World Gymnastics 2 Russia was the top qualifier by a pretty large margin of nearly 4 points, with Italy and Great Britain very close to each other in 2nd and 3rd, a couple points ahead of Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

So let’s do this.

Rotation 1

“Warmup is over.” Warmup continues for 34 more minutes. Don’t put us in a box.

Prat – BB – France – loso mount, large break, grabs the beam – bhs loso and a wild fall, straddles the beam on the loso and slaps her back onto it – FUN SPORT – switch and switch 1/2 series is nicely done once she resumes – side aerial to split 1/2 to split, smooth – wolf double – switch ring, holds it with a little lean – double double dmt, deep but hit with a hop.

Big hole for France early.

Roshchina – VT – World Gymnastics 2 Russia – hits DTY, lunge back, some leg crossing throughout, normal expected solid

Kalmykova – VT – World Gymnastics 2 Russia – handspring rudi si better than the event final, chest pretty well up, step back, some piking and leg crossing, not too extreme.

11.600 for Prat, 14.100 for Kalmykova, 14.000 for Roschchina.

We see Visser dismount beam with a solid 2.5

Sisio – VT – Italy – nice high DTY, medium/large bounce back, leg crossing. 13.900

Extended shot of Melnikova whispering to her fingernails as we wait to see something happen. Gripping!

Melnikova – VT – World Gymnastics 2 Russia – DTY, hit, landed somewhat chest down, with hop back, leg crossing, not quite as much as the others. 14.066

Kevric – UB – Germany – inbar full to stalder shap 1/2, super high – inbar 1/2 to piked jaeger, leg break to start it – Downie to pak. very high, small leg break – shap 1/2 – FTDT, hit, step forward. Very strong. 14.700

Ubbink – BB – Netherlands – side aerial to loso, good rise in the loso – switch to split, small check after, nice split positions – wolf double, comfortable – aerial., arm wave check – side somi, lean forward wobble – small hop on dmt. 13.100

Marano’s Y1.5 was originally in the start list for Italy but Perotti went with her Yfull instead, which is not what they were hoping.

Petisco – FX – Spain – DLO 1/1 is short today, laerge lunge forward – double Arabian, hit, little hop – wolf 2 and some more – switch to tour jete 1/2, around – double tuck, chest up, hop back – switch 1/2 – double pike, larger bounce back. Theme of routine is: What if I wore a leotard to a heist? Does that count as keeping a low profile? Nope, punching guards now I guess.12.933

Looks like GB is counting an 11.966 from Evans on bars. The doors are swinging open for the non-gold medals so far. Now Becky Downie on bars

Devreker – FX – Belgium – also was not supposed to have to go, in for Vansteenkiste – tour jete 1/2 is good – double tuck, shuffle back, a couple steps – double pike, nice toes but wayyy short, falls with hands down – switch and switch 1/2 – wolf double – front tuck through to back layout full – split jump full. Slight additional deduction for being Belgium floor music that didn’t have a random bird call in it. 10.966

After 1
1. Worlds Gymnastics 2 Russia – 42.166
2. Germany – 40.766
3. Italy – 40.132
4. GB – 38.999

WG2R comfortably out in front after vault as expected. Not shocking for Germany to be in 2nd because they have the big Kevric bars score, but nonetheless important for their medal hopes to be there right now. GB, France, and Netherlands all had to count 11s in the first rotation.

Rotation 2

Showing a replay of a vault timer like it was a dramatic miss.

Perotti – UB – Italy – inbar 1/2 to front stalder 1/2, nice, connects to maloney to tkatchev piked, small leg breaks there – pak, solid – van leeuwen, legs together pretty well – toe full – FTDT, good control, small step. 14.166

Petisco – VT – Spain – big struggle on her Y1.5, lands deep, lunges back and to the side off the mat and sits it down

Prat – FX – France – double L, good free leg position – back 1.5 through to double tuck, hop back – switch ring – split ring leap full, eponymous, the front leg loses position a bit early – front full to front full, hop – smell the fart choreography – split ring leap 1/2 – solid control on back 2.5, hop to the side – wolf double. Good. 13.333

Kevric – BB – Germany – switch mount, tries to connect to switch 1/2, bigger leg up break – does split and sissone – bhs loso, solid – switch to side somi, holds onto it – double turn, large break, bend forward at the hips – wolf double, holds – side aerial, small check – 2.5 dmt, big bound forward. 12.700

Melnikova – UB – inbar full, past but hit – inbar shap to pak to van leeuwen, great pak, little leg separation on vl – inbar 1/2, hesitation, into piked jaeger – giant 1/2 – toe full, to FTDT, step forward – some little hesitations and leg breaks in lots of the pirouettes but a hit. 14.000

Colas – FX – France – piked full in, hit, bounce back – whip back full to double tuck, hops back, agin into the corner, keeps it in – switch ring to tour jete 1/2, good splits – front loso to double pike, short, step forward – switch 1/2 – wolf triple around for credit. 13.333

Schaefer – BB – Germany – switch mount to split leap, small correction – bhs loso, secure – side aerial, comfortable – switch ring, leg up wobble – double turn with some dramatic lean covering – side somi, hit, no schaefer – aerial to split, little pause before stag ring – gainer lay/pike full with hop. Hit, some wobbles, not quite as strong as when she was betrayed out of a medal in the beam final. But basically the same score. 13.600

Kalmykova – UB – weiler 1/2 to stalder shap to stalder full, with a straddle, connects to a lower tkatchev – Downie to pak is hit – maloney to gienger, legs together – FTDT, shin separation, near stick, step to the side to salute. Foot and knees throughout but secure.

Leat – BB – GB – switch mount, pause before split and straddle combo – aerial to switch ring to split ring, pretty solid, small lean adjustment after – wolf triple, comfortably around – bhs loso loso, nice – switch 1/2, small check after, good attention to back leg height – 2.5 dismount, a little deep but a stick. Nice hit. 14.166

Alia Leat says, you really want this closeup of me trying to get a fully desiccated half banana out of a backpack, huh?

Iorio – Downie to pak, well done – maloney to stalder 1/2 to yezhova, small breaks but not as larger as some – stalder shap 1/2, good – front giant full to double front, nearly stuck, small step salute. Nice.

After 2
1. World Gymnastics 2 Russia – 84.532
2. Italy – 81.931
3. Germany – 78.866
4. France – 78.531
5. GB – 78.498

WG2R continues to receive a perfect score for every routine. Italy is missing Marano with regard to their dreams of catching Russia, but hitting all the routines so far has now created a solid buffer over the race for bronze, which is quite close.

Rotation 3

Roshchina – BB – front pike mount, step forward – switch ring, check before bhs to split ring – side aerial, holds it – fhs front tuck, holds with small lean – wolf jump is lower, connects to sissone – aerial to split to korbut is connected – wolf double – double tuck, step back. A beam hit.

Charpy – VT – France – clean Yfull with a nice stick, little bit of pike

Esposito – BB – Italy – bhs mount, connects to bhs well – switch to split 1/2 to bhs, smooth, connected – aerial to split, hit – wolf triple, no trouble – side aerial – double pike, really deep in the knee squat but saved it with a hop back. Great. 14.200

Descamps – UB – Belgium – maloney to pak, hit, small leg breaks – van leeuwen – giant full – blind to jaeger, hit – short hs casting after – giant 1/2 – layout flyaway 1.5 dmt, little hop

Martin – FX – GB – DLO 1/1 with a step back OOB – popa – DLO, larger bounce back but stays in – tour jete 1/2 to switch 1/2 – wolf double – front loso to double tuck, chest deeper with hop forward. 13.200

Looks like they’re dealing with an 11.6 from Leat before that.

Perotti – BB – Italy – switch mount – tight with a pause after – now does switch 1/2 to korbut, good – bhs loso, solid – switch ring, arm wave correction – side aerial, little check before split and straddle – swithc to split 1/2 to bhs, low back leg on split 1/2 – wolf double – double tuck dmt, hop back. A beam hit.

Veerman sits down a Y1.5 on vault.

Loose shot of wandering. I’m sure nothing else is happening.

Melnikova – BB – switch mount, connects to switch leap – bhs loso, hit – aerial to split to straddle, comfortable combo – bhs 1/1, large break, step back and wobble but keeps it on – wolf double, check – side somi, solid – double pike, good height, smallish step. 13.766

Three hit beams, and Russia is waving goodbye to all the other teams.

Stoehr – FX – Germany – back full through to double tuck, lands it, deep with a hop forward – double y spin, drops a little early – switch to tour jete 1/2 – back 1.5 to front full, leg crossing in 1.5, slide – arms around a wolf turn – double pike, some straddle and foot position but pulls it around. 12.833

Marano was able to beam for Italy. Scores 12.766.

Real Slim Shady as rotation song is throwing me into the wind.

After 3
1. World Gymnastics 2 Russia – 125.431
2. Italy – 122.297
3. France 118.631
4. Germany – 116.665
5. Great Britain – 116.598

France has two points on Germany and Great Britain, though we would expect Germany and GB to gain some ground in the final rotation on vault. Ruby Evans Amanar when?

A rotation break look back at Ruby Evans on floor – DLO, good position, bounce back – front lay to front 2/1, keeps it in with hop to the side – rushes through the switch full position – front full to front full – finger-painting the story of her life as a sand worm choreography – double tuck, small bounce.

Rotation 4

Esposito – FX – Italy – wolf triple, good – DLO, bounce back OOB – switch full, good height – memmel turn to illusion for credit – split leap to tour jete 1/2 – back 2.5 to front lay, good twisting form – double pike, foot position and straddle, bounce back. Good. 13.533

Schaefer – VT – Germany – handspring layout 1/2 in the sky but a very large bounce back. 12.800

Chassat – UB – France – toe on to blind to jaeger, good feet – Ricna to pak, some foot form – van leeuwen, smooth -a bit shy on hs – toe full, finishes past vertical – FTDT, step back. 13.366

Roshchina – FX – DLO, nice start, pikes down at the end with little slide – back 2.5 to front 1/2 piked, hop back – switch ring and switch 1/2 – 2/1, leg crossing – leans way out of memmel turn attempt – gets wolf triple around – double pike, bounce back. 13.2

Quaas – VT – Germany – Y1.5 with lunge forward

Perotti – FX – Italy – wolf triple, pulls around – front full through to double tuck, big stagger bounce back – front loso to double pike, also quite deep, hop to the side – memmel – switch ring to split ring leap, nice horizontal leg position – drops out of the double L turn too early – 2/1, hop back. Couple rough landings but through a hit team final.

Martin – VT – Great Britain – DTY, pretty large lunge back and then an extra step, some leg crossing but not extreme, a solid hit

Just 12.666 for Charpy on bars, which we did not see.

Kalmykova – FX – DLO 1/1, well short with lunge forward – double L turn – whip to high double tuck to connected front pike 1/2 – tour jete 1/2 to switch 1/2 passage – pulls around wolf triple – memmel turn attempt, drops out too early – double pike. 13.466

Colas – UB – France – looks like she needs a hit for a team medal – inbar 1/2 to front talder 1/2 to inbar shap to stalder full to Ricna to pak, all hit and connected – van leeuwen, solid – inbar full to FTDT, deep but landed bit hop forward. 14.600.

Schoenmaier – VT – Germamy – DTY landed but not her most controlled landing, hop and balance wobble

Marano – FX – Italy – rolls through a wolf turn triple, around with a lean and a hand – FTDT with bounce – trying to pull around double L turn – back 1.5 to front full, slide back – double Y hit – double pike, hop forward – switch and switch full

Evans – VT – GB – good height on DTY, big bounce back, some knees

Melnikova – FX – DLO, clean, hop back – double L to double turn combo, gets it – double Y spin – front full – wolf triple around – double pike, bounce back – switch, switch 1/2