We have three finals on the docket today, ideally less of a catastrophe than yesterday’s event final crapocalypse—but at the same time, messes sure are fun.

The competition orders are as follows:

RINGS
[5] Zanetti
[8] You
[2] Liu
[7] Abliazin
[4] Colak
[3] Ait Said
[1] Petrounias
[6] Asil

So, we assume Petrounias because Petrounias, but Liu came up just a tenth behind Petrounias in qualification, and did so with a higher D score. It’s a rings final—it’s a dismount competition.

Because everything is monstrous, the women’s floor final will be conducted today with beam tomorrow, and it makes me more uncomfortable than can possibly be expressed by words.

WOMEN’S FLOOR
[5] Listunova
[2] Carey
[4] Jessica Gadirova
[6] Melnikova
[1] Ferrari
[7] Murakami
[3] Andrade
[8] Jennifer Gadirova

Carey is going to have the D score advantage here, but a critical question will be how much advantage she receives. In qualification, Carey attempted a 6.6 D score (or 6.7 if you say she’s going for a split 1.5) but got credit for only a 6.2 (and 6.3 in the all-around) because she’s getting so hammered on dance elements. If she gets credit for more in this final, she may be the favorite here over Ferrari and the gang, but I think Carey should take a page out of Lee’s book and do less, ditch one of her attempted dance elements and just be OK counting her front layout stepout, which will lower her intended D but also eliminate a deduction trap of a dance element in a way that should increase her final score.

MEN’S VAULT
[4] Asil
[7] Souza
[3] Nagornyy
[2] Davtyan
[8] Onder
[1] Shin
[5] Abliazin
[6] Yulo

…stay alive?

---

The finals begin at the same time as the USWNT, so don’t be totally alarmed if the rings live blog is slightly more about Rose Lavelle than usual. I mean, it’s always a little bit about Rose Lavelle, but more.

Strongy boys marching out.

“In my opinion, it’s the most strength event.”

Zanetti – good initial planche positions – roll to maltese, very precise – front tuck to pikes to maletese, secure, lower to cross, good horizontal position – roll to cross, again solid – arch in final handstand – OOOOF, looked like he went for a triple tuck dismount, lands on hands and knees, not close there.

I feel like Lindsay Horan could medal in this final.

You – You???? How????? – uprise to inverted cross, good – maltese positions also very straight – a little hestiant on a handstand – nice double layout – pikes to cross, a little high in that cross position – double double layout, holds the landing but swims a coupel times, which is still a deduction. Not as strong on the rings as Zanetti, but you know, didn’t fall.

15.300. Holy crapoley that’s a score. 6.6 D and 8.7 E score.

Liu – pull up directly to planche is excellent – inverted cross, very smooth – front pike directly to cross, better cross position than You – planche lower to cross, neck crack – double double tuck, small movement, chest down, minimized movement but did move.

15.500 and into first place. 9.000 E score. He was stronger on the rings themselves than You, so the ranking is right.

Why do you get into the box and then act like you don’t know anything? That’s a subtweet of the entire team.

Abliazin – good first maltese positions – tuck to pikes to planche, got a little hung up in his saltos, to planche position, not quite horizontal, not quite as precise as Liu in handstand positions – double double layout, small step and swims to minimize additional movement.

14.833 for Abliazin and into 3rd.

Colak – again, good maltese, all of them can do those comfortably – straight planche – tucks and pikes to maltese, lower to cross, good position – some hesitation in a handstand double front pike, slide back. Good, not sure it can challenge though, despite his face-appearance bonus.

14.866 and 3rd place now.

Ait Said – lift up through planchge to handstand, gets it – roll to planche, slight angle – maltese is strong – some swing in holding handstands – front pike to maltese, good – another slightly hesitant planche, a bit of muscling up to handstand – DLO 1/1, small hop forward. Some things again.

Gets 14.900 for it and into third.

Petrounias – up to planche, good – maltese positions very straight – secure handstands shown, good planche again – lower to cross, very horizontal – rolls up to cross, same – pikes to handstand, slight hesitation – double double tuck was raggedy, chest down and a hop forward. Not as strong as Liu.

15.200 for Petrounias and into 3rd. I have some questions about why You is ahead of Petrounias though. I mean I know D score but still.

Asil – he has very efficient positions, especially in moltese, but also ends up a little higher in some crosses, lowers into his second one – the maltese and planche positions are nice – double double layout is a struggle, low and a bounce to the side.

14.600 for Asil, finishes 7th.

RINGS
Gold – Liu – 15.500
Silver – You – 15.300
Bronze – Petrounias – 15.200

Soo…that was rings.

---

OMG this medal ceremony is still going on. I might die.

They’re finally walking out for floor.

Listunova – DLO, stumble back and OOB – falls out of double Y a bit at the end – 3/1, hands down. GREATTTTT. I was wondering if her floor final woes would alleviate since she didn’t have the AA, but… – 2.5 to front tuck, hop – switch ring – switch full, a litlte under – TIME TO GET HER FREAK ON – double tuck, short, bounce.

Let’s take 15 hours to come up with her score too. I think that’s a solid idea.

AHHHHHHH.

Oh look a 12.400.

Carey – Starts with Moors, solid landing, small hop, some pike – front loso throigh to double double tuck, shuffle back, both feet – looks like she took out the double L turn – L hop full to switch full, that looked around – DLO 1/1, small shuffle – split leap 1.5-ish attempt will still get hammered – full in, bounce back. Good. Pretty solid control.

14.366 with a 6.3 D score. Her top floor score of the event. Also her highest D score of the event even while taking out the double L.

Jessica Gadirova – her open double double tuck in the lay-puck position, a little chest down, step – switch full, good elevation, borderline around – DLO, nice and high, only small slide back – switch ring to split leap 1.5, bouncy landing – front full throigh to fouble tuck, stuck landing. Nice work all around. Minimized the landing deductions pretty well, has the performance presence.

14.000 for her. Higher E than Carey by several tenths but well down on difficulty.

Melnikova – SCHOOL’S OUT – DLO 1/1, a little short but controls it, small adjustment forward – double L to double turn is lovely – DLO, nice, bounce back – switch, switch ring 1/2, a little bouncy – front full to beat jump – adjustment pause before triple wolf but pulls it around, double is fine – double pike, pretty large bounce back on that one with another shuffle – didn’t give away a lot until that final landing.

14.166 goes ahead of Gadirova but behind Carey. 5.9 D score, 8.266 execution.

Ferrari time – double double, NAILED landing – whip to full-in, another stick, just chest down – switch ring, split leap full – Ferrari was probably the largest deduction, form and an insecure landing – double y borderline finish – split leap 1.5, closest to around we’ve seen thus far on the sttempts – split jump full – front loso through to double tuck, shuffle back. Excellent. We’ll see how much that deduction on the Ferrari factors.

14.200 for Ferrari. 2nd place. Ferrari gets an 8.3 E score, 5.9 D score.

Murakami – I’d say she got around that triple y but did lean out at the end – double double tuck, small slide – DLO, bounce back – 2.5 to front full, keeps it right into the corner, small movement – definitely around on double L turn – short on some split leaping – switch ring – double pike is pretty solid, small hop forward. Some of her better landing control and should get credit for most of her dance. Will be close.

14.166. Tied with Melnikova on both execution and difficulty so the tie would not be broken.

Andrade – front full through to full in and a bounce OOB – those damn OOBs! – DLO 1/1, nailed it again, great stick – split leap full with a hop – double y to stag 1/2, lovely – DLO, small bounce back – switch – split leap full, hop – double pike, another large bounce back. Similar landing errors to the AA which should keep her out of the medals.

14.0333, actually got pretty close though.

Jennifer Gadirova – her lay in, pike out with a full twist causes problems, chest down with a lunge – DLO, a bit short, step forward – switch ring to split leap full – split leap full, a little under – front loso through to double tuck, bounce back. That won’t challenge the medals

FLOOR
Gold – Carey – 14.366
Silver – Ferrari – 14.200
Bronze – Murakami & Melnikova – 14.166

Don’t think that anyone who didn’t get into the medals should have. If it were up to me to break the 3rd-place tie, I would have given it to Murakami. I honestly think it was the deductions on the Ferrari that spoiled the gold for Ferrari. She still gets her floor medal though.

---

In the interest of lunacy, now it’s men’s vault. At least after a 50 hour medal ceremony. The real winner will be the ACLs we didn’t tear along the way.

Asil – 1 – quite a lot of hand spit to start – handspring double front pike 1/2 out is quite strong – chest down, not too large on the hop back – shows a real pike shape. 15.266

Asil – 2 – Tsuk double back pike and hands down – oh he knows he had it after that first vault. 13.633 for that one.

14.449 average.

Souza – 1 – Kas 2/1, pulls it around, a jarred landing with a large lunge back – some leg crossing – 14.466

Sousa – 2 – handspring double front and got NOOOOOO block, no chance to pull it around (and he was intending to do a pike), second athlete, second fall on second vault. 12.900

13.683

So the final was going great.

Nagornyy – 1 – double front 1/2 out, pulls it around, the usual cowboy and flexed feet throughout, a fairly large lunge back. 14.833

Nagornyy – 2 – Tsuk double pike and successfully stays upright, so that’s a win – leg break, feet – bounce back and a little extra step. 14.600

14.716 and comfortably into the lead.

Davtyan – 1 – Kas 2/1 is a real sidewinder, but he gets it – comes in at some angle and has to hop it around – but not too large on the hop and stays in the area.

Davtyan – 2 – goes fro the Dragulescu as well, lunge to the side and out of bounds – feet, cowboy at the end but less –

ooooh 14.733 is enough to go ahead of Nagornyy

Onder – 1 – double front first vault, very deep landing and a bounce back. 13. 833

Onder – 2 – Kas 1.5, lunge forward, leg crossing, some knee bending. Posted 5.6 vaults for both but did 5.2s on both.

14.066 average, so behind Asil.

Shin – 1 -Kas 2.5 and bassiicallly pulls it around? He lands about a 1/4 turn short – hops it around with a bound forward. The large bound forward takes him OOB as well. 14.733

Shin – 2- handspring 2.5 is quite strong, a large bounce back but landed chest up and had good direction

14.833 for the second vault. 14.783 average and into first.

Abliazin – 1 – handspring 2.5 is hit, the landing is jarring enough that it seemed like his hop bones might shoot out his butt when he landed, but that’s normal, lunge back

Abliazin – 2 – good control on his Tsuk double pike, a step back but one of the smaller steps we’ve had today. 14.800 second vault.

That gives him 14.783 and he’s into 2nd on the tiebreak after getting the same average as Shin.

I think he’s having a “but why would I be second?” moment.

Yulo – 1 – Struggles on his Kas 2/1, large lunge to the side and off the mat – 14.566

Yulo – 2 – Dragulescu is much better – very high, some cowboy, lunge back.

14.866 for his second vault, the best score of the day, but that puts him on 14.716 average, the same as Nagornyy in 4th.

VAULT
Gold – Shin
Silver – Abliazin
Bronze – Davtyan

The separation of .077 between first and fifth in this final really reinforced the “all vaults are the same” judging principles. Do I have an opinion about the order? I don’t but I really want one, so maybe I’ll try to come up with something.

One more day of this!