The rostrum at this 12 months’s Swiss Cup
It’s time for the 345th version of You Requested, The Gymternet Answered!
We apologize if we haven’t gotten to your query but, however we attempt to reply within the order wherein they have been obtained (except they’re tremendous related and must be answered in a well timed method).
One thing you need to know? Ask us anonymously by going by means of the contact type on the backside of the web page.
What do you concentrate on the introduction of a blended workforce competitors on the European Championships subsequent 12 months and likewise for the Olympic Video games in 2028?
I personally love the blended workforce competitions as a solution to carry a little bit one thing enjoyable and out-of-pocket to an in any other case critical competitors. The athletes clearly take it critically and need to medal so I don’t need to say that it’s not a critical competitors, BUT I do suppose it’s a bit extra enjoyable for the viewers to have a number of elimination rounds and it’s additionally good that with a smaller discipline and fewer occasions, it doesn’t final as lengthy and retains the eye of the individuals watching, whereas with one athlete going at a time it provides them extra of an opportunity to focus versus the three-ring circus that’s typically a workforce or all-around last.
So inherently for these causes, I’m at all times very excited to look at a blended workforce competitors! However on the identical time, I don’t know if will probably be the suitable match for main worldwide meets like Euros and the Olympics? I feel the precedence will nonetheless be the standard workforce and particular person finals, and for the reason that blended workforce occasions would require athletes to qualify by title, I concern many high athletes might not need to add one other day to an already robust schedule, particularly because it’s simple to know the place you stand in a lot of the conventional occasions when it comes to being a medal menace, whereas a blended workforce occasion is form of up-in-the-air. A blended workforce last almost at all times favors the workforce with a celebrity MAG specialist, so typically you see a workforce take gold after the MAG athlete will get a 15+ on parallel bars whereas the WAG athlete will get a 12 on beam or ground. Often the steadiness is healthier, and if somebody like Simone Biles on vault or Kaylia Nemour on bars have been a part of a blended workforce it may make issues extra even, however I feel total it’s too skewed towards MAG specialists to make it a good competitors the place each athletes are contributing on the highest stage.
My compromise could be to alter the scoring to one thing just like the Bundesliga factors system so the scoring variations between MAG and WAG (and even simply between the totally different occasions inside MAG and WAG, as the most effective parallel bars specialists typically rating almost a degree greater than the most effective rings specialists!) aren’t as defining, however even then I feel a blended workforce occasion at main worldwide competitions could be extra suited to gala evenings than slated as medal occasions. On the finish of the day, MAG and WAG are totally different sports activities with wildly totally different guidelines and codes, so whereas combining them for one-off meets just like the Swiss Cup or making them a part of, however separate from, meets just like the DTB Pokal competitors is a lot enjoyable, I don’t agree with including them to Euros or the Olympics, at the least with no full overhaul of the qualification and scoring programs.
What do you concentrate on McKayla Maroney? Was she actually the queen of vault?
I feel Maroney was extra just like the queen of the Amanar, or extra typically, the queen of Yurchenko-entry vaults. She was clearly glorious as a vaulter, however I feel the truth that her Yurchenko half-on was by no means actually good and that we by no means noticed her critically try another entries with excessive issue flight makes me hesitant to think about her the queen of vault generally. To be truthful, it’s uncommon that we see somebody who’s so versatile on this equipment that they’re doing each model of entry or flight, and maybe if she’d tried different households she would’ve been simply as implausible as she was with a Yurchenko, however the totally different households of vaults require totally different strengths and I feel there are different extra well-rounded WAG vaulters I’d think about as vault queens over Maroney, although this shouldn’t diminish what she was able to and all the things she did throughout her time within the sport!
How widespread is it for a gymnast to drag a Laurie Hernandez and win an Olympic gold medal with out ever having gone to world championships earlier than or after?
It’s so not widespread in any respect! The one different athletes I can consider who received Olympic gold medals with out ever having attended a world championships over the previous 40 years are Guan Chenchen and Daniela Sofronie, who was an alternate for worlds in 2003 however by no means competed as a part of a workforce. We additionally haven’t seen 2020 and 2024 workforce gold medalists Viktoria Listunova or Hezly Rivera at any world championships – except for junior worlds, which I wouldn’t depend on this sense – however I feel there’s nonetheless time for each of them to make it occur, particularly with Russia now planning on making use of for impartial standing for some athletes.
Previous to worlds being held yearly it was extra widespread to see athletes win medals on the Olympics however by no means make it to worlds, so up till the 80s there are fairly just a few extra names, with essentially the most notable in all probability being Mary Lou Retton, Simona Pauca, Margit Korondi, Andrea Bodo, and a couple of billion Soviet athletes throughout a number of many years, in addition to each member of the Dutch workforce in 1928 and the German workforce in 1936, and possibly most members of the gold-medal profitable Czech workforce in 1948, since world championships didn’t exist in ladies’s gymnastics till 1950.
Do you suppose there’s any benefit that the FIG put a rule in place requiring every gymnastics workforce to make use of all of its members in a workforce last? It was disappointing to see the U.S. resolve to drop Hezly Rivera for the ultimate this 12 months.
I feel the FIG will get annoyed when groups don’t use each member, which is a part of the reasoning for why they restricted groups to 4 athletes on the Olympics in 2020 – they have been like, we’re supplying you with spots for 5 athletes, however you’re simply bringing somebody for no purpose and solely utilizing 4?! I wouldn’t be stunned in the event that they made it a rule that every one athletes on a workforce should compete in a workforce last barring harm, BUT I personally wouldn’t agree with it.
A part of main a workforce is to strategize, and even should you go in with the most effective intentions to make use of all 5 athletes, if {qualifications} present that one athlete wouldn’t be a very good slot in a three-up three-count scenario, I feel it’s the coach’s proper to resolve to go away that athlete off the ultimate roster. It sucks and is disappointing when athletes are overlooked – Rivera is much from the primary to have this occur! – particularly when a workforce is to date forward. It seemingly wouldn’t have made ANY DIFFERENCE to the top end result had the U.S. used Rivera instead of Jordan Chiles on bars, even when she fell! A part of me is like, she’s 16 years outdated, she form of shockingly made the Olympics after not likely being anticipated to get right here, give her an opportunity! However the different a part of me feels that spots on groups must be earned, and whereas she earned her spot on the Olympic workforce, she didn’t essentially earn a spot within the workforce last. It might have been good, and as a softy, I in all probability would’ve thrown her a bone if I have been main the workforce. However I additionally perceive and respect why the U.S. wished the absolute best workforce regardless of how far forward they have been anticipated to finish up, particularly after lacking gold in Tokyo.
Is there an up to date listing for WAG accidents and retirements after the Olympics?
I don’t actually preserve harm lists as a result of statuses change so typically when it comes to the place athletes are of their restoration, however when it comes to retirements, I feel essentially the most notable have been Olympians Maellyse Brassart of Belgium, Filipa Martins of Portugal, and Becky Downie of Nice Britain, although I don’t know if Downie ever introduced and suppose hers was extra implied? Hmm. Within the U.S. we’ve seen many athletes – together with Olympians Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey – return to NCAA packages, however whether or not they’ve retired from elite or will proceed on whereas competing in school continues to be not official. I consider I additionally heard Marine Boyer of France is retiring? On the MAG aspect, the largest losses to retirement are in all probability Max Whitlock of Nice Britain, Igor Radivilov of Ukraine, and Lukas Dauser of Germany.
When a gymnast does a toe-on talent on bars, do her toes must be collectively? I simply realized that Nastia Liukin’s legs have been extra straddled for her toe-on expertise. Would a straddled toe-on be a deduction within the code at the moment?
No, toes or legs don’t must be collectively for a toe-on! Each the straddle and pike positions are allowed for toe-on components, and Liukin’s straddled toe-ons wouldn’t be a deduction in at the moment’s code.
Why was Kaylia Nemour given such low E scores on beam and ground in Paris? To the bare eye, what parts have been the primary sources of her deductions? I believed she could be on the high of the sector on each based mostly on different latest worldwide outcomes and was stunned at her scores in Paris. Will she look to fine-tune her present routines, or is her routine development holding her again?
Her beam connections particularly have been a bit gradual and I feel worse than her execution, the judges completely destroyed her anticipated begin worth. The talents she carried out ought to’ve had her at a 6.4 D, however as an alternative within the all-around last she ended up at a 5.6, and I feel that’s as a result of they didn’t credit score her change leap to change half, after which additionally seemingly the entrance aerial to separate bounce. The connection worth for the previous is simply a tenth, BUT if she missed that collection, she additionally misplaced 5 tenths for the leap connection requirement as a result of she didn’t make up for the misplaced connections elsewhere in her routine.
Perhaps she didn’t understand she wouldn’t get the leaps credited, or simply wasn’t considering on her toes? Usually when gymnasts understand they’re gradual, they’ll add in a easy cut up bounce to sissone or one thing elsewhere within the routine to make sure they get the requirement in, so I assume Nemour simply didn’t count on that one thing like this could occur. Slower and tentative components additionally normally have an effect on the athlete’s E rating, and I don’t suppose her change half actually seemed as tidy or actual because it did in different competitions the place she scored greater.
I really feel like her ground was tremendous and once more she didn’t have any obtrusive issues that may’ve taken her E rating down dramatically, however within the all-around she had touchdown deductions on each tumbling run, together with a very brief end on the triple that may’ve resulted in a chest-down deduction in addition to a number of tenths for the steps, after which she additionally got here up brief on the double tuck on the finish, taking a three-tenth step ahead. These two passes alone have been in all probability chargeable for almost half of her E rating deductions, so whereas it wasn’t BAD, it’s only a bunch of issues including up.
How do gymnasts qualify for world championships in 2025?
There isn’t a qualification for particular person world championships! Whereas groups and people should qualify by means of continental championships and world cups in 2026 and 2027, the primary worlds of the quad will as soon as once more enable any nationwide federation in good standing to attend.
After years of trending in the direction of packing in as many ground passes as allowed, I really feel like we’re seeing much more three-pass routines this quad. Are you aware if there’s a selected purpose why that pattern appears to have abruptly reversed?
Most athletes attempt to be environment friendly with all of their routines, however particularly on ground, the place endurance can actually have an effect on the way you carry out. As a result of the code values connections throughout the identical move, particularly with the present requirement to have a real ahead factor as an alternative of having the ability to get away with a random aerial as in earlier codes, a gymnast would reasonably pack a number of components right into a single run and get all the things out of the best way in three as an alternative of 4. Many of those gymnasts are typically robust at dance as nicely, and with solely three passes taking on time of their routines, they will have extra time to do extra difficult dance components. In fact, we nonetheless have the Simone Biles of the world doing 4 tough passes, however for gymnasts who don’t have her energy or endurance ranges, going for 3 is a way more sustainable choice.
Why would the FIG price the Yurchenko double pike with a comparatively excessive begin worth however solely add a measly tenth for her double double beam dismount? Donatella Sacchi’s rationale for undervaluing the beam dismount was associated to questions of safety, however the Yurchenko double pike appears much more harmful.
I don’t suppose they have been in a position to realistically negotiate something decrease for the Yurchenko double pike than what they ended up giving it. On vault, the Yurchenko double pike provides a complete different flip, which is kind of totally different from merely including a full twist. In fact, a double double off course is ridiculously onerous and based mostly on the development of components under it, ought to’ve been valued greater. There’s no argument there. However with an athlete including a complete additional flip, the technical committee can’t get away with arguing it ought to solely be a few tenths greater than different tough Yurchenkos, all of which solely have single flips. Regardless that it’s clearly harmful – far more so than a double double beam dismount – in addition they needed to think about simply how tough this was compared to another vault principally ever accomplished and price it with that in thoughts. Truthfully they in all probability may have gone even greater and certain have been being a bit conservative!
Why did gymnasts trouble starting to compete Yurchenko double fulls if each that and a 1½ have been each out of a ten? Looks as if an pointless threat to me.
Since a Yurchenko 1½ has a blind touchdown, it might really be simpler for some athletes to land a vault with extra twists the place they’re in a position to spot the touchdown than it’s for them to persistently have good landings on a 1½, the place they’re unable to identify. The double clearly takes extra energy and talent, BUT if a gymnast has each and struggles with touchdown the blind vault with out taking steps, it is smart that they’d go for the vault that’s finally cleaner and simpler for them.
Had Aly Raisman not retired, would she have needed to improve her ground to proceed to face on the rostrum given the variety of H-level components we’ve seen?
I feel she would’ve needed to improve, particularly compared to different People who got here after her, however I nonetheless suppose she would’ve been fairly solidly within the combine with the present group? Perhaps the double pike to complete would’ve been ‘too simple’ compared (although I’m certain she may’ve been in a position so as to add a entrance full or one thing into it!), however I additionally suppose she was typically so strong along with her routine, even when her issue was barely behind, it wouldn’t be by a lot and he or she seemingly may have outscored lots of the present gymnasts with H expertise because of her capacity and management.
Are you able to clarify to somebody who has by no means accomplished gymnastics what it means when individuals say {that a} gymnast swings bars nicely?
I at all times consider a very good bars swinger as somebody who makes her bars look ‘pure’ within the sense that she’s not displaying the entire super effort that goes into swinging. I feel it turns into simpler to identify the extra you watch, however I can typically inform when somebody seems to be labored of their swing, like you may see them doing the work and you’ll inform that it’s onerous. However there are some gymnasts – like Viktoria Komova as a first-rate instance for me – who swing bars prefer it’s nothing. Mainly, they’re doing a LOT of labor to make it seem like they’re merely breezing by fully unbothered. This normally encompasses a mixture of faucet approach, velocity, flexibility, momentum, and management, which somebody who has by no means accomplished gymnastics might not have the ability to perceive on the bodily stage, however I feel the extra you watch, even should you can’t see every of these items individually, you can begin to acknowledge when somebody has each factor of what it means to be a very good bars swinger!
Have a query? Ask under! Do not forget that the shape immediately under this line is for questions; to remark, preserve scrolling to the underside of the web page. We don’t reply questions on workforce predictions nor questions that ask “what do you consider [insert gymnast here]?”
Article by Lauren Hopkins
