The “I mean they should be good, but…” phenomenon of this Japanese team is about to be answered. Right now, GB is at 161.963, and that’s the score to beat to feel good about making the team final. Similarly, Spain is at 159.021, which is the score to beat to feel good about making the Olympics.

TEAMS: Japan, Mexico
INDIVIDUALS: Anahit Assadourian (ARM), Luciana Alvarado (CRC), Camila Montoya (CRC), Heika Del Sol Salas (CRC), Anastasija Dubova (LAT), Marija Ribalcenko (LAT), Elina Vihrova (LAT), Egle Stalinkeviciute (LTU), Agata Vostruchovaite (LTU), Sandra Collantes (PER), Fabiola Diaz (PER), Ariana Orrego (PER)

Rotation 1

Kajita – FX – 2.5 to front full, pulled out a stick on that despite being a bit low – simpler twisting elements but she’s hitting them – double held leg turn is probably around – double tuck, chest down but hit

Surprised that Garcia isn’t in the bars lineup for Mexico – but Gutierrez leads off hitting her piked jaeger and double front 1/2 out.

12.666 for Gutierrez. Ana Lago – UB – Shap to pak, some legs apart – van leeuwen, clean – gaint full to huge gienger, well caught but very short hs after it – then looks like she clipped her feet on the low bar – FTDT is very high and far, step.

13.166 for Kajita feels really high.

Hatakeda – FX – double wolf, good – double tuck, bounce back double Y spin, solid, just a little overturned – 2.5 to front tuck, step forward OOB – double pike, bounce back. Shame about the OOB, but a solid routine. 12.500

Moreno – UB – Shap to pak, legs apart – crazy legs on van leeuwen – clear hip full – deltchev is nice – clear hip 1/2 , front giant 1/2 to bail to shoot – some short handstands – DLO, bounce back. I mean, it’s Moreno bars, but she got through it and did her difficulty.

Teramoto – FX – drops heel on double L attempt – pike full in, chest well down but only a small hop – 1.5 through to 2.5, good control – wolf double – front 2/1, just a tad under-rotated – switch ring – really nice completion on switch leap full – double pike, stumble backward, she kept it in bounds because she’s so tiny, but a few significant lunges, which is a shame because the middle of this routine was so nice.

Sigh. 12.566

Stuck DLO from Frida Esparza on bars. The rest of the lineup was held in the 12s, but this surely won’t be.

Matsumura – FX – triple turn – 3/1 to punch front, small hop – L turn 1.275 – 2.5 to front full, very deep landing but she does keep it to her feet – double tuck, good control, chest up, only small hop.

13.766 for Esparza gets Mexico into the 39s on bars.

12.933 for Matsumura. 38.665 for Japan on floor. That’s currently in 10th place among floor scores.

Vostruchovaite – BB – long pause before aerial to front tuck, no possible chance to land that and falls – switch to switch 1/2, pause before back tuck, lots of deductions in those switches – side somi, a bit of a lean – front layout full, small hop. 9.933

Assadourian – BB – candle mount, drops very quickly – bhs loso series and immediate fall – swtich – split jump with a check – full turn, check – side aerial, hits, with a small lean – straight jump 1/1, solid – gainer pike, short with a hop.

Rotation 2

Gutierrez – BB – wolf double – falls on her next wolf attempt – finishes with a 2.5, lunge forward

Sugihara – VT – actually does her 1.5 after only timers in PT and it’s fine. Hop forward. 14.033

Hatakeda – VT – also hits her 1.5, also with a bounce forward, a little larger than Sugihara’s and a little more knee form to me, but we’ll see where the judges go. 14.033. All vaults are the same.

Teramoto – VT – lands her rudi, chest well down and a hop to the side, but landed. 14.633

Moreno – BB – front pike, small shuffle – bhs loso series, hit – front tuck, solid – side somi, hit – switch side, small check – double pike, overtime, hop back. Where would they be without Moreno?

And by that I mean she got 11.900.

Matsumura downgrades to the 1.5 on VT. She was crashing DTYs in PT. But this also brings up, beyond the Mai issue, Japan left a couple possible DTYs at home too. 14.100

Lago – BB – bhs loso, check – aerial, small arm wave – split to wolf – full turn – punch frotn, another check but still only small – switch – switch 1/2 – double tuck, bounce back. Lots of pauses, so expect a lower E, but she stayed on without any huge errors.

42.766 for Japan on vault.

11.433 for Lago. E score at 6.6 for no checks beyond little leg-up wobbles, but a lot of them, and splits, and rhythm

Garcia – Switch mount – switch leap, leg-up check – front tuck, lean – bhs lay-pike, saves it with a check – side aerial, smooth – side somi, leg-up check – annndshe falls on a switch side – holds onto the beam in a pike stoop, but sadly no bonus for that – double tuck, step back. Mexico beam.

10.666

Stalinkeviciute – FX – double pike, small step – double tuck, step back – wolf turn 2.5 – nice split leap full – front layout – 12.200

Mexico puts up the lowest beam score of the event so far.

Assadourian – FX – double tuck, secure landing, just chest down – L turn single – switch ring and split ring, probably no credit for split ring for lack of closure – front layout, large bounce – 1.5, small hop.

Stumble back for Salas on her DLO on bars

Ribalcenko FX – held leg double, not all the way around – double pike to her hands and knees – double tuck, bounce back – insane rudi attempt with crazy legs, lands it with a bounce back

Rotation 3

Garcia – FX – single L turn – what is this bird-attack music? – finishes with a stuck double tuck, cowboy and chest down, but stuck.

Sugihara – UB – Maloney to gienger, legs apart – toe 1/2 to piked jaeger, caught – shrot hs – toe full to bail, nice legs together position – stalder – Double pike, small step back. Clean start.

13.266 for Sugihara.Kajita – hits piked jaeger and Nabieva – pak – toe shap 1/2 – stalder – toe full – takes FTDT really close to the bar but hits it, step. She may have earned a spot to compete in the TF this year. 13.533 for this one.

Very strong DLO from Ana Lago – full in, bounce back – split leap full – heel drops right at the end of her double L turn – double pike, hands down

Teramoto – UB – inbar 1/2 to piked jaeger, caught – inbar full to very high gienger but caught very close to the bar – 1/2 turn to jaeger, fine – bail to toe shoot – FTDT, very strong landing. 13.966 even with the close catch.

Moreno – FX – doubel double tucked, lands it, chest well down with a step – DLO, bounce back – split leap full – switch side 1/2 – front full to a bit of an aborted stag that didn’t get far off the ground – wolf turn double is very silly as she plant-stands-up her extended leg – double pike, short with a large stagger. 12.300

Hatakeda – UB – inbar 1/2 to piked jaeger, Ricna, caught – bail is totally crooked whne she caught but pulled it back – a dead hang on high – FTDT, hop back, not her very strongest.

Gutierrez – FX – front full through to 3/1, corkscrew legs throughout but landed, hop to the side – double L attempt, not sure I’d give that as a horizontal position – 1.5 through to double tuck, small hop – 2.5 to layout, a little whipped over but fine.

13.733 for Hatakeda. 41.323 for Japan, which once again is…fine? But they’re going to have to be LEGIT on beam to make the team final.

11.500 for Orrego on beam – Diaz follows her, finishing with punch layout full and a hop

To have a shot at making TF, Japan needs to go 39.2 ish on beam. So far, China, France, and Canada have reached that on beam. There is also the chance that a total beam meltdown would put them behind Spain, but it would have to be a meltdown.

After a 10.833 for Salas, Montoya has the final beam routine of the rotation – she hits her loso series then balks on a leap and just does a frog hop – front aerial right off the beam.

Rotation 4

Hatakeda – BB – stretching and looks like she has to pee, so good sign – switch mount, small check – front tuck to split, small check again – aerial, fine – side aerial, smoothly landed – side somi, strong – switch to switch 1/2, small check – loso series, hit – double pike, hop back

12.966

Teramoto – BB – just does survive her wolf turn, makes some contact with the beam but keeps going – double turn, hit – aerial to split to straddle – onodi is quite nice – switch – side somi – bhs loso series, very solid – side aerial, calmly done – 2.5, some legs, small hop. Good routine. Two important hits with team qualification to a home Olympics on the line. 12.966

Alexa Moreno hits her rudi, bounce back fairly large, but good height and completion. Smaller bounce on her Tsuk double, another good hit

Kajita – BB – aerial to split ring, nice – bhs loso series, check – switch ring – y spin, large break, bend at the hips – side aerial, another check to the side – 2/1, college stick. Some breaks but she stayed on to clinch Olympic qualification.

Moreno moves into first on vault.

Matsumura will do the final beam instead of Sugihara – goes for a round-off tuck full! Stays on the beam with a leg-up check – switch to split – aerial, small wobble – switch ring, 70 arm waves – side aerial – side somi – 2.5, crossover lunge to the side

12.633 for Matsumura. Japan comes in behind Belgium. Looks like they’ll make the Olympics, but potentially as the final qualifier depending on how Brazil does.

Chuso update: She lost two spots in the AA race and now sits 23rd. Current projection is that 30 will make it through with the unused event final places added in. I see maybe four people who can pass her left, so it’s starting to look good for Chuso. She got some real help today from some misses.