Let us begin the competition for the best group of men. China qualified in first, followed by Japan, and then Great Britain.
The lining up in a group of five to be introduced is already causing PROBLEMS for half the teams. It’s the pre-meet pommel horse.
The world feed is like “here are all the competitors in this sports competition” and NBC is like, “WHAT IF YOUR MOM CRIED.”
Rotation 1
Jake Jarman is through a leadoff pommel horse with one larger leg break in there.
Richard with a good stick on his double double rings dismount. 14.033 is up 5 tenths on Q.
Dolci for Canada vaults a Kas 1.5, not too large on the hop forward a bit to the side, some legs, solid.
14.133 for Jarman.
Xiao starts for China with 13.966 on floor.
Kaya – FX – Japan – front double pike, hop – 3.5, step forward, leg crossing – front 2/1 to layout, a bit low on layout but gets a good stick – 2/1, little slide – 2.5 to front full – 3/1, stuck, lots of leg crossing again but a secure landing. 14.000
Malone’s rings dismount, chest down hop forward. 14.166, a little down on Q.
Zhang – FX – China – front 2/1 to double front pike, slide back – 3.5 to a kind of crazy 1/2 that he sticks of course – randi, little hop – 2/1, stuck – 2.5 to lay, clean layout position, little hop – 3/1, better form than Kaya but a bounce back. 14.233, also down a bit on Q.
Hong on rings, very good straight maltese and planche positions – finishes double double layout, hop forward. 14.533.
US 42.732 on rings, up just shy of four tenths on qualification thanks to Richard.
Hashimoto – FX – triple double, hop back, stays in bounds – double double, right on – front full to randi, hop – 2/1, stuck – 2.5 to high front layout, hop – 3/1, holds the stick. Oh THERE you are Daiki. 14.633.
Whitlock puts up the critical horse hit for GB’s hopes. 15.266
China goes 42.532 on floor, up over a point on qualification.
Oka – FX – Japan – DLO 1/1, stuck – front full ro randi, a little short, hop to the side – double double, stuck again – 2/1, good height, stuck – 2.5, also stuck. Excellent. 14.633.
Japan goes 43.266 on floor, also up 1.1 on qualification, so both teams keeping pace with their margins early. A big floor for Japan, but not able to eat into that 2.5 point deficit from qualification so far.
After 1:
GB 43.332
Japan 43.266
Canada 43.166
Ukraine 42.866
USA 42.732
China 42.532
Switzerland 41.632
Italy 40.832
A Stephen Nedoroscik pommel horse countdown clock is the content we deserve. Now, how about a Rubik’s cube countdown.
Rotation 2
Bartolini – VT – Italy – beautiful Kas 1.5, little step back. 14.500
Juda – VT – USA – Kas 1.5, solid stick, holds onto it with a little lean. Good. 14.666, adds a little more than a tenth.
Kaya opens Japan’s horse with 14.366, up a tenth, and Zou counters with pommeling a pommel himself for 14.800, up 2 tenths.
Malone – VT – USA – much improved on the Kas 1.5 from qualification with a stick, some direction. That will be the first major score upgrade for the US versus qualification. Well, I supposed Richard’s rings also.
14.533 for Malone, versus Q when they counted 13.933 from Richard.
Sugino goes 14.866 on horse for Japan, a little down on Q but a big score.
Hong – VT – USA – Ri Se Gwang gets it to his feet, medium bounce back
GB gets 13.266 from Whitehouse on rings, which is not a big score but works for them knowing they were going to have a lower one on rings. Whitehouse was 12.400 in qualification and they counted 12.900 from Jarman, so this is improvement.
14.833 vault for Hong. The US vaults 44.032, versus 43.166 in qualification.
And Hashimoto is off on pommel horse, the first major break of the final. 13.100 for him, which tanks Japan’s pommel score. Hepworth nearly sticks his rings dismount, hop forward. 14.800 is up a tenth.
Xiao finishes horse for China with a hit to confirm the major advantage they’ll gain in this rotation
After 2
USA 86.764 (+1.232)
China 86.098 (+1.467)
Japan 85.598 (-0.533)
Canada 85.331 (+0.267)
GB 85.164 (+0.432)
Switzerland 84.631 (-2.068)
Italy 84.098 (+0.165)
Ukraine 83.765 (+0.401)
Rotation 3
Whitehouse – VT – GB – crashes his Dragulescu, short, lands on hands and knees. 13.033, versus 14.633 in Q.
Zou opens rings with 14.933, a huge score, also down on qualification, but a huge score.
Malone leading off PB for the US – very smooth vertical positions, just a lunge back on his double pike. 14.433, loses .1 on Q.
Chepurnyi – VT – Ukraine – nice Kas 2/1, little hop and then an extra arm wave step, good positions in the air. And a 14.900, huge.
Jarman – VT – GB – Kas 2.5 is hit to his feet, big bounce forward but he has the D so that’s fine. 15.266
Richard on PBars for the US, a little elbow hesitation a stutz, well past handstand on a full twist – hits nice tippelt – double front, nearly finds the stick, hop forward. Gets 14.566 to go a little up on Q.
Zhang goes 14.833 on rings, Oka up next for Japan with a nice hit where he finds the stick on the double double layout. Good routine, the problem being China is a lot better on rings and has already accrued an advantage after horse. 14.133 here.
GB gets the 14.966 they needed from Hepworth on vault, but they’ll still drop 8 tenths on vault compared to qualification with the Whitehouse miss.
Liu Yang is like, goodbye losers, on rings, just a small step back on double double. LOL 15.500
Hong sticks double front 1/2 dismount on Pbars, and goes up a tenth on qualification with a 14.400.
We look back at Hepworth’s vault, a really nice handspring randi, clean and high, hop back.
Dolci – HB – Canada – tak 1/1, past – tak 1/2, closer – Cassina, caught – Kolman, solid as well – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – stalder – DLO 2/1, hop to the side. Nice one.
A very good 14.500 from Tanigawa on rings that is also a point behind Liu.
After 3
China 131.364 (+1.534)
USA 130.163 (+1.365)
GB 128.429 (-0.602)
Ukraine 128.231 (+0.235)
Japan 128.231 (-0.432)
Canada 126.397 (+0.767)
Italy 126.197 (-0.036)
Switzerland 124.529 (-2.303)
China won qualification over Japan by 2.5 points and has gained a margin of about 2 points so far today. GB had 3.3 on the US but has dropped about 2 points of that so far. Ukraine had 6 tenths on the US but has dropped more than a point.
Rotation 4
Sugino – VT – Japan – Kas 2/1 is hit, a little steppy on landing with a couple small adjustments and some twisting form. 14.700
Xiao – VT – China – one single lunge back on his own Kas 2/1. 14.800
Juda – HB – USA – Yam, some pike – Kovacs, solid – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – tak – tak 1/2 is past, not quite as late as Q – DLO 1/1, a biger hop forward, would have wanted to avoid the landing issue but otherwise solid.
In good news for Japan, Hashimoto vaults a 14.900, which is way better than Q.
13.366 for Juda is about right on qualification.
Zhang – VT – China – deep landing on his Kas 2/1, gets it to his feet without a fall but deep knees and a hop forward.
We get a look back as Hashimoto’s Kas 2/1, which is also actually a bit short with a hop forward, though not as extreme as Zhang’s. Zhang goes 14.533.
Kovtun sticks double front on Pbars. 15.433, huge number.
Richard – HB – USA – gets the Cassina and the Kolman – Liukin is hit – tkatchev to piked tkatchev, solid – tak 1/1, well past – tak 1/2 also late – DLO 2/1, stuck. A very good one. You thought he was going to miss both the Cassina and Kolman given how high he went but he got them. 14.833, compared to 14.166 in Q.
Jarman with a good hit on Pbars, hop back on double front 1/2 out.
Tanigawa – VT – Japan – handspring pike 1/2, allllmost falls, super deep and a lunge forward and they didn’t give him pike position.
Su – VT – China – another problem on his Kas 1.5, short, lunge back and falls for 12.766. It’s all kicking off on vault now. China losing almost a point and a half of ground there.
Malone – HB – tak 1/2 – Cassina, hit – Kolman, solid – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – tak 1/1 is very nice – giant full – DLO 2/1 stuck. Didn’t go for the D but put up a very clean hit. 14.166. US gains over 2 points on HB from qualification.
After 4
China 173.463 (+0.134)
Ukraine 173.030 (+0.002)
USA 172.528 (+3.631)
Japan 171.664 (-0.465)
Great Britain 171.328 (-0.832)
Canada 167.596 (+0.500)
Switzerland 166.395 (-2.003)
Italy 165.829 (-1.203)
China gives everything back on vault there, but they still have gained ground on Japan based on today’s results. Big rotation coming up for Ukraine because they botched HB in qualification and can gain now.
Rotation 5
Juda – FX – USA – double double, solid, hop back – front 2/1 to layout, little hop – randi, a bit short, hop forward – 2/1, stuck – back 2.5 to front full, good landing – FTDT, a little short, hop. Some hoppies but a solid one. 14.200 gains a few more tenths.
Whitlock starts GB with a 13.000 on HB.
Stelmakh – HB – Ukraine – tak 1/1, pretty but well past – tak 1/2 is good – layout tkatchev – tkatchev, good height – DLO 2/1, with a pretty stick. Not a wild ton of D but a good one. 13.666
Xiao 14.733 on PBars.
Hong – FX – USA – front 2/1 to double front, lands OOB and hops back – front 1/1 to double front pike, hop – double double layout, good, little hop – back 2.5 to front lay, hop – 3/1, some legs, bounce back. With all the hops and an OOB it won’t be the wildest score but it will work.
Jarman with a solid 13.400 on HB.
Zhang does the slowest leg closure on a Tippelt there’s ever been on PB but otherwise nice until the dismount, very low chest, hair nearly meeting the mat, with a hop. 15.100
Kovtun – UB – Ukraine – nice tak 1/1 – tak 1/2, a little past – high Kolman, gets it – layout tkatchev to tkatchev to piked tkatchev, excellent – hop full – DLO 2/1, hop back. That’s the hit Ukraine needed. 14.033, versus the 12.800 they counted in Q.
Oka holds onto his stick on double front 1/2 on on PBars.
Fraser – HB – GB – gets his Cassina – nice layout tkatchev and piked tkatchev to tkatchev, good height – tak 1/1, very past – some body position throughout, a couple small losses of momentum – DLO 2/1, lunge forward. 13.633 is a big dip from his 14.2 in Q
Richard – FX – USA – double 2.5, hop forward – front 2/1 to layout, hop – double double, comfortable, holds stick – 2/1, stuck – back 2.5 to front 1/1, holds onto stick with a lean – FTDT, same, holds stick with an arm wave. Resolved several of the landings from qualification, leaned and finessed a lot of them but held them. 14.466 versus 13.833 from day 1.
Also Zou got 16 on Pbars.
We didn’t see Verniaiev on HB but just a 12.800 for him, which stunts the ground Ukraine could have gained on high bar.
Absolute beautiful PBars from Wataru Tanigawa for Japan, the best double front 1/2 out dismount.
Neither the world feed nor the US feed showing us Bartolini’s floor is an actual police crime.
After 5
China 219.296 (-0.366)
Japan 216.029 (-1.333)
USA 215.327 (+4.531)
Ukraine 213.529 (+1.068)
GB 211.361 (-1.535)
Italy 207.728 (-1.237)
Switzerland 207.194 (-2.936)
Canada 205.561 (-0.534)
China with a big lead on Japan. US in control for bronze but has to pommel.
Rotation 6
Chepurnyi – FX – Ukraine – front full to double front, step forward – double double, hop back – back 2.5 to layout, hop forward – 2/1, hop – 3/1 is a struggle, very short landing with a lunge forward. 13.366
Sugino – HB – Japan – Pagan, caught, just a little close but fine – Cassina, hit – Kovacs, not trouble, connects to Kolman – tak 1/1, past – yam, lots of pike – tak 1/2, good – DLO 2/1, step back. 14.566
Juda starts the US with a comfortable hit on horse. 13.900 is a big start.
Xiao – HB – China – tak 1/1, very past – tak 1/2 – layout tkatchev, hit – tkatchev – tkatchev pike – giant full – DLO 2/1 is a big problem, looks like a knee down? on the big lunge forward
Big 14.700 for Hepworth on floor for GB.
Just 13.033 for Xiao. Japan picks up half of the three point deficit there on the first routine.
Oka – HB – Japan – tak 1/1, OK – tak 1/2, solid vertical position – Kolman, hit – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – DLO 2/1, a little deep, hits it with a bounce forward
Kovtun with 14.100 on floor, dropping some tenths from qualification.
Malone is through a second pommel horse hit for the US.
Potentially important inquiry if things get (more) weird, Xiao’s HB has been raised to 13.433.
14.433 for Oka.
Su Weide – HB – China – tak 1/1, weird hand placement, late – liukin, hits it with a pike – layout tkatchev and falls! – and now a second fall on a Kolman! It’s all happening on high bar. Memo to NBC. Finishes with a DLO 2/1, hop forward.
Going to be a while for that score.
Meanwhile, Nedoroscik with his critical PH routine over on the drama-free pommel horse, which is usually something we say, he’s through with a hit, as the US will clinch a team medal.
Yikes. 11.600 for Su.
Hashimoto – HB – Japan – Liukin is hit – Cassina, good – Kolman, nice hit – layout tkatchev – DLO 2/1, nearly sticks, little movement.
14.866 for Nedoroscik.
14.566 for Hashimoto. Now Zhang would have to go over 15, which he can do.
Zhang – HB – China – tak 1/1, smooth – tak 1/2, good – Kolman, hit – Cassina, nice – layout tkatchev – stalder – DLO 2/1, pretty big step back and an arm wave
14.733 is not enough.
China had three points on Japan heading to high bar, and Japan wins gold.
FINAL
Japan 259.594
China 259.062
USA 257.793
GB 255.527
Ukraine 254.761
Italy 248.260
Switzerland 247.427
Canada 245.426
Kaya might be having a heart attack.
It was almost…normal for a men’s team final, and then China was like no forever.