on her opening loso series on beam.

Brassart – UB – clear hip to giant full – close on piked jaeger but caught – toe on to pak – toe shap 1/2, some legs – toe on tuck 1/2 dismount, hopback. Good.

13.133 for Brassart.

Daveloose – BB – Stalder Shap to a pretty Pak – Maloney to bail, only a msall leg break – to shoot – giant full to blind change to piked jaeger, nice – double front, great tight position there, step back. Strong routine.

Adlerteg just did the silliest Rulfova attempt on beam and ended up hanging onto the beam sideways, but hey she stayed on – stuck full dismount.

Deriks – Ub – solid piked jaeger – Ricna to pak just a bit of leg form there – Shap to bail – FTDT. Another excellent bars routine. 13.733.

Philipp Boy was literally twerking right in front of us in the media zone during that routine, so I may have missed some parts but I didn’t mind.

Castles has a huge break on her side aerial but saves it.

Nina Time – UB – Nabieva – DF to Yezhova to shap to pak to shap 1/2 – all well done – toe full to FTDT, hop back. A good one for her. That works.

15.141 for Nina. So that’s like, kind of good.

Francis – BB – side somi, nice and solid – split jump 1/2 fro side, hit with a little adjustment – bhs loso series, right on – switch to split leap to wolf jump, nice – aerial to split to bhs, pretty solid rhythm – Y spins, styles it out sideways – transverse aerial, has to pause a little before the dismount combination but does the dismount, small step.

Palacios lunges OOB on a double Arabian.

12.566 for Francis and an E score under 8. When is the murder festival that we’re having?

Williams – BB – front tuck mount, solid – standing front tuck to split to back tuck and falls – bhs loso series and falls again, oh Toni – nice punch front pike, nailed that – gainer pike, stuck

So, third rotation done. Belgium did so well on bars that we have little suspense heading into beam because they can fall and stay ahead of Australia.

Rotation 4

Interesting that Belgium has Derwael leading off vault.

Derwael – BB – loso mount – bhs loso series – leg-up break – aerial to split to bhs – side somi, small check – split leap – triple wolf, gets it with a shudder at the end – wolf double – gainer pike full dismount, stuck

Adlerteg finished with 49.099. Could get in with that.

13.200 for Nina. She leads beam as well now.

Castles – FX – 1.5 through to double tuck, jarred landing, hop back – 2.5 to front tuck, lunge back – front full, quite low but landed – falls out of Memmel a bit – wolf double –

Palacios hit her DTY –

Hit beam for Daveloose with a couple leg-up checks

55.441 for Nina to zoom into the AA lead.

Holasova – UB – toe shap to clear hip 1/2 – just a tad close on piked jaeger, straddled pak – Stalder Shap to bail, leg shiver – a bit of a dead hang back up to high – DLO, stuck

12.900 for Daveloose

Brassart – BB – switch to switch 1/2, nice – aerial, large break and falls – pressure on the final routine now, not for Olympic qualification but for possible outside TF hopes – double pike, small hop.

Francis – FX – split jump 1.5, may only get full credit – 2.5 to front tuck, pulled it out, a little low – double pike, solid, controlled step back – double Y, I’d give it, into a souble turn that teeters a little – switch ring and split leap full – double tuck, stuck. switch 1/2, good hit.

Deriks is finishing off on beam -aerial with a check – side jump with arm wave – bhs loso, arm check to keep herself OK – switch, tentative, no connection into sissone split – gainer pike, good.

12.566 for Franics gives her 50.982, not her best AA score but will get through to the Olympics.

Williams – FX – nice split leap full – front tuck through to double tuck, small hop back – she nails the full-in. She had also been working the DLO but elected not to do it in this routine.

OK let’ see where we are. Belgium went 161.238, which is well ahead of Australia and a very strong score. That’s now our baseline score that teams will need to beat to try to make the team final.

Nina leads the AA. Franics put up 50.982 and Holasova did 50.766, both scores that I have to imagine will get the Olympic spots.

Nina is leading on three events.