Yang Hak Seon VT Prelims - 2013 Worlds - FHS 5/2

Happy 19th Birthday Aliya Mustafina

Last year I posted this same video wishing her a happy birthday and I'm going to post it again because this is one of my favourite moments from her. She totally owned this bars finals and I can never get tired of it.

Kenzo Shirai 2013 Worlds Prelims VT & FX

Powerhouse Japan - 2013 Artistic Worlds

Aliya Mustafina UB - 2013 Worlds Podium Training

Stalder 1/1 + Seitz + Pak + Stalder Shap 1/2 (D+E+D+E) 0.5CV
*Inabr 1/2 + Jaeger (D+D) 0.1CV
Toe 1/1 + Mustafina (D+E) 0.1CV

3.5 + 0.7CV = 4.2 + 2.5 = 6.7 D-score

*Edit. Mustafina did toe 1/2 which is only C and no connection value so the dscore should be 6.5. This is podium training so she will most likely bring the inbar 1/2 for 0.2 tenths. 

 

Yao Jinnan UB Podium Training 2013 Worlds

Anna Rodionova Worlds BB Training

Love the ff + Arabian combo for 0.2CV

Kenzo Shirai FX 2013 Worlds Podium Training

Mustafina 2013 Worlds Training News

Watch more videos on Gymnastike
This is very exciting news, here is Aliya Mustafina doing a Seitz (Toe on shap 1/1 but with mixed grip) + Pak salto. I'm thinking after the Pak she will connect it to the stalder shap 1/2. She is also doing her Mustafina dismount. Aliya is looking really fierce and fit. Also exciting news is that she is doing two whips indirect to double Arabian, very cool. It's not surprising since the Russians are very good at whipping and at age 19 Afanasyeva was first upgrading to whips so hearing that an 18 year old Mustafina upgrading to whips seems like a very obvious choice. I can't wait to see how Mustafina's full routines will look like. I knew the real Mustafina would emerge. Early in the season she really lacked excitement, except for her beam. The real competition is on and I'm excited to see Mustafina. I'm getting all my info from gymnastike and gymnastics examiner.

2013 International Junior Sae Miyakawa FX(AA)- DLO dismount

Just Because

Yang Hak Seon Handspring Frontflip 3.5t (attempted)

Ekaterina Kramarenko 1st UB Osijek Cup

It's good to see Kramarenko back and getting international assignments. For those of you who do not know who she is, she was on Russia's 2008 Beijing Olympic team and of course she was the girl with the infamous vault incident in 2007. Kramarenko did a good bar routine here.

D5.8 + E8.625 = 14.425
 

Happy 22nd Birthday Ksenia Afanasyeva

Today Ksenia turns 22. In gymnastics age that is considered old but in reality she is still young. With many older gymnasts still continuing I hope ksenia can still be competitive in the new quad. An interesting fact is that Ksenia was born on Friday the 13th and today is Friday the 13th 2013. Ksenia will miss this year's world championships due to a recent ankle surgery. According to the Russians she should be ready to be back in December.

Ksenia's year started off with her doing a gala called From London to Rio.

She competed at Russian Championships and showed some very interesting new beam connections. She did Onodi + side somi + 1 -1/4 spin and Kochetkova + split leap 1/1! Very cool ideas.  

She then had to compete at a French Cup to prove her place on a Russian European team as her spot was not guaranteed. At the French Cup she was controversially given a forward compositional requirement that she did not do in prelims. She still advanced to floor finals and won gold. Click to watch. It was early in the season and she seemed to have really improved on her tumbles. Her DLO was powerful and her double pike dismount looked better than ever. She became a more improved gymnast. She was more powerful than ever. Unfortunately she had some problems with her new beam routine and eventually had to take out some of her cool ideas.

Ksenia eventually made the Russian European team. This was a special event for Ksenia since it was in front of her home country and it was her first time at an European championships since 4 years ago in 2009. She missed many Europeans due to injuries. For once she was now healthy and ready to win medals. She shocked the gymnastics world when there were rumours she could do the Amanar vault. I have to admit I was skeptical of this Amanar rumour. I couldn't believe it but when there were reports of her doing the amanar during podium training the rumours became true but still there were no videos of her doing the Amanar. During prelims she revealed a 6.4 difficult floor routine that made news. Interesting it wasn't her tumbles that were upgraded but it was her turns. I love her spinning connections. Ksenia only made floor finals where she won gold in front of a home crowd. Her routine had beautiful powerful tumbles mixed with beautiful dance elements. Click here to watch. Her season was beginning to look very good. Ksenia even decided to train early for Universiade. She was so positive and worked really hard for Universiade. She also posted a video of her training the H element 1/1 DLO and she is rumoured to be able to do 7/2 (3.5) twists.

At the Universiade Games in Kazan, Ksenia revealed new music for her floor routine. Her routine had mixed reviews but Ksenia was still elegant and beautiful on floor. She started off okay in AA but then had a very shaky nervous beam routine. She proceeded to have one of the best floor routine of her life clinching herself a silver medal in the AA. I personally liked her AA floor routine. It is one of my favourite routine of the year. She nearly stuck every tumble. It was a magical performance and probably a special night for Ksenia. She unfortunately didn't have the best floor routine in event finals but she was able to win gold with high difficulty. My highlight of the Universiade gymnastics was Ksenia's Amanar vault. She stunned the gymnastics community with her ability to win vault finals with a new Amanar and second vault. At age 21 Ksenia was able to upgrade two of her vaults. She was especially brave and courageous for doing the Amanar vault. All of her early hard work paid off.
She was looking like a lock for Antwerp until she suddenly had ankle surgery. I just want to say that Ksenia brought some excitement to the beginning of the season and it's very disappointing that she will miss worlds. She had a very big shot at floor gold and medaling on vault. I hope she will be back and stronger next year. Happy birthday Ksenia!

Kenzo Shirai's DLO 2/1

I have already knew that Kenzo could do the triple double back but I never knew he could do DLO 2/1. He makes it look so beautiful.

Sandra Izbasa 15.600 ROU '13 National FX Routine

I think the score seems fair enough but I don't think the judges at worlds will give that routine a high 15.6. This was a national competition so of course the scores were adjusted. I hear that Izbasa will retire this year? Well that is what I'm hearing but I'm not sure. It would be nice for her to win a gold medal or just medal on this event at worlds before she retires but I am rooting for Maroney to take the gold. Yes, I said Maroney. I don't have much of an opinion on Izbasa's artistry but I prefer Maroney's FX. I don't particularly like full in acros and 5/2 twists in combination as dismounts. I feel Izbasa could compose her floor routine differently but the way she composes works for her. It's kinda like when I saw Beth Tweddle dismount with 5/2 twists + combo, I just didn't like it. It seems like those kind of passes should be in the middle of a routine. I particularly like Maroney's floor because she is clean. No crossing in twisting acro's, no backhand spring leg separations and she does skills that I prefer. Like double layout and double arabian.

I'm not sure what Izbasa was credit for difficulty but I noticed she took a step on her B+B spinning combo. According to the CoP B+B turn combo does not allow a step. So Izbasa's turning combo should not get 0.1CV.  Either than that I think this routine was well performed and a medal contender for worlds.

Larisa Iordache's Van Leeuwen Upgrade on Bars 2013 ROU Nationals

(Edit: I'm just realizing now that this wasn't the first time she did this upgrade right?) She upgraded to a Van Leeuwen (toe-on shap 1/2). I made this abbreviation up VLW :-D. The skill is worth 5 tenths. It looks nice. Her bar D-score is decent for an AA. If I'm correct this routine is out of 5.9 difficulty.

There are tons of 2013 Romanian National routines at this youtube account mojochrys.

 (Source: thehappyonefrombeijing)

Zhou Shixiong 2013 CHN National Games AA 90.269

I think the scores were inflated but you can never count China out. I don't think he can win AA gold in Antwerp but if he has a very good day he might be able to medal.

CoP - Tip of the Month

Compositional requirements (CR) are requirements that must be included in a routine. When one CR has been met the gymnast will receive 0.5. The maximum CR a gymnast can receive is 2.5. Each apparatuses will have different CR.

For example uneven bars CR are:

1. Flight element from HB to LB 0.5
2. Flight element on same bar 0.5
3. Different grips (no cast, MT, DMT) 0.5
4. Non flight element with min. 360 degree turn (no MT) 0.5
5. Dismount

• No dismount, A or B element no CR awarded
• C element 0.3
• D element or higher 0.5     

If a gymnast successfully does all the CR then she will be awarded 2.5 CR. If she misses two CR then she will only be awarded 1.5. For dismounts, if a gymnast only does a C element dismount she will only receive 3 tenths instead of the 5 tenths. Sometimes you'll see CR calculated like this 2.3.

 

Abbreviations:
HB - High bar
LB - Low bar
MT - Mount
DMT - Dismount
360 degree is a full turn

Ksenia Afanasyeva 2013 Universiade AA Floor

It's sad that Afanasyeva will miss 2013 worlds. She had one of the best floor routines of the year and could challenged for floor gold in Antwerp. I will be missing her this year. She won't be able to defend her world title that she won in 2011. I read that she should be recovered by December. Hopefully the next time we see her she will be doing double layouts with full twists :D Get well Afan.