It’s an early one, so PBars didn’t happen.

GOLD – Zou
SILVER – Kovtun
BRONZE – Oka

On to beam!

Zhou – fhs to front tuck to split jump, hit – full turn – switch ring, holds it – side somi to tuck jump full to straight jump full, leans forward and grabs the beam! – switch to wolf, hit – aerial to split ring to korbut is perfect – 3/1, dismount, over time, lunge back.

Looked crisp but a little tight in trying connections on the other elements, but then that straight full. Stupid straights.

14.100 for Zhou. 7.500 execution. Down from the 14.866 qualification.

Lee – not doing the loso mount even today – wolf triple, good – aerial to split to bhs is well connected – switch to switch 1/2 to split ring jump, solid as well – side aerial loso loso, splits the beam and then gets ejected from the beam – so it’s one of THOSE beam finals – resumes with switch ring, another large break – gainer full pike, lunge forward.

13.100 for Lee.

Soares – soares mount, very nice – wolf double, hit – bhs loso, hit – aerial to split to back tuck, hits, little arm wave – switch, pause in combination – attempts split leap halfish? and falls – wolf to sissone – double pike, step back.

Beam final is fulfilling the prophecyyyyyyy. Zhou to win with a beam grab……

12.333 for Soares.

Esposito – bhs mount to loso bhs, good – switch to split jump 1/2 to bhs, nice – aerial, check – side aerial, large break but keeps it on the beam, leg up wobble – wolf triple, nice – double pike. For this final, large leg up wobble = best hit of all time

14.000 though, which is still behind Zhou in 2nd.

Voinea – layout full and she falls – wolf to sissone, hit – bhs layout 2 feet is secure – aerial, hit – side aerial, right off the side for a second fall – split jump 1/2 is nice – switch to switch 1/2, small check before bhs – double tuck, slide back

3 falls and beam grab through five routines. Beam, ILYSM.

We need to talk about this score for 9 hours apparently, 11.733

D’Amato – switch mount to aerial to straddle to sissone, lovely – switch to switch ring, arm wave check – bhs loso, a little tentative, doesn’t set the back foot, but controls it – front tuck, a little hoppy – wolf double – 2.5 dismount, stuck.

Another strong routine for D’Amato, so she’ll obviously finish 4th or 5th.

14.366 and into first. It’s Alice time.

We also have to discuss how this was a weaker routine than her AA final routine and got a higher E score. Doesn’t make the AA final look great, or one or the other.

Biles – switch mount – switch to switch 1/2 to back pike, hit, small arm wave – wolf triple, good – aerial to split to straddle, nice – bhs to loso wallllking back on the beam and falls – resumes with side aerial, little check – bhs bhs FTDT, hop. Well, that was sure this beam final.

Simone’s face says, yes let’s wait 90 hours for the score to figure out that I fell.

13.100. Into 4th!

Andrade – switch mount – switch to switch 1/2 to split, hit – bhs loso, solid – aerial, check – switch ring, check, holds onto it – side aerial, another small lean – split ring jump, good – wolf to sissone – double pike, hop back. Survived the final.

13.933 will put her out of the medals. Today, she did aerial, but then didn’t do split ring to bhs out of it and lost all the D.

GOLD – D’Amato
SILVER – Zhou
BRONZE – Esposito

The “WE SORRY ALICE” final. Zhou silver with a beam grab. Esposito bronze as a reward for not just falling apart completely.

What a ridiculous beam final. I am FULFILLED.

Simone has a 0.3 neutral deduction on her routine, which wouldn’t be for taking too long to remount after the fall, and she started her routine with 8 seconds left on the clock, so she must have not saluted enough. She kind of finished and then did a half-FML-turn to the judges. Which should be enough and is a dumb deduction anyway. Internet, you may begin.

THE HIGHEST OF BARS

Tang has come out showing his credential to us. We love a rule-following hero. Tin Srbic and Su Weide are also actively showing their credentials to get onto the field of play. This is the podium.

Tang – tak 1/2 to layout tkatchev to tkatchev to piked tkatcehv, good – Cassina and falls – no it’s ruined again. Resumes, redoes the Cassina and hits it – tak 1/1 is the best one – Walstrom is caught successfully – DLO 1/1, lovely stick. 13.966

Oka – tak 1/1, late – tak 1/2, good – Kolman is hit – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – close bar giants – inbar – DLO 2/1, stuck. Hitting Is Not Hard: The Oka Shinnosuke Story

14.533 and into first.

Barajas – tak 1/1, pretty – tak 1/2, solid – stalder tkatchev layout with form – Cassina, just did catch – kovacs to kolman is hit – inbar with elbows and body position – DLO 2/1, little movement. Some formies but also some greats.

Also 14.533 for him but behind Oka on E score.

Georgiou -tak 1/1 and 1/2 are very nice – Cassina, got it – kovacs, good – stalder – full – zou li ming, all clean – DLO 1/1, nice in the air and then lands it way short and belly flops. Watched the beam final I think.

13.333 for Georgiou.

Sugino – Pegan, misses one arm but somehow keeps swinging – and now he’s off on the Cassina – resumes and hits Cassina – kovacs, good – yam – tak 1/2 crooked – DLO 2/1, and short and falls, hands down.

11.633

Zhang – tak 1/1 – tak 1/2, solid – kolman, close but caught – Cassina is good – layout tkatchev – tkatchev – DLO 2/1, and another problem, short and a hands down run forward. Was winning gold until then.

High bar loving its life as more of a mess than beam.

13.966 and into a tie for 3rd!

Srbic – stalder rybalko, crazy legs – tak 1/2 late into nice stalder tkatchev layout – stalder tkatchev and falls – HIGH BAR – taking a really long time to restart after redoing his grips – resumes with kolman, hit – hop full – tak 1/1, crazy legs, goes over the wrong way, second fall – finishes stalder and DLO 1/1, stuck.

11.333

Su – tak 1/1, good – tak 1/2, bit fo elbows – liukin, hit – layout tkatchev – Kolman, good – DLO 2/1 and another one – short landing, hands down. So 4 of the 8 couldn’t complete their dismounts with hands down. We’ll have a medalist with a fall.

13.433 puts Su in 5th.

GOLD – Oka
SILVER – Barajas
BRONZE – Tang and Zhang

Tang and Zhang tying for bronze with falls is what this high bar final deserves.

Ending with floor.

Women’s Leaps and Tumbles

Esposito – wolf triple, smoothly done – DLO is again super short like the AA and falls – switch full attempt – triple y to illusion is lovely – split ring leap to split leap full, around – 2.5 to front lay, hits, hop – doubel pike, large stumble back, multiple lunges and OOB. WE DONE.

12.133. But her foot is still attached, so that’s a win.

Andrade – front full to FTDT, excellent – DLO 1/1, bounce back – split leap 1.5 is under, will get full credit – double y turn to stag – DLO, small slide back – switch – switch 1/1, under – double pike, step back. Some no-credit leaps but her best landings of the Olympics by far.

14.166 first place.

Ou – 3/1 is hit, leg crossing – 2.5 to front tuckish, hops forward OOB – almost gets quad turn around, leans/lunges out of it at the end – double tuck, good form, small hop back – double L, gets it – switch ring – switch 1/2 – wolf triple, around. One rough pass, otherwise one of her good ones

13.000, into 2nd.

Kishi – double double, solid, chest down, small step – front full to front 2/1, a bit under rotated on the 2/1 and looked like a step OOB from our (bad) angle – wolf triple, around – attempts double y, falls out of it after one turn with larger stumble – double tuck, bounce – switch ring to split ring – double pike, short landing, step forward. And yes that was OOB on replay.

13.166, into 2nd place.

Barbosu – whip to FTDT, good, small hop – pike full, secure, too low on the pike position – 2.5 to front full, step forward OOB and some leg crossing – hitch kick – split leap 1.5, pretty solid completion of the 1.5 turn there – wolf 2.25 – double tuck to front tuck, solid – switch full.

13.700 is comfortably into 2nd for now.

D’Amato – double y spin, an aerial camera for some reason that is helping no one ever – double double tuck, hop back – 3.1, step back OOB, crossed legs – wolf double – switch – split leap full, around – split jump full – front 2/1, hop forward – switch ring.

This floor final was like, “wouldn’t it be funny if just everyone went out of bounds?” and beam and high bar were like, “that’s not even anything.”

13.600 is behind Barbosu and into 3rd.

Biles – triple double, hit, small hop back – front full to double double, lands full OOB – switch to split leap 1.5, pulls it around – wolf double, around – Biles, sticks it and she needed to, right in the corner – switch 1/1, probably under – DLO, bounce back, another OOB with both feet. So .6 in neutral deductions here. Her calf said, woman we’re done

14.133 goes behind Andrade.

Walking off the floor still in salute was very important to me.

Voinea – double double, solid, little movement – DLO to front tuck, gets it, slide back – switch full – FTDT, didn’t look like she had much height but got the landing – double tuck – hop to the side – switch split leap full. A good one.

13.700 but behind Barbosu on execution.

Chiles – door wide open for a medal for her – DLO 1/1, stagger back, keeps it in bounds – front full to FTDT, under control – wolf 2.5 – switch to split leap 1.5, one of her closest attempts but under – DLO, chest down, lunge forward – pike shush 1/1.

13.666 for Chiles puts her in 5th

VOINEA INQUIRY.

VOINEA INQUIRY REJECTED.

Barbosu has medaled! Her reaction as Voinea’s inquiry is rejected is the stuff of legend.

GOLD – Andrade
SILVER – Biles
BRONZE – Barbosu

IT’S OVER!

IT’S NOT OVER!

Jordan Chiles has a bronze now. Up to a 5.9 difficulty and 13.766 total.

GOLD – Andrade
SILVER – Biles
BRONZE – Chiles

Chiles celebrating while Barbosu stands on the podium with a limp Romanian flag seeing what happened is why we’re not well.

So I guess Chiles got split leap 1.5 on inquiry? It was her closest ever by a mile. I still think they wouldn’t give it to her, and they didn’t initially. Cecile out here celebrating keeping that split 1.5 in her routine.