Videos From 2014 Worlds Qualifying

The women's qualifying sessions have concluded and all the gymnasts have competed and no one team had a clean day. The closest team to going error free was the US team but they ended up having quite a few issues on their last piece - the uneven bars. The other teams had errors here and there on one or more apparatuses and lacked the difficulty

Russia Qualifying Video,

US Qualifying Video,

China Qualifying Video,

Romania and Great Britain Qualifying Video, 

Worlds: Podium Training

As of the writing of this post 3/4ths of the rotations had their podium training and their performances have filtered out. I will focus on what has come out via Twitter, blogs and YouTube. The main focus will be on the US and the Russian team because those teams have gotten the most coverage at this moment.

The Russian women's team had their podium training first, they're a couple of rotations before US. The consensus with regards to this team is that they are going with consistency over spectacular routines. The team began podium training on floor which is their general weak spot since this year's Euros and it still is but not as much as before.

Floor Lineup: Aliya Mustafina, Alla Sosnitskaya, Maria Kharenkova, Ekaterina Kramarenko, Daria Spiridonova.

Aliya had all kinds of mistakes and only did three tumbling lines. She also had issues with her triple Y turn. I don't know what to think about it because I expected her 2013 routine with upgrades. She revealed in an interview that she was working on upgrades on floor but that wasn't shown. I'll have to reserve judgment for now.

Alla and Maria had issues with their turns and they seem to always have some issues with them but should work them in - probably miss the connection though. There haven't been upgrades on any of their Russian Cup routines.

Ekaterina has prepared a simple routine that leaves little room for mistake and probably won't have a big mistake given the easiness. I think it could score much better than Daria's Euro floor routine. Daria looks more consistent with her tumbling but her floor turn was a flop in training.

Vault Lineup: Alla, Aliya, Tatiana Nabieva, Ekaterina, Maria

Alla is seriously working the Cheng vault and will likely try to perform it in competition. It is much better than someone would think from the Russians and I'm surprised. I think she's just recently been working on it but it's getting there.

Alla, Tatiana are both working on double twisting yurchenkos. They are clean and with very minimal steps on landing. Form is an issue for both of them but that's always been the case. Ekaterina and Maria's routines didn't make it to YouTube. I'm assuming a double and a single respectively.

Bars Lineup: Aliya, Daria Spiridonova, Tatiana, Ekaterina, Maria

Aliya looks like she's hiding what bars set she will be performing or is seriously behind in training. I think it's somewhere in between. Only one simple change or two needs to be made to the routine she's been performing for the past year. Daria on the other hand is doing the same 6.4 routine and has cleaned up her handstands and form. She's sure to break 15 if she sticks her landing.

Tatiana has a cleaner routine and while she lacks difficulty she's more likely to stay on than not. Going with her is a safer bet than with any other gymnasts but that's just what I got from the routine. Ekaterina was just as clean and with the same difficulty which should make for a good competition between those two. Maria on the other hand fell on her van leuween transition but was otherwise extremely clean. She has upped her difficulty and if she can hit her routine it could get a good score.

Beam Lineup: Maria, Aliya, Ekaterina, Daria, Alla

The only videos that didn't make it online where the beam training and all I can go on is by what was mentioned online. Maria did some solid routines and that's all I know, I don't think anything new. Aliya has her Russian Cup combinations going but she's keeping what she's going for under wraps. Then we have Alla doing a good beam set? That's what was said by a very reputable gymnastics site but I can't believe it until I see it.

I decided against writing about the US team as there is a lot of information online already on them. They all executed their routines well and did mostly what they did at US nationals.

News! News! and News!

There is so much news coming out and not enough of the real substantive material that people actually want to know. We know all of the teams have arrived and that they've been working out at the practice hall but we don't know what they'll be performing. The small videos that have come out are of the Chinese gymnasts training very basic stuff and not really making many mistakes. We are no closer to knowing what the gymnasts will be putting out than we were last week.

I have to applaud the Russian team for not using social media since they've arrived in China. The most that has been put out is one or two pictures and that's that. The pictures I do have of them training were taken by a nosey coach from another squad - you know who you are! Check them out below and the Russian ladies aren't looking prepared for the camera.

For more pictures of the Russians please visit Arabian Punch Front.

Japanese men were expected to win the team event but word from podium training is that they have a super weak lineup on still rings and a very weak set on parallel bars. We did know that they have some major players that can score massive scores but can they take the low scores? I don't know considering the Chinese are coming on strong and are at home. I'm a bit surprised they didn't at least bring a still ring specialist given the six member team.

Word on the internet is that the US team is rock solid and more than their usual self. This could be good or bad if they end up leaving their best on the podium training and not the on competition day.

Chilean gymnasts Tomas Gonzalez hasn't been rock solid on floor but on vault he's a beast. He recently posted on his instagram a stuck Tsuk double piked, 6.0 vault. The vault is not easy to stick and if he's doing them like that he's going to gain that Kristian Thomas execution quality reputation. This vault also stands out because of the word on the internet that the vault is not as good, some of the top vaulters are struggling on this horse/springboard.

Gymnastics News: Teams Arrive to Nanning

Teams are starting to arrive in Nanning and some much sooner than others. It appears that the US team was probably one of the earliest team to arrive. On the men's side two US male gymnasts were spotted in Nanning, Danell Leyva was one of them. I don't assume that two of the guys were going to fly out by themselves which should mean that they are all there. The US women are also in Nanning as a photo of them surfaces online. The picture features them next to a giant statue of the official mascot of the Nanning Worlds.

If you look closely you might spot a bandage over the leg of one of the gymnasts. I think that the gymnast in question is Ashton Locklear. I find it quite strange that she would flash the injury as all the other gymnasts have their legs covered. Either way an injury to her leg won't make much of a difference given she is a bars specialist.

The Romanian national team released a few images before they left for China - at least I think it was before. I think that they would look a bit sleepy and tired if they had just arrived from a very long flight. They look in very good spirits but besides Larisa Iordache I can't name any of the gymnasts on that team.

Team Russia boarded a plane earlier today and a few pictures from some of the national team members have shown that. It appears as though Alla Sosnitskaya and Daria Spiridonova have been assigned seats together. Another image shows Tatiana Nabieva and Aliya Mustafina drinking something at a coffee shop.

There is no word on the men's national team for Russia but it's probably safe to say that they were on the same plane. I was lead to believe that the team would be there by the 27th of September which would mean they had to leave on the 26th.

Frances men's national team has arrived a few days ago and so has Chilean gymnast Gonzalez, first name escapes me right now. It seems he was training with the French team in France before heading to China.

Team Azerbaijan is also China bound as the very lovely Oleg Stepko has posted a picture of him at the airport waiting for his flight.

Gymnastics News: Komova Out, Afanasyeva In & Out, and Nabieva Maybe In?

Over the last couple of days information has been filtering out from the Russian camp and primarily from the mouth of Valentina Radionenko. The major news revealed was that Komova was ruled out of the 2014 Worlds because of the danger of preparing a second apparatus was too great. At first I thought she was fragile and something might be wrong but the more I read the more I realized that she has been ruled out over the two apparatus rule. The two apparatus rule is a freak rule made up by Valentina and one that she is sticking to no matter what.

The rule seems to have emerged since last year's World and the previous one - back in 2011. The Russian team would send strong gymnasts but would end up with many injuries and the team would be left in an uncomfortable position. Since that time the team directors have wanted a team made up of gymnasts that can fill in if an injury were to emerge to anyone. I think that it's an idiotic move when the team is made up six members as opposed to the Olympic standard five.

I think that Komova can add a high standard bars set with a high probability of a hit routine. If it was up to me I would make room for her but then again they might not be able to have that privilege. All I want to say is that I hope that Ekaterina Kramarenko better be used on at least one piece to justify her inclusion.

The second big news of the first article was the sudden reappearance of Ksenia Afanasyeva. Valentina mentioned her as a possible replacement of the now injured Maria Paseka. Along with Ksenia, Tatiana Nabieva's name was mentioned. It was thought that Ksenia was working on a vault and a floor routine for the Worlds. A few days after the original article came out the doctors ruled her out. It appears they had a major mock meet and it probably showed everyone what we all had assumed. It is really in Ksenia's best interest to do what she wants and not what Valentina wants - we know how it ended last time.

Maria Paseka is nothing to Valentina and it shows by the way she is spoken about. It appears Maria twisted an ankle or injured it in some way resulting in swelling but not a serious injury. Valentina mentions a lack of confidence and so forth which lead to her removal. There was a real good reason for her lack of confidence and that was her horrible Russia Cup performance. It wasn't horrible but for where she's supposed to be it was to me. The sad thing is that her business is being aired out in the open like nothing is wrong with that.

Nabieva is the only real option unless the emergence of Polina Fedorova is a serious option. The Polina option shows that the team is searching for a beam worker and not a bars worker. Tatiana is weak on beam and Fedorova has only ever shined on that piece if with low 14s. That's not convincing to me which explains why I think that Nabieva is a likely candidate to fill that last spot. I only hope that she doesn't fall of the bars like she did in 2010 and upgrades her difficulty.

The Russian camp is a serious mess and it is screaming 2013 all over again. There has got to be something wrong with the way something is being done in Russia. More news is sure to filter out and I'll withhold predictions until then.

Gymnastics News: U.S. Worlds Team Named

The 2014 U.S. National Team for the 2014 World Championships in Nanning has been named. The U.S. is one of the first teams to name an official squad on the women's field. Most of the other nations are waiting until the official required date to come out with an official squad. The lists out there are tentative working team that can all be changed with relative ease.

The team is as follows,

• Simone Biles
• Kyla Ross
• Mykayla Skinner
• Ashton Locklear
• Alyssa Baumann
• Madison Kocian
• Madison Desch

Non-travelling Alternate,

• Brenna Dowell

I named the squad in order of importance to the squad and based on how many apparatuses they would likely be required to perform on. Below is a list of what apparatuses each member will be asked to perform.

Simone Biles: Vault, Beam, Floor

Kyla Ross: Vault, Bars, Beam, Floor

Mykayla Skinner: Vault, Floor

Ashton Locklear: Bars

Alyssa Baumann: Beam

Madison Kocian: Bars

Traveling Alternate: Madison Desch

Biles is the most important gymnast on the squad because she can bring in big numbers on most pieces but will likely skip bars if Kyla Ross has upgraded. 

Ross on the other hand might be asked to do all four pieces because her vault is stronger than the other three gymnasts, she is a bars specialist hence her likely working bars, beam is a piece she's consistent, floor is likely because they don't have any other gymnast that can score above 14.


Mykayla Skinner is a vault and floor specialist and would definitely be on those two pieces. I think it's a big risk to put her on floor given her sometimes erratic performances but they have no other option. The same could be said about her vault - I doubt they'll give her a penalty for not putting both her hands on the vaulting horse though.

Ashton Locklear is a one trick pony and good at that. She is solid on bars and definitely merits being on the team.

Alyssa Baumann is an okay beam worker although I think it is very low in difficulty but was rewarded in execution at the domestic tournaments. She has the potential to be the next Jordyn Wieber if the judges don't like her form.

Madison Kocian is mostly a bars specialist and could challenge Biles for the team final bars spot. If she doesn't then Biles would be the first up on bars during team final. I think it will come down to qualification scores or could be a strategic move to keep Biles rested for the All-Around.

The team is looking very suspect right now and I would say that if the Chinese are hitting on team final night then they are going to have a challenge. I doubt that will happen though but this U.S. team is not the dream team they had in London.

What do you think about my predictions?

Opinion: Worlds Predictions

The gymnastics blogs are coming out with predictions for the 2014 Worlds and after reading Beautiful Gymnastics predictions I felt compelled to come out with my own. There were some very differing views on some of the events that made me think I needed to come out with something that expressed how I felt things would actually turn out.

I'm only going to try and predict the women's field because the men are so competitive it is just so hard to narrow it down. If one compares the men's teams to the women's teams then you realize that around eight or more teams have a chance of medalling where the women only have only five real contenders. Then to complicate things even more the men have specialist from far away countries like Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Azerbaijan that could medal on any given piece. To use figures, at the 2012 Olympics in the women's event finals only five nations medalled.

Team All-Around

1. United States 
2. China
3. Russia
4. Great Britain
5. Romania

Romania, with the lose of one of their strongest gymnasts is all but out of a chance of medalling unless they find a gymnast to fill those big shoes. Great Britain has good gymnasts but are weak on beam and are sure to face a much stiffer competition from the Russians than they did at Europeans. The Chinese have not been seen much at international competitions but with great bar workers are sure to build a lead from that. Two and three could change hands if the Chinese don't bring it. Then there is the US which is the team to beat but if they miss twice this title is going down fast. Nothing is certain but if everyone hits this is going to be the order that will likely occur.

Individual All-Around

1. Simone Biles
2. Aliya Mustafina
3. Larisa Iordache
4. Kyla Ross

If everyone hits the order is going to go down like that but as we know everyone doesn't usually hit in the all-around. We seem to know what Simone is capable of performing but the three other gymnasts are all up in the air. I had intended to put Kyla Ross in third but her difficulty is really down and even a miss by Larisa would probably keep her ahead of Kyla. I wouldn't be surprised if someone else on the US team didn't edge her out in qualifications. Aliya has raised her difficulty but I haven't seen her sets to fully say she has a shot at winning. So far this year the top three have been better than Kyla and are more consistent.

Vault

1. Simone Biles
2. Mykayla Skinner
3. Giulia Steingruber
4. Hong un Jong
5. Maria Paseka

The vault is by far the easiest prediction of the Worlds, everyone knows that Biles will likely win and if not then Skinner will. The real battle is for third place and that is likely going to the very consistent Giulia Steingruber but that doesn't mean that Hong un Jong won't take it away with two solid vaults. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Paseka hits two vaults and finishes in fifth place but that's unlikely to occur.

Uneven Bars

1. Yao Jinnan
2. Aliya Mustafina
3. Becky Downie
4. Ashton Locklear
5. Huang Huidan
6. Viktoria Komova
7. Kyla Ross
8. Ruby Harold

Bars is like a complete mystery because it can change in instant even with the best gymnast. Predictions are almost worthless on bars because one small mistake means everything on bars. Yao Jinnan was expected to win last year and ended up not even medalling. I think last year's failure has motivated her more than any other gymnast - she's the one to beat, execution score and difficulty. Aliya has been cleaner than any other gymnast and if she is able to stay healthy and stay clean she is a top candidate for silver. Third place was a struggle for me because I know Becky Downie is more inconsistent than any other gymnast on this list. If she hits then third place is hers or it could be Huidan's too.

I think that Huidan will make a small error based on some of her performances this year but could surprise me. Ashton is in fourth because she is consistent and I think that if it goes like last year then consistent will place well. I went out on a limb and said Komova will make the team and make finals but with her off form she won't be a threat for medal this year. Kyla Ross lacks the difficulty to challenge this year as everyone else has upgraded. Harold is in last place because her consistency is lacking and her difficulty could be higher.

There are five gymnasts that have a realistic shot at winning the title and the others are only hoping that all five miss and let them have the title.

Balance Beam

1. Larisa Iordache
2. Aliya Mustafina
3. Maria Kharenkova
4. Bai Yawen
5. Simone Biles
6. Andreea Munteanu
7. Kyla Ross
8. Shang Chunsong

I think that this is the year that Larisa finally wins a beam title but then again if she does a horrible layout like at Euros then she can kiss that gold away. It is quite sad how a gymnast can do a very big element and then struggle on a less difficult one. Her best bet is to go for the big elements and hope for the payoff. Aliya is the defending champion and her new additions on beam should keep her in the medal picture. She could defend the title but the judges are favoring Larisa at the moment but that could change. Maria Kharenkova is in third because of her consistency and difficulty. The tipping point for me was that Bai Yawen does some combinations to get bonuses and executes them poorly - that is sure to cost her more than the bonus.

Simone Biles is in fifth place because her difficulty is lacking - she's playing it safe to stay on the beam. We saw how that went at Nationals which we can assume she will take into consideration at Worlds. Andreaa has big difficulty but has missed when it matters and also lacks that prestige that is required to win. Kyla's lack of difficulty will finally catch up to her on this final - even if she hits she will not be in the top three. Chunsong is inconsistent when the lights are on her and I can't see her winning a medal this time around.

Floor

1. Simone Biles
2. Larisa Iordache
3. Claudia Fragapane
4. Mykayla Skinner
5. Aliya Mustafina
6. Giulia Steingruber
7. Vanessa Ferrari
8. Shang Chunsong

The floor final is the final everyone knows who is going to win but doesn't know where everyone else is going to place. I'll focus on two through eight, Larisa is the front runner for silver because of her upgrades and her general comfort with the skills she performs - if she stays on her feet silver is hers. I'm going to go against my better judgment and say Fragapane medals on floor - she sticks her very complicated saltos with bad form which the judges ignore.

Skinner is super inconsistent and that Moors is dreadful even when she lands it in bounce. Aliya is back in the floor finals because she has awesome non-acrobatic combinations and complicated saltos. Her twisting form is going to give her major deductions but could sneak in because she feeds of the pressure. Giulia is very inconsistent on this piece this year and has zero artistry - judges, please judge her on that. Vanessa hit once and I don't think that she can hit twice in a year. Shang Chunsong is in last place because the judges find errors in her saltos that no one else can spot and will probably hammer her on that alone.

Agree or disagree with me? Let me know, if you comment with something compelling I might just change the orders.

Gymnastics News: UK/British Team Named

The British squads for the 2014 World Championships in Nanning have been released and some surprises have appeared. The obvious omissions of some of the currently injured gymnasts are clear and have led to some unknowns being named to both the men's and women's team. Below is the list of both squads.

Men: Max Whitlock, Kristian Thomas, Daniel Purvis, Daniel Keatings, Nile Wilson and Courtney Tulloch.

Reserve: Frank Bains

Women: Becky Downie, Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harold, Hannah Whelan, Kelly Simm, Gabby Jupp and Charlie Fellows.

If anyone is wondering why they named seven gymnasts to the women's team it is because they are going to name the reserve at a later date. It appears as though they haven't fully committed to a certain gymnasts but the way the article was released it could be a battle between Gabby Jupp and Charlie Fellows - possibly even Kelly Simm.

The women's team has suffered an injury to one of their main gymnasts and that is probably the reason why the team is in such a state. I believe the injured gymnast is Tunney but I'm not sure of that. The loss doesn't seem to be a big one but they are trying to pick the gymnast that will likely hit under pressure.

In the end they will likely have beam as their weakest piece and uneven bars their best apparatus. They will be fighting against the Russians for that bronze medal and will not be able to rely on their three double twisting yurchenko vaults to get them ahead of the Russian team. The Russian are likely going to perform three double twisting yurchenko vaults unlike at Euros. It might just come down to who stays on the beam.

The men's team on the other hand is much more experimental with the addition of Nile Wilson and Courtney Tulloch. Nile Wilson is a first year senior that has shown promise but can he hit on the pieces that Max Whitlock was supposed to? I'm not sure where they are going to place them, I know that he's great on pieces but those are usually the ones that the team is already good on. With regards to Courtney I have never heard of him before this time. It appears he is a rings specialist, a piece that the British team is particularly weak on.

The British team is really on an uprise and will probably benefit the most with the additional team member allowed at Worlds. I think with the injuries on some of the other teams this team is the team that is favored for the bronze but not assured. I think that either the Russian or US team can snatch it away with a single mistake by the British team. An example would be Max Whitlock falling off pommel horse and the team losing out on a big score.

What do you guys think of this team?

 

Aliya Vs. Simone

After the 2014 European Championships I had written off any chance that Aliya Mustafina would medal at Worlds but after her Russian Cup performances all of that has changed. Aliya was very lucky to medal in the All Around back in 2013, she was coming off an injury and wasn't showing her best. To her benefit the others faltered on one or more pieces and opened the door for a consistent Mustafina to step right in and take a medal.

With the emergence of the new Aliya some are painting her as a credible challenge to Simon Biles. Andy Thornton over at American Gymnast wrote a very good article comparing the two's potential D-score and other things. The real question is what is behind this change of focus when it appeared Aliya would not be in the mix.

The first reason is that Larisa Iordache, the most credible threat for most of the early part of the year has been showing inconsistencies and lack of improvement. At last week's Romanian event she showed upgrades but made big mistakes while attempting some of those elements. She touched the beam on one of her high scoring tumbles, had an issue with her layout, messed up on bars and hasn't upgraded on vault. The only saving grace for Larisa is that any mistake by Simone on floor will for sure give her the title.

Yao Jinnan on the other hand has worked ferociously to get an uneven bars routine that reaches 7.0 without the Mo salto. The only problem with her is that her tumbling isn't all that there and I don't know if the judges are going to kill her on that or if they are going to Iordache it like they are doing for Larisa on bars. There really isn't too much out there about her and I don't know what she is going to be doing but I wouldn't be shocked if she surprised me.

Now to the actual battle, Andy Thornton did a nice graph showing their current D-scores but I want to predict the attempted D-scores at Worlds. Below are their current D-scores.

Starting off on vault, both gymnasts are locked with those respective vaults a two and a half and a double yurchenko. Both gymnasts have mastered their vaults and the likelihood of anything changing in that is highly unlikely. If something did change it would be news in and of itself.

On uneven bars both gymnasts are going to be making upgrades because they are both capable of more but are saving themselves. Simone Biles is more conservative on this piece is likely only going to adding her 3 tenths back She performed a 6.1 routine last year and there is no sign that she is going to launch a full upgrade.

Aliya has been performing a watered down routine of 6.3, the same one that she has been using for home and continental competitions. After her defeat at Euros she is sure to add difficulty to be able to challenge Downie and the Chinese. I don't expect her to bring back her 2013 Worlds routine, instead I assume she will add a chow 1/2 after her pak release and do her Mustafina dismount. The first addition would add 2 tenths of connection value and 1 tenth for having an E element instead of an D. The dismount upgrade would add another one tenth of value giving her a D-score of 6.7.

Moving on to the balance beam we have Simone performing an upgraded 6.5 routine. She showed that at US nationals and fell once while doing said routine. The mood so far with Simone is that she is going to play it safe because she knows that she has a big lead over most of her challengers. A fall at Nationals didn't make a difference but at Worlds it will surely put it in contention regardless of what the NBC commentators said. She's definitely capable of more but it might come at a cost.

Last year this piece was Aliya's weakest during the All Around and that appears to have changed. Her D-score on beam ranged from 6.4 to 6.6 during Russian Cup. The overwhelming opinion is that she is going for even more connections and could get credited with more. The problem is that it came from a domestic event which can be misleading - Jordyn Wieber 2012. I feel that she will try to keep it at 6.6, she'll go for more but will probably only be awarded with the 6.6. If you couple that with her being the reigning World Champion on beam and her sudden improvement in consistency, then she should be rewarded with a better score than last year.

The floor is the apparatus that both gymnasts are likely going to focus upgrades on. Simone has a 6.5 D-score on floor but has shown some faults. She received 6.4 on the second day of Nationals after an incomplete rotation on a leap. She can easily upgrade her eponymous jump with a full twisting double layout. I would expect that rather than seeing her add a complicated turning element. I would put her D-score at 6.5 to 6.6.

Aliya's D-score at the Cup was only 5.7 with three tumbling passes, one of which was watered down. This routine is certainly not the one that she is going to be performing at Worlds, don't assume that for a second. She is more likely to use last year's routine as a base. She will probably add whips to her double arabian mount for 2 tenths extra. She can add her triple twist or the double layout she has been working on for the past few years. For the purpose of this we shall assume the former and add 5 tenths. Her D-score would be 6.4 assuming she hits everything and that's not a sure thing.

A+A E+A (+.3), D+C (+.2), E, D, E+B (+.1), D, C

Aliya would have a higher D-score but would be taking more of a risk by doing complicated connections. GymnasticsCoaching mentioned they would prefer seeing Aliya be clean, which was her strategy last year. I think we've moved on from being clean, that title belongs to Kyla Ross - always clean never spectacular. Aliya needs to be herself and if she's practiced well enough should hit. Simone needs to be herself and that's it - she doesn't need others missing.

If you agree with me or disagree drop me a line and please go read Andy's long article.

Gymnastics News: Afanasyeva at 2014 Worlds?

In a telephone interview with R-Sport Valentina Rodionenko has revealed that Ksenia Afanasyeva is on the short list of potential gymnasts for the 2014 World Championships. In the interview she goes on to state that Ksenia has been training 'quietly' since her ankle operation. She goes on to say that Ksenia doesn't need to learn any new moves because she is an experienced gymnast.

There is something wrong with the way Valentina speaks about Ksenia without confirming with Ksenia beforehand. Valentina did the same thing early on in the year and was surely a factor in pushing Ksenia to perform at the Russian National's earlier this year. I don't think that she has anything against Ksenia but this is just the way she is with a gymnast that she becomes frustrated with. She really likes calling the gymnasts fat if they are out of shape or if she has a falling out with them.

My opinion is that if Ksenia is seriously training then she would be very appreciated on the team but will probably not be ready for Worlds. I have a lot of faith in Ksenia but hopes of her coming back so soon are not a good thing at this moment. Ksenia herself has said that her recovery is forecasted to take a year which would mean she'll likely be back for Russian Nationals next year.

Do you guys think that Ksenia will make to the Worlds?

Russian World Team Preditctions

Russia Cup has not completed but I have decided to release my predictions for what the team will likely look like. I will definitely be updating based on the performance of gymnasts during this week's remaining days of competition. This year World team will consist of six team members as opposed to the usual five that will take part in the Olympic games. The format is six team members, up to five take part on each apparatus, in the qualification, and four scores count. The team all around is three up three count.

The team will likely be as follows,

World Team: Aliya Mustafina, Maria Kharenkova, Alla Sosnitskaya, Maria Paseka, Viktoria Komova and Daria Spiridonova.

 Alternatives: Anna Rodionova, Tatiana Nabieva?

On vault the team will be anchored by Maria Paseka's very shaky Amanar, two and a half twisting yurchenko. The vault is a mess of a vault but it is something she is landing and the team really needs someone that can anything more difficult than a full twisting yurchenko. Aliya is expected to do a solid double twisting yurchenko that will boost the team's vault scores. Alla Sosnitskaya is a respectable double twisting yurchenko as well but it wouldn't stand up against Afanaseyva's or Grishina's. Maria Kharenkova is likely going to attempt her single twisting yurchenko and Daria Spiridonova might too.

The uneven bars appears to be a much more solid piece for the Russian team and they are likely to have more than three solid routines to choose from. Aliya Mustafina is the lead on this apparatus, she is the defending bronze medalist, and is expected to bring a 6.7 bars routine. The return of Viktoria Komova is going to give Russia a 6.5 plus routine with a good reputation. Daria Spiridonova is likely to be third on bars with her solid 6.4 routine. She did well at the Euros and should try and use some of that success to lead her at the Worlds.

The fourth gymnast that could partake is Kharenkova who was spotted working a 6.1 bars routine. She made a mistake during qualifications of the Russia Cup but could have hit that routine. There is also Maria Paseka who is known to swing bars with a very limited difficulty but should be able to get through a routine.

The beam is a more tricky piece to predict but the top two are almost a given, Kharenkova and Mustafina. Kharenkova has established herself as a specialist on this apparatus and has so far been good enough to make the team. Aliya on the other hand is the reigning world champion on beam and would certainly be performing on this piece. She has a 6.4 routine with the potential for more connection bonuses.

The question really surrounds who will be that third gymnast as the options are limited. Komova seems to be the ideal option and would be great for the team but can she prepare a piece for this apparatus? The other option is Daria Spiridonova, she has good form and has some difficulty but can she hit when the team needs her? The head coach doesn't appear to have said faith in her and will not likely be performing on this piece unless they require her.

On the final piece, the floor, the Russian team has a couple of options and will be determined on the qualifications. Aliya is going to compete this piece and given her good track record on this piece she is good for the team. I only hope that she will be able to perform her high difficult routine at this year's Worlds. Then Maria Paseka, Alla and Maria Paseka will compete for the two final spots. At this point it is a real toss up and the best scores are going to dictate the moves that Russia makes.

Do you agree with my decisions? Leave a comment.

Updated Projected World Team for The US

Andy Thornton from American Gymnast has updated his projections for the US team and they are what we were all thinking but will Marta do it? The team he has selected has the gymnasts with the best D-scores and the gymnasts that the people really want to see at Worlds. The gymnasts are as follows,

If this team is selected there would be one slight issue, they are taking a big risk for a big reward. The team could bring home the most medals every by a US national team or they could have a splatter fest and not even bring home a gold in the team event. While the latter scenario sounds highly improbable and one fall wouldn't make a difference but a few would definitely make it happen. 

Andy's line up on each event is as follows, 

The lineup on vault would only have one Amanar (two and a half twisting yurchenko) vault with a d-score of 6.3. The other vaults would be a Cheng (round off half twist onto the board double twisting off) with a 6.4 d-score and a double twisting yurchenko valued at a 5.8. The difficulty would be lower than expected but with the strong vaulting it shouldn't make a big difference for the US team. Simone will definitely get a big number and that should make up for the weaker valued vault. 

The uneven bars is where the US would be taking the biggest risk and would rely on athletes that are seemingly being consistent. Kocian and Locklear have done as good as they possibly could these two past events and could bring big numbers to the team's score. The problem with these gymnasts is that they could face an unappreciative international judging panel. I can think of Anastasia Grishina and her big low 15s and then showing up to the Olympics and being unable to break 15. That could happen at these Worlds and would be a devastating blow to a team that has two bars specialists. 

The lineup on beam is a major strong point for the US team, they have the reigning Silver and Bronze medalist on beam and shouldn't have too much troubles on this apparatus. Their third gymnast on this apparatus is being billed as a potential event medalist with her current routine. I wouldn't go that far but all three are very capable beam workers and shouldn't come as a surprise if any medal.

The floor rotation is a whole different story, I've been saying the team title will be won or lost on floor for a while now and I mean it. The US team has capable gymnasts but they will have a hard time figuring out the best lineup for this rotation. Biles is a lock for this event but the other three options are risky when they go for their full difficulty routines. Skinner is capable of big elements but can easily flop if something goes wrong, Ross has low difficulty and if she goes for higher she will open herself up to mistakes. The Baumann option is hard to analyze given that I don't know what she's capable of doing and is definitely not a Skinner or a Biles. 

I'm not sure how the Worlds is going to go for the US national team but it promises to be a very interesting affair. My team would be much more different than this as I would go with a team that would for sure win Gold by focusing on their strengths and trying to minimize the weak points. I would stick with Dowell because an Amanar will for sure break 15.0 but a bars routine might not. 

What do you guys think are you digging this lineup? If you don't agree comment either on my blow or over at American Gymnast .

Gymnastics News: Bulimar Out, Tan Sixin Retired, Mexican National Team Named

The race for a team medal at this year's World Championships has just gotten a little bit easier with the announcement that Diana Bulimar is out. Diana's knee gave out according to MCSMaria's blog and was flown to Vienna for immediate treatment. This comes as a shock news especially given that she had recently announced that she had overcome her fear of vault and because she had missed last year's world due to an injury. Diana is now becoming the Romanian Vika Komova - she just can't catch a break.

Without Diana Bulimar on the Romanian team there are very little chances that the team can seriously compete for a medal. The team was already over reliant on Larisa and Diana for the bulk of their scores. Without Diana the team will need to add for apparatus rotations to the team and I don't know where they can find them. On the positive side this will make it that much easier for the Russians and British girls to medal.

Let's wish Diana a quick recovery, which the reports are saying the injury is nothing serious but will definitely keep her out of the Worlds.

With the Youth Olympic Games fast approaching, Triple Twist Gym Blog did a run through of where all the top gymnasts, that were competing there, are now. The most surprising gymnast on that list was Tan Sixin, not for being on the list but for being marked as retired. Tan was not a great all arounder but was a great beam worker something that the Chinese team is not in short supply. She was a reserve for the 2012 Olympic games yet never saw any significant international competition - save for the 2011 Worlds. Sad to see her go so quickly into her career.

The Mexican national team has been named for the Worlds - a bit too early to be naming World teams. The stand outs on the team are definitely veteran Elsa Garcia and Alexa Moreno. Elsa was last seen last summer when she won the silver medal at the Universiade Games in Kazan on the floor apparatus. Alexa Moreno is a even finalist on floor back in 2011 and performed well at the Universiade but did not take home a medal.

It shall be interesting to see if any of these ladies have improved their difficulty levels to challenge for medals. The team is not a medal contender but rather a team that is working with veterans and new additions. In all honesty the team is a good ten to twenty years from becoming a competitive team if the organization gets its things together. In previous years fighting between the coaches and decisions on representatives have caused uproars.

Analyzing Predictions for The US World Championship Team

Andy Thornton, a writer for American Gymnast,  has come out with a list of his predictions for the US women's national team for the World's. I decided that to analyze his choices and see what potential D-score they could perform at the World's. Andy's predicted team is as follows,

Projected Six-Member Team: Simone Biles, Kyla Ross,  Rachel Gowey, Madison Kocian, MyKayla Skinner Brenna Dowell

Alternatives: Maggie Nichols and Amelia Hundley 

As a fan of gymnastics and as someone that generally knows most of the gymnasts, I had to scratch my head because I hadn't heard of some of these athletes. I looked on YouTube and found their D-scores and some of their performances so far this year. Last week's US Classic revealed a lot and that is probably where Andy is basing his predictions off of. Below is a table showing how he predicts the rotation assignments will be.

The easiest rotation to predict is vault, the US team has a strong batch of gymnasts all capable performing 6.3 vaults or higher. The vault that will be done the most is going to be the Amanar - two and a half twisting yurchenko. The only exception on the team is going to be Skinner's Cheng vault that starts out of a 6.4. The problem with her vault is that she scores much lower than the other gymnasts performing an Amanar. She scored 15.00 compared to high 15's for the others.

Biles is going to perform an Amanar, D-score 6.3. Skinner will do a Cheng, D-score 6.4. Dowell will likely be the third vaulter on the team, that's my opinion not Andy's. She did a mediocre to good vault as opposed to the sat down Amanar that Gowey did. She will do an Amanar as well, D-score 6.3.

Note: Skinner runs the risk of being given a zero if both her hands don't touch the vaulting horse. She has the tendency of only pushing off with one hand. It is an odd technique that so far has worked for her but a recipe for disaster.

The uneven bars is by far the weakest rotation for the US national team and the hardest to predict. The strongest gymnast on this apparatus, Kyla Ross, was coming off an injury and watered down her routine. She left out an inbar stalder with a half turn and could thus had a few tenths less than she would have otherwise. She will likely have a routine of 6.6 for the World's - that's what she had last year when she won the silver medal on this apparatus.

The other two team members will likely carry a D-score of around 6.3. It is really hard to tell what they are holding back on but that seems to be the difficulty these three gymnasts are toping at. Biles and Kocian are my picks for this rotation based on their consistency so far.

The balance beam is unpredictable because gymnasts are rewarded various D-score based on hit connections. Kyla Ross is fluctuating from a 6.1 when she hits all her connections to 5.7 when she doesn't. Her routine hasn't been evaluated by international judges and can't really be predicted so far - remember Jordyn Wieber's varying D-score from 2012. We can assume 6.1 for the purposes of this assessment.

Simone Biles is the real star of the balance beam for the team when she hits. She is quite consistent but lacks that finishing touch on this apparatus. That really doesn't take much away from her given that she does some of the biggest moves on the beam. She's going for a 6.3 D-score. Her form is what's going to do her if her lack of connections don't.

Gowey is a beam specialist in my book, she does some of her most complex work on this apparatus and is only good on the others. She was given a 6.3 D-score on this piece and didn't even throw down some of the biggest moves like Simone. Her form will certainly be called out at World's but at national events expect her to receive massive scores.

The floor, I predict that the World title will be won and lost on floor. That goes for all the other national teams as well. The floor received the most drastic overhaul since the last cycle and gymnasts who aren't Simone Biles and Ksenia Afanasyeva have all failed to crack the15.00 mark multiple times at an international event since the beginning of the current cycle.

Simone Biles, if from what I'm lead to believe, from the US scoring system, has a 6.6 D-score. That is crazy for a gymnast that lacks many of the connected dance elements like a Ksenia. The scary thing about this gymnast is that she sticks most of her jumps and they aren't easy ones. The bad part is that she doesn't get called out for poor toe-point and form on some of her leap-spins.

Skinner on the other hand has the difficulty but lacks the form and consistency that Biles has. If the US team puts her on the lineup they are going to be taking a big risk that could pay off or cost them the gold. The mistake would need to be massive but it is still a risk nonetheless. She has a D-score that hovers around 6.3 and is bolstered by her double twisting double layout - the Moors. That element is worth nine tenths but her form is very piked that she could easily see more deductions than points.

The team will likely go with Ross for the third spot, she has upgraded her floor routine this season. At the US Classic she didn't under-rotate any of her jumps - something that she was having problems with in 2013. Her new first tumbling pass is a whip to double arabian. She appeared to have some minor issues with the landing and was hovering the line - not a good sign if she wants to add a stag jump to it. Her D-score is hovering at 5.7 but could easily be pushed to 5.8.

The run-down is that these numbers are points higher than any other national team the US team will be facing against. It is safe to say that the team could win with one fall but would open the door to another team with two falls. There won't be any other team that will have three Amanars on vault - there just isn't any nation training it like the US.

These predictions are quite solid by Andy and utilize the best gymnast available in the right places. Now to see if Marta will actually do this or go experimental. Only time will tell!