Injuries
We’ll start with the bad news. The bad news is named Switzerland.
SWITZERLAND: Giulia Steingruber tore her ACL at a competition in France and will be out for the remainder of 2018 because gymnastics is stupid and the worst. Switzerland is trying to defend a 4th-place finish from the previous team Euros but seemed a long shot to reach the team final this year anyway, even with Steingruber on the squad.
Without her, that shot is thrown into a volcano immediately and focus turns to ensuring that Switzerland places in the top 24 at worlds this year to advance as a team to 2019. Switzerland should still be able to do that without trouble, but you start to wonder if Steingruber’s scores are missing. She delivers a real 5-6 points over what a replacement would be able to contribute, and her absence would allow many more countries in that up-and-coming Argentina, Egypt group to think about beating Switzerland if they have a good day.
GERMANY: The German team for the European Championship seemed so simple. Sophie Scheder had returned to save the day with her amazing bars…so obviously after exactly one competition, she has injured her finger and is out of Euros.
Finding a way to replace Scheder will be challenging because she was on the inevitable-seeming team almost exclusively for bars, but now with Seitz injured and Alt injured and Scheder injured, there aren’t obvious bars routines for Germany besides Kim Bui. Who would have thought we’d be worried about what Germany was going to do on bars? Bars is Germany’s thing. We’re supposed to be worried about floor. Oh, also, we’re worried about floor.
Most likely, Germany will just fill in on bars at Euros with those already in the group (Sarah Voss is like, “Um, no thank you please…”), and try to squeeze something else out of a fifth gymnast on any event. The only remaining option who really adds anything to the Schäfer, Bui, Grießer, Voss group is Emma Höfele, who can pull out an extra tenth or so on vault compared to those four. Germany seems to agree as Höfele was selected to participate in France along with the rest of the group.
The next-best healthy bars routine in Germany right now probably belongs to Janine Berger, who was a 2012 Olympian and vault finalist but who has endured mighty knee struggles and is only appearing on bars in the Bundesliga this year. Yet, she was not among the worlds training group and doesn’t appear to be in the selection pool. So that’s where we are with Germany right now. Continue reading BBS Global: Europe Edition