The “I mean they should be good, but…” phenomenon of this Japanese team is about to be answered. Right now, GB is at 161.963, and that’s the score to beat to feel good about making the team final. Similarly, Spain is at 159.021, which is the score to beat to feel good about making the Olympics.

TEAMS: Japan, Mexico
INDIVIDUALS: Anahit Assadourian (ARM), Luciana Alvarado (CRC), Camila Montoya (CRC), Heika Del Sol Salas (CRC), Anastasija Dubova (LAT), Marija Ribalcenko (LAT), Elina Vihrova (LAT), Egle Stalinkeviciute (LTU), Agata Vostruchovaite (LTU), Sandra Collantes (PER), Fabiola Diaz (PER), Ariana Orrego (PER)

Rotation 1

Kajita – FX – 2.5 to front full, pulled out a stick on that despite being a bit low – simpler twisting elements but she’s hitting them – double held leg turn is probably around – double tuck, chest down but hit

Surprised that Garcia isn’t in the bars lineup for Mexico – but Gutierrez leads off hitting her piked jaeger and double front 1/2 out.

12.666 for Gutierrez. Ana Lago – UB – Shap to pak, some legs apart – van leeuwen, clean – gaint full to huge gienger, well caught but very short hs after it – then looks like she clipped her feet on the low bar – FTDT is very high and far, step.

13.166 for Kajita feels really high.

Hatakeda – FX – double wolf, good – double tuck, bounce back double Y spin, solid, just a little overturned – 2.5 to front tuck, step forward OOB – double pike, bounce back. Shame about the OOB, but a solid routine. 12.500

Moreno – UB – Shap to pak, legs apart – crazy legs on van leeuwen – clear hip full – deltchev is nice – clear hip 1/2 , front giant 1/2 to bail to shoot – some short handstands – DLO, bounce back. I mean, it’s Moreno bars, but she got through it and did her difficulty.

Teramoto – FX – drops heel on double L attempt – pike full in, chest well down but only a small hop – 1.5 through to 2.5, good control – wolf double – front 2/1, just a tad under-rotated – switch ring – really nice completion on switch leap full – double pike, stumble backward, she kept it in bounds because she’s so tiny, but a few significant lunges, which is a shame because the middle of this routine was so nice.

Sigh. 12.566

Stuck DLO from Frida Esparza on bars. The rest of the lineup was held in the 12s, but this surely won’t be.

Matsumura – FX – triple turn – 3/1 to punch front, small hop – L turn 1.275 – 2.5 to front full, very deep landing but she does keep it to her feet – double tuck, good control, chest up, only small hop.

13.766 for Esparza gets Mexico into the 39s on bars.

12.933 for Matsumura. 38.665 for Japan on floor. That’s currently in 10th place among floor scores.

Vostruchovaite – BB – long pause before aerial to front tuck, no possible chance to land that and falls – switch to switch 1/2, pause before back tuck, lots of deductions in those switches – side somi, a bit of a lean – front layout full, small hop. 9.933

Assadourian – BB – candle mount, drops very quickly – bhs loso series and immediate fall – swtich – split jump with a check – full turn, check – side aerial, hits, with a small lean – straight jump 1/1, solid – gainer pike, short with a hop.

Rotation 2

Gutierrez – BB – wolf double – falls on her next wolf attempt – finishes with a 2.5, lunge forward

Sugihara – VT – actually does her 1.5 after only timers in PT and it’s fine. Hop forward. 14.033

Hatakeda – VT – also hits her 1.5, also with a bounce forward, a little larger than Sugihara’s and a little more knee form to me, but we’ll see where the judges go. 14.033. All vaults are the same.

Teramoto – VT – lands her rudi, chest well down and a hop to the side, but landed. 14.633

Moreno – BB – front pike, small shuffle – bhs loso series, hit – front tuck, solid – side somi, hit – switch side, small check – double pike, overtime, hop back. Where would they be without Moreno?

And by that I mean she got 11.900.

Matsumura downgrades to the 1.5 on VT. She was crashing DTYs in PT. But this also brings up, beyond the Mai issue, Japan left a couple possible DTYs at home too. 14.100

Lago – BB – bhs loso, check – aerial, small arm wave – split to wolf – full turn – punch frotn, another check but still only small – switch – switch 1/2 – double tuck, bounce back. Lots of pauses, so expect a lower E, but she stayed on without any huge errors.

42.766 for Japan on vault.

11.433 for Lago. E score at 6.6 for no checks beyond little leg-up wobbles, but a lot of them, and splits, and rhythm

Garcia – Switch mount – switch leap, leg-up check – front tuck, lean – bhs lay-pike, saves it with a check – side aerial, smooth – side somi, leg-up check – annndshe falls on a switch side – holds onto the beam in a pike stoop, but sadly no bonus for that – double tuck, step back. Mexico beam.

10.666

Stalinkeviciute – FX – double pike, small step – double tuck, step back – wolf turn 2.5 – nice split leap full – front layout – 12.200

Mexico puts up the lowest beam score of the event so far.

Assadourian – FX – double tuck, secure landing, just chest down – L turn single – switch ring and split ring, probably no credit for split ring for lack of closure – front layout, large bounce – 1.5, small hop.

Stumble back for Salas on her DLO on bars

Ribalcenko FX – held leg double, not all the way around – double pike to her hands and knees – double tuck, bounce back – insane rudi attempt with crazy legs, lands it with a bounce back

Rotation 3

Garcia – FX – single L turn – what is this bird-attack music? – finishes with a stuck double tuck, cowboy and chest down, but stuck.

Sugihara – UB – Maloney to gienger, legs apart – toe 1/2 to piked jaeger, caught – shrot hs – toe full to bail, nice legs together position – stalder – Double pike, small step back. Clean start.

13.266 for Sugihara.Kajita – hits piked jaeger and Nabieva – pak – toe shap 1/2 – stalder – toe full – takes FTDT really close to the bar but hits it, step. She may have earned a spot to compete in the TF this year. 13.533 for this one.

Very strong DLO from Ana Lago – full in, bounce back – split leap full – heel drops right at the end of her double L turn – double pike, hands down

Teramoto – UB – inbar 1/2 to piked jaeger, caught – inbar full to very high gienger but caught very close to the bar – 1/2 turn to jaeger, fine – bail to toe shoot – FTDT, very strong landing. 13.966 even with the close catch.

Moreno – FX – doubel double tucked, lands it, chest well down with a step – DLO, bounce back – split leap full – switch side 1/2 – front full to a bit of an aborted stag that didn’t get far off the ground – wolf turn double is very silly as she plant-stands-up her extended leg – double pike, short with a large stagger. 12.300

Hatakeda – UB – inbar 1/2 to piked jaeger, Ricna, caught – bail is totally crooked whne she caught but pulled it back – a dead hang on high – FTDT, hop back, not her very strongest.

Gutierrez – FX – front full through to 3/1, corkscrew legs throughout but landed, hop to the side – double L attempt, not sure I’d give that as a horizontal position – 1.5 through to double tuck, small hop – 2.5 to layout, a little whipped over but fine.

13.733 for Hatakeda. 41.323 for Japan, which once again is…fine? But they’re going to have to be LEGIT on beam to make the team final.

11.500 for Orrego on beam – Diaz follows her, finishing with punch layout full and a hop

To have a shot at making TF, Japan needs to go 39.2 ish on beam. So far, China, France, and Canada have reached that on beam. There is also the chance that a total beam meltdown would put them behind Spain, but it would have to be a meltdown.

After a 10.833 for Salas, Montoya has the final beam routine of the rotation – she hits her loso series then balks on a leap and just does a frog hop – front aerial right off the beam.

Rotation 4

Hatakeda – BB – stretching and looks like she has to pee, so good sign – switch mount, small check – front tuck to split, small check again – aerial, fine – side aerial, smoothly landed – side somi, strong – switch to switch 1/2, small check – loso series, hit – double pike, hop back

12.966

Teramoto – BB – just does survive her wolf turn, makes some contact with the beam but keeps going – double turn, hit – aerial to split to straddle – onodi is quite nice – switch – side somi – bhs loso series, very solid – side aerial, calmly done – 2.5, some legs, small hop. Good routine. Two important hits with team qualification to a home Olympics on the line. 12.966

Alexa Moreno hits her rudi, bounce back fairly large, but good height and completion. Smaller bounce on her Tsuk double, another good hit

Kajita – BB – aerial to split ring, nice – bhs loso series, check – switch ring – y spin, large break, bend at the hips – side aerial, another check to the side – 2/1, college stick. Some breaks but she stayed on to clinch Olympic qualification.

Moreno moves into first on vault.

Matsumura will do the final beam instead of Sugihara – goes for a round-off tuck full! Stays on the beam with a leg-up check – switch to split – aerial, small wobble – switch ring, 70 arm waves – side aerial – side somi – 2.5, crossover lunge to the side

12.633 for Matsumura. Japan comes in behind Belgium. Looks like they’ll make the Olympics, but potentially as the final qualifier depending on how Brazil does.

Chuso update: She lost two spots in the AA race and now sits 23rd. Current projection is that 30 will make it through with the unused event final places added in. I see maybe four people who can pass her left, so it’s starting to look good for Chuso. She got some real help today from some misses.

The Dutch subdivision has arrived. The Netherlands is very capable of getting into that 161 mix where all the borderline countries are sitting right now. I also loved Spain in PT. So there’s that.

TEAMS: Netherlands, Spain
INDIVIDUALS: Angelica Mesa (COL), Nataly Rodriguez (COL), Maria Villegas (COL), Ana Derek (CRO), Farah Ann Abdul Hadi (MAS), Ang Tracie (MAS), Tan Ing Yueh (MAS), Aleksandra Rajcic (SRB), Kristina Zivadinovic (SRB)

We’ve had the Dutch introduction and it was long and a lot, as one would hope.

Rotation 1

Visser – BB – bhs mount, smallest lean – side somi, good – split jump 1/2 from side, a little lean – side aerial to bhs, way off line and has to grab the beam – double turn, check, sanne’s like GET OUT – 2/1, bounce back

Petsico arched a handstand on her bail but pulled it out, hit routine. Cintia – UB – stalder shap to pak, just some feet – maloney to gienger, a few moments of leg breaks – full to FTDT, hit. 13.8 for her. Wow.

12.466 for Visser

Lieke – BB – small check on bhs mount – split jump, check – wolf to sissone – side aerial, misses her foot and belly flops right onto the beam. L turn 1.5 attempt, drops a littl early for me – double spin, lovely – split leap to side somi, arm wave – aerial, leg-up check – gainer layout, hop. Hrm. Lieke had a bit of a time.

Hit floor from Farah Ann and hit bars from Ana Perez.

Popa – UB – 1/2 turn to piked jaeger, good – Tkatchev to pak, clean – toe full to shap to gienger, nice – DLO 1/1, just a little deep with a hop. Nailed it. Great bars rotation for Spain.

Gigantic wait for Lieke’s beam score. Sanne has been doing side aerials back and forth for 50 minutes.

10.366 for Lieke. Well ouch.

Thorsdottir – BB – switch leap mount – bhs loso series, beautiful – picking fruit as she walks along the beam – onodi, all over the place but saves it with a step back – side aerial, small lean – Y spin – split leap to aerial to split, lovely – 2.5 dismount, step forward. A hit. She had that one moment with the Onodi, but a hit.

Spain 41.690 on bars. Very impressive.

Lovely twisting form from Derek on floor –

13.333 for Eythora and 9th place. Obvious crime.

Sanne – BB – bhs mount – tries to connect to wolf jump fulll but probably no – drops a little early on doubel L turn with a check – side aerial to side aerial, perfection – switch – bhs 1/1 to split jump, good – L turn to full tuen to double turn series, gets it with only a small check at the end but intentionally breaks connection into split leap – gainer pike 1/1, stuck. Not her best but obviously glorious.

Eythora and Sanne saved the day there. Not an ideal beam rotation, but they can work with this.

Derek got 13.033 on floor and well deserved.

Vera Van Pol gets to carry all the bags.

13.200 for Sanne and 11th place. We’ll have no Dutch gymnasts in the beam final.

38.999 is not what NED would have wanted on beam, but they can live with it, especially if the judges are 13.5-level impressed by the floor routines from Lieke and Eythora.

Rotation 2

Volleman – FX – quad turn for credit – full in, two steps back, right into the corner but stays in – double tuck to punch front – double held leg turn – 1.5 to front full, some legs but controlled – good triple turn

Petisco with a leg up check on her bhs bhs series but stays on

12.366 for Petisco.

13.333 for Volleman, good score

Cintia – BB – bhs loso series, very smooth – switch to split leap – side aerial – aerial – split ring jump, leg-up check – check on y spin – hits 2/1 dismount

Visser – FX – Memmel to illusion, hit – whip 3/1 to punch front, got it, although that was surely a back 2.65 – 2.5 to front lay – pretty leap positions – double tuck, short with a hop

Tisha has submitted an inquiry – DIDN’T YOU SEE ME DO THAT QUINT TURN I DIDN’T DO?

13.366 for Visser

Perez – BB – switch to switch 1/2, solid – L turn, smooth – bhs loso, knees, but very secure – NOOOOO falls on punch front

Lieke – FX – leans out of her double L to double turn a little but gets it around – doubel tuck, only a small slide – split leap full – 2.5, controlled step, just some knees – switch ring – switch 1/2 – attempts quint turn but definite triple credit – front full, hop forward – perfect obviously in every way except for the German press members in the row in front who talked through the whole routine and watched none of it. All class.

Popa – BB – aerial, good – bhs layout 2 feet, and falls. Falls for both Perez and Popa on beam. Y spin, correction – side somi, arm wave – split jump 1/2 from side, very solid – split leap 1/2, nice height – bhs bhs 2/1, lunge back

WHOA. Volleman inquiry accepted and now she has a 13.533. I’m blatantly shocked.

13.033 for Lieke, no final. Boo.

Thorsdottir – FX – split ring leap – just the 2.5 mount, not the triple punch – double tuck, step back – double L to double turn to Memmel to illusion it was…well she got through it, though I wouldn’t credit the initial double L, which will change things, a bit of leaning – 2/1 to front tuck.

9.900 for Popa on beam. DEAR ME.

Still waiting on the floor score for Eythora. They’re literally not even going to have a floor score for Eythora as the next rotation starts. I’m sure that turn combination is causing a problem.

Rotation 3

LOL Marina Gonzalez is up there waiting to start this rotation, and the judges are like…we’re not done with Eythora yet.

12.966 for Eythora. YOU MONSTERS.

Gonzalez – FX – wolf turn 3.375 – full in, hop to the side – 2.5, large bounce forward and OOB – front full with a hop – double tuck, bounce back –

Sorry that was Visser, who looks nothing like Lieke cool – hits a full with a bounce back, Visser follows with 13.933 for her 1.5

Volleman – VT – hits her DTY, lunge back and another step back but nice power and height. 14.400

Eythora follows by hitting her DTY as well – a nice one, a bounce back, though less than Volleman’s and just a bit of chest position on landing.

12.533 for Gonzalez

Lieke puts up her clean full int he 4th position, lovely extension, slide back. 13.733. Viable vault rotation for NED. They’re in contention to pass Canada.

Perez – FX – double double, landed it, well short with a lunge forward – whip through to double tuck, very secure – switch ring – Memmel turn, good – 2.5 to front tuck, legs in the twisting – wolf turn 2.5ish – double pike, bounce back

13.200 for Perez, 13th overall on floor.

Rodriguez – FX – double Y spin, good – doubel pike, short with a shuffle forward – split jump 1/1 – split ring leap, pretty – rudi, slide – switch ring to switch side – 2/1, slide back. Beautiful routine. 12.800

Gonzalez score changed to 12.733.

Popa – FX – DLO, nailed it, stuck landing, awesome – whip whip full in, also excellent – triple Y spin and I’d say she got it three times around – front full, dances out – doubel pike, hop back. GREAT routine. That better make the final.

13.800 and into 2nd place. YES.

Netherlands will feel like 3rd place is really doable at this point. We also have an interesting race for Spain’s AA place between Rodriguez and Perez, with the bonus that Popa is probably getting an individual place for the floor final now.

Rotation 4

Cintia vaults a full with a hop back –

Derek – BB – back handspring loso, cehck – switch ring, nice closure – full turn – switch 1/2, secure – aerail to split to bhs, a little pause int he series –

Stuck full for Petisco, just chest down

Eythora – UB – stalder to bail – clear hip 1/2 on low bar – blind change to piked jaseger, caught – FTDT, deep and either puts a knee down or almost does.

13.666 on a full for Perez. That score means Cintia will get the Olympic AA spot for Spain. Small hop back on full for Popa.

11.466 for Eythora. Oof

Spain finished behind Belgium, so Olympic qualification looks out as a team, but they’re ahead of the other contending teams.

Sanne – UB – clear hip to shap to clear hip full to bail to toe shoot – giant full to blind change to Jaeger – DLO, stuck. An actually perfect bars routine, all the handstands so crisp. Warrants our highest E score on bars so far.

13.633. E score of 8.533. Psh.

Visser – UB – stalder full to stalder shap to pak to van leeuwen – excellent – toe on to 1/2 turn to jaeger, very high, and then she collapses on the high bar and has to recast – it was so perfect before that – FTDT, hop.

Farah Ann – BB – side aerial , solid – switch – tour jete – round off back tuck, hit, small check – side somi, check – Y spin and falls – knew it was too good to be true – 2/1, legs, hop back.

13.466 for Visser. So Netherlands needs a good hit from Lieke so they can drop Eythora’s number now.

Lieke – UB – church to Pak, hit – Maloney to bail, solid – toe full to toe shap – blind change – front giant – double front, got scary for a second, but she hits with two steps back. They need something like a low-mid 13 for this routine.

13.900 for Lieke! The Netherlands moves up to 4th, behind Canada but should be safely into TF. Bumps GB to 5th and Italy to 6th. Rough for both of them. They needed NED to mess up.

Item #1: With just 6 eligible teams remaining to compete, we know that France, Canada, and the Netherlands have qualified WAG teams to Tokyo.

Spain is looking at 2 Olympians, with Rodriguez in the AA and Popa for floor.

Unlikely that Eythora can make the AA final after that bars routine.

Farah Ann nearly scored 50 and looks pretty good for the Olympics right now.

It’s a big subdivision for the team competition (and also beam heart attacks) with Great Britain and Italy both competing. Great Britain is fully capable of advancing to the team final, but as we know, it’s not a given. GB will be looking to beat Germany’s 161.897 to have a shot at it.

Italy has been the other “possible medal upset” team, along with France, but following France’s excellent performance yesterday, Italy will have to do a lot to match. At minimum, they’ll be looking to pass Canada. Well, at minimum they’ll be looking to not completely turn to liquid on every apparatus, but…

Continue reading Live From Worlds – Women’s Subdivision 7 →

It’s the big one of the day with China and Canada going simultaneously. Following the spectacular qualification performance from France, China’s task is going to be finding a way to match it, while Canada is looking to place 3rd after today as a team, which would be a solid position to be comfortable making the team final.

Continue reading Live from Worlds – Women’s Subdivision 6 →