Belgium did the job in the last subdivision. I had Germany as sort of “borderline but just out” of the TF heading into this competition, but to have a chance, they’ll have to outscore a strong Belgian performance, which is far from a given.

Schaefer is into the German team in place of Scheder, who has a muscle injury. Schaefer (theoretically) adds a lot on beam, which can make up for what you lose from Scheder on bars.

TEAMS: Germany, Egypt
INDIVIDUALS: Sofia Nair (ALG), Anastasia Alistratava (BLR), Hanna Traukova (BLR), Simone Castro (CHI), Franchesca Santi (CHI), Maria Kharenkova (GEO), Milka Gehani (SRI), Chahed Sakr (TUN), Oksana Chusovitina (UZB), Ominakhon Khalilova (UZB), Indira Ulmasova (UZB)

Individually, this is the Chuso subdivision, but I’m also keeping an eye on Anastasia Alistratava’s bars and Maria Kharenkova just for Kharenkova reasons.

LOL, they put Sophie Scheder’s picture up when Schaefer was being introduced. Someone didn’t get the memo.

Germany on bars in the first rotation, which needs to be a big score for them, even without Scheder.

Rotation 1

Chuso – FX – she has invented one ounce of energy into this choreography and I’m in heaven – part of it is just a log roll. Queen. Hit routine. 11.300

Voss – UB – tkatchev – solid – you know she’s not bad at bars – Shap 1/2, legs together – nice toe full to gienger – finishes with the Delladio dismount. Good hit.

13.766. Huge score. Too high. She’s higher than Varinska you guys.

Petz – UB – Stalder sfull to Shap to Hindorff, a little leg sloppy but good – piked jaeger – tkatchev and falls. Pak – Van Leeuwen with some legs – successfully completes the Petz, inbar front tuck full

Egypt showing good control on fulls.

Petz goes 13.233 with a fall.

Seitz – UB – Maloney to Ricna, good – piked jaeger, solid – Downie to Pak, great legs together – just a little leg sep in VL – toe full to FTDT, small hop. Great routine.

Sofia Nair falls on a side aerial on beam

14.800 for Seitz. 8.6 E score.

Bui – UB – piked jaeger to pak – Maloney to bhardwaj, some legs, not too bad – toe shap 1/2, great – toe full to gienger, great shape on that piked gienger – double pike, little shuffle. Strong routine.

Good bars rotation for Germany, and the score will be huge.

14.200 for Bui 42.766 for Germany

Kharenkova – BB – punch front, deep but hit – bhs bhs lay-pike, very secire – split leap to aerial – split ring jump, solid – side aerial, small check – switch to split – slightly overturns a full turn – switch ring – split ring leap – ALL THE RINGS – just a small slide on dismount. Nice hit!

I not secretly want Kharenkova to get a higher beam score than all the Russians tomorrow.

Just 12.033 for Kharenkova. Scores have been very tight on beam today. Interested to see how that translates when the Germans arrive.

Traukova – FX – attempts a double Y, no credit – double pike, very short, lunge

Milka Gehani is quite good on beam. One thousand steps above the Sri Lankan gymnasts we’ve seen at worlds before. But it looks like she balked on her attempted round-off back tuck but had started far enough that she could only pop off the beam. Resumes and does it well, stuck punch front full.

Rotation 2

Germany has to beam now. Am I less nervous or more nervous with Schaefer in the lineup? Obviously more nervous.

Seitz – BB – punch front, just a little shaky – bhs back pike, very secure – side somi, hit with an arm wave – double spin, bend at the hips – switch to wolf – side aerial, hit – punch frotnf ull dismount, small hop.

Elisabeth Seitz hitting beam is the equivalent of a shaman cutting open the belly of a crow and rainbows pouring out.

12.833

Petz – BB – switch mount with a little check – wolf turn double, can’t keep it on, grabs the beam and falls – she’s not having a good day after being so solid in the lead-up process – punch front with a large wobble but keeps it on – bhs loso is hit – switch ring, check – aerial to split – split leap to sissone – double tuck, short with a hop forward

11.533 for Petz

Voss – BB – bhs loso loso is excellent – split leap full, actually got it on beam – side aerial, smooth – switch 1/2, short of split but fine – aerial to split to bhs – side somi, strong – 2.5 dismount, just gets it around, step back. Good routine.

Chuso – VT 1 – Does the rudi and it’s a good one, chest pretty well up, hop, legs, usual. 14.833

Chuso VT 2 – OOOF. Goes for the Tsuk 2/1 and it’s quite low, large lunge forward, nearly knee down

Schaefer – BB – split leap mount – bhs loso series, hit with a lean – switch ring, good – hits the Schaefer with a lean – side jump, large break, leg up but keeps it on the beam – aerial, off line and falls – she’s been having so much trouble hitting this year –

So Germany counting a fall on beam.

Kharenkova – FX – cannonballs a double tuck, but gets it around – nice Semenova turn – 2.5 was solid, not too bad in the twisting form – double L to double turn – split ring leap, good – 1.5 to front tuck – 2/1, low, step back – but she’s 2 for 2.

11.800 for Schaefer. German beam still outscores the Belgian rotation.

Gehani – FX – triple turn – 3/1, just a little short with a step – 2.5 to front pike, solid – switch ring – finishes double full, good job. Her routine has a false ending in it, and the German crowd was like, “Well, I don’t approve of such misleading activity.”

Castro – FX – double Y, pretty much around – split leap 1.5, solid amplitude – double pike, bounce back – front tuck through to 1.5 – a nicely completed routine. We’ve had some trashy individual competitors so far today, but this sub has been a bit stronger.

Chuso’s vault average is 14.083, which currently leads, but that total would not have advanced to the vault final. She might have to…try to…get in through the AA…

Rotation 3

Farah Salem just does hang onto her loso mount on beam.

Petz – FX – struggles to pull around a triple wolf but does so in the end – double pike, large bounce back and OOB – cannonballs a double tuck with a bounce – switch 1/2 – 2/1, chest a bit down, small slide.

Ulmasova caught the bar with her foot on her double tuck bars dismount.

Just 12.166 for Petz.

Voss – FX – 1.5 to front 2/1, nice rise in the second element, small hop – 3/1, very awkward landing, floor bounced her around a little and OOB – front attitude double attempt – double pike, boucne back, another OOB – 2/1, bounce –

Alistratava is up now on bars. Lovely Shap to pak – Van leeuwen, legs right together – inbar 1/2, a little floppy – piked jaeger, nice – blind change to double front 1/2 out, step. Nicely done.

12.400 for Voss.

Seitz – FX – she draws a heart in her choreography, you know how that thrills me – double Arabian, hops forward and OOB – 1.5 through to double tuck, bounce back – split leap full and split jump full, good positions – double pike, bounce back – switch ring – switch 1/2. Good routine, but will want more landing control. 12.766

Chuso – UB – giant full – front giant 1/2 – bail no attempt at handstand there – clear hip – toe shoot to high bar – FTDT, stuck. The dismount was excellent, the rest was “I hate this” but she stayed on.

Nice DTY from Santi – bounce back – good height.

Bui – FX – split jump 1/1, good – really strong DLO, chest up, small bounce back – double tuck, bounce back and another slide – split leap full – 2.5 to front tuck, stuck, some form on 2.5 – some back leg on her switch elements – double pike, deep but pulled it out

13.000 for Bui.

38.166 for Germany’s floor is just 4th among the teams so far. They lost 1.6 to Belgium on this event and now will have to outscore Belgium’s vaulting by a margin to move ahead. Which they can especially if the Seitz DTY is on. You would expect Germany to move ahead.

Counting a fall on beam and being kind of…eh?…on floor may have sunk the German chances at TF.

Rotation 4

Bui – Vt – pretty secure full, just a small shuffle back – some piking, leg form fairly solid

13.666 for Bui

Petz – VT – very beautiful full, nice amplitude, has the form, slide back. 13.766. All fulls are within two tenths of each other. No need for more differentiation.

Nancy Taman just did a forward roll out of one of her passes on floor, which I’m guessing was not intended.

Alistratava having the shakies on beam and then falls on her loso series

Seitz hits her DTY, very very good one. Small shuffle, a bit of chest position but high and controlled

14.600 for Seitz. That will achieve Belgian domination. Or it will once Voss goes.

Voss – VT – struggles to control her landing on the DTY but lands it, kind of an awkward bounce back so shouldn’t score near Seitz, but easily enough to get Germany past Belgium.

14.366. Germany goes .6 clear of Belgium.

Chuso – BB – front pike mount, hit solidly – punch front pike, same – bhs lay-pike and falls. Oh Chuso. Punch front, solid – switch to split –

Nice double Arabian dismount from Simona Castro on bars.

Hussein – FX – front 2/1, lunge forward OOB – switch leap full, pretty well short of split – double pike, hop forward – wolf turn attempt to her hands but it’s not a fall because stab me in the face – 2/1, hunched over with a hop to the side –

Ulmasova on beam will finish off the subdivision – side aerial to an attempted bhs that was way off from the start, fall

While Germany is now comfortable for Olympic qualification, there are probably still 10 teams that can beat that performance.

Nina retains the lead on bars and floor, while Voss has taken the lead on beam, and Chuso has taken the lead on vault.

Chuso went 48.433, which means she’ll be biting nails about both that and the vault score for the next two days.

Alistratava broke 50, so she’s looking good, and Mohamed is just behind at 49.831.