Up and Coming: Zeng Siqi

This next gymnast is often considered the baby of the Chinese Team, but she has some big skills that are making her a very exciting prospect. Zeng Siqi was the All-Around Champion at the 2012 Asian Championships and a bronze medalist on floor and beam, as well as helping Team China to a nearly ten-point lead over North Korea for a gold medal. At the Chinese Individual Nationals earlier this year, she took first in All-Around and the beam final.

She is exciting to watch on all the apparatus, but especially on beam and floor. She has so much character and charm on floor that it just draws you into her routine. Plus, isn't her smile just the cutest?

As I mentioned, she has several big skills on beam, combined with beautiful choreography and execution. This is her silver-medal routine in the 2011 Chinese Nationals event finals. She placed second only to Sui Lu, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist on beam.

 



 

It was a very solid, clean routine, and had Sui Lu not had an extrodinarily beautiful routine, I think this little lady might have had a change at a gold.

 

Another beautiful routine from her was on floor in the team final of the 2011 Chinese Nationals:

 

 

 



As I mentioned she just as a way about here that draws you in, much like Jiang Yuyuan does. There were a few hiccups (steps on landings and a hop on one of them), but over all it was very good.

 

Since the Chinese team is traditionally weak on floor, I think Zeng Siqi stands a very good chance of becoming a mainstay on the team, not only on floor, but also in the all around. Compared to some of her teammates (namely Huang Huidan), her bars routine is a bit shaky, and while she is capable of a double-twisting Yurchenko, she has only been vaulting a full-twisting Yurchenko due to an ankle injury. I think if she can update those two events however, she could very well be China's star in the coming quad.

 





Up and Coming: Huang Huidan

Huang Huidan was actually age-elligible for London but was not chosen for the team. She is a first year senior, but is still considered a junior in many respects because she doesn't have a lot of international experience. In September she took silver in the all-around and gold on uneven bars at the Chinese Individual Championships, and earlier this year she took fourth on beam and silver on bars at the Chinese Nationals.

She is exceptional on bars and beam, as evidenced by her medal haul this year. She is very elegant and beautiful to watch. Check out this sheep jump:

 

This is her beam routine from the 2011 Chinese Individual Championships. She tied for gold with a 14.35, and the deductions came from the little wobbles throughout and the step on the landing. Over all a good routine, though:

 



 

Another beautiful routine is her uneven bars routine in the event finals of this year's Individual Nationals, where she also took gold:

 

 

As shown she is beautiful on bars and beam. Floor has low difficulty, as does vault - her most difficult vault is a full-twisting Yurchenko. However, if she updates floor and vault and maintains her beautiful elegance on bars and beam, I think she could become a good all-arounder. And even if she doesn't her bars and beam routines will certainly help Team China in coming years, and maybe earn her a few more medals along the way.



That moment...

No junior post today because I have a lot of homework, but this is one of my favorite pictures ever. When I said Nadia's first 10 was one of the most exciting things in gymnastics, this is a close second. It is just so striking to me for some reason.

 

 

For those of you who can't tell, this is the end of Cheng Fei's floor routine in the Team Final in Beijing. In the background are He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, and Yang Yilin. I only wish you could see Cheng's face as well, because her expression is so amazing - she knows she's done it for her team.



Up and Coming: Maria Kharenkova

Unlike Olivia Cimpian, Kharenkova has already made a name for herself. She has beautiful choreography paired with impressive tumbling on her two best events - floor and beam. She is also fairly good on vault, but struggles on uneven bars sometimes, and it is her weakest event - surprising for a Russian.

Did I mention her beautiful choreography on beam?

 

That choreography and her incredible (and clean!) tumbling won her a gold in the event finals at the 2012 European Championships. There were a few wobbles but nothing major, and all in all it was a very good routine:

 



 

She also has wonderful choreography and fluidity on floor, where she won a second well-deserved gold medal in the event finals in Brussels:

 

 

I think Maria will continue to shine on beam and floor, and maybe vault as well - she won a bronze medal in the event finals in Brussels. If she can polish up her bars I think she could become a very good all-arounder. Right now she seems to struggle in all-around competitions, but gaining some maturity and experience should cure that. Regardless if she becomes a stronger all-arounder or if she sticks to her three best events, the gymnastics world better watch out - Russia is definitely back.

Up and Coming: Olivia Cimpian

This little star is quite something. She recently switched from rhythmic to artistic gymnastics - never a bad thing. It makes her fascinating to watch, especially on floor. Many gymnasts, unfortunately, don't have the natural feel for the music that produces fluid and - dare I say it? - artistic routines. Olivia does. Also, check out this switch ring. I haven't seen one this beautiful since Ana Porgras.

As I said, her floor routine is something else. This one is from event finals at the 2012 Romanian Junior Nationals (October 26-27):

 

Minus the fall and some wobbles throughout, her beam routine from the same meet (all around) is pretty good as well. She has beautiful lines, and you can see her rhythmic background here as well:

 

 

If these videos are any indication, she will turn out to be a beautiful beam and floor worker. While she struggled in the all-around at this meet (vault was clean, but her bars routine was shaky at best), I think as she gets older those two events will become stronger. It almost looked like she was too tiny to get all the way up to handstand on bars, and when she faltered, she was too light to muscle her way around. I think once she grows some and gets a little stronger, those things will correct themselves.

 

Either way, she is an exciting prospect who will surely be one to watch in coming years.





 



Up and Coming...

I'm starting a series called Up and Coming. Basically, it's my favorite Juniors, and maybe some new seniors that haven't gotten talked about a lot. I'll post pictures and links to good routines, and something about each gymnast: what I like about them, what makes them so promising, etc.

Day 20: When & Why Did You Start Watching Gymnastics?

The earliest I probably watched gymnastics was in 2000 or 2004, but I don't remember either. I watched some in 2008, but I didn't really get into it until this year in London.

As for why, I don't really know. Maybe it's a bit of regret that I was never into it enough when I was younger to go very far in it. But either way, I love it now!

Day 19: Elite or NCAA?

I think I will always like Elite more, for whatever reason, but NCAA intrigues me. It is still scored out of 10, which I like, and it places more emphesis on execution. So if you see a gymnast doing a really hard skill, it is probably going to be done well.

Day 18: Favorite Floor Music That's Been Used

Definitely Aliya in 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUTTY6IHrZc). I don't know how else to say it, but it is very Russia. Maybe it's because listening to it, I knew Aliya was Russian, but it just seems so characteristic of Russia to me. It definitely fits Aliya's style, and I wish she had brought it back for the Olympics this year.

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

Alicia Sacramone in 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b7nCoEJOr)

 

 

Kyla Ross in 2012 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skPvvV9RKFk)

 

 

 

Day 17: Current System or the Perfect Ten?

There are things I like about both of them. The current system does reward gymnasts who do more difficult skills, but it places so much emphesis on difficulty over artistry and execution. It is to the point that a beautiful-in-the-air Amanar that is sat down can score higher than a relatively cleanly performed DTY. I just think there's something not quite right with that.

The perfect ten system was much easier for casual fans to understand, because all apparatus were scored out of ten. The closer you were to ten, the better. Easy. Now, a given score might be terrible on bars but good on beam. The perfect ten did have its flaws. Because it put so much emphesis on execution, a step out of bounds on floor could all but ruin an otherwise perfect routine.

They both have their pros and cons, but to me, this:

 

will always be one of the most exciting things ever in gymnastics.

Day 16: Dream Team of Six Gymnasts

Oooh, I've been waiting for this one. This is hard, because there are way more than six gymnasts that I like. But here goes:

Aliya Mustafina (UB, FX)
No one competing in gymnastics today can match Aliya's determination and drive. At the 2010 Worlds she won a gold in the Team final and the AA final, and qualified to all four event finals (3 silvers). At the 2011 European Championships she tore her ACL and strained her MCL. Most athletes take years to recover, and even then do not return to the highest level. However, 18 months later, Aliya left the 2012 Olympics as the most decorated Russian gymnast, with 4 medals.

 

 

Cheng Fei (VT, FX, BB)



If Aliya has drive and determination, Cheng has passion. She was World Vault Champion from 2005-2007, and also won a gold medal on floor and in the team final in 2006. She is the most decorated female gymnast in Chinese history, and would most likely have made an apperance in London had she not injured her Achilles tendon in June.

 



He Kexin (UB)
He is only good on bars, but not only did she win gold in Beijing, she also defended with a silver medal in London. Many were disappointed in China's decision to place He on the team over her teammate Jiang Yuyuan, but He proved her worth by performing well for China in the team final, as well as the aforementioned silver in the UB final.

 

Ksenia Afanasyeva (BB, FX)

Afan was the only member of Team Russia in London was also there in Beijing. She remembers the team going home without any medals - an unthinkable thing for Russia. She was the World Floor Champion in 2011, but most of her work for Team Russia is pushed to the background in favor of stars like Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina. But Afan is a solid beam and floor performer, and adds a lot of experience to the Russian team.

 

 



Sandra Izbasa (FX, VT)

Sandra is one of my all-time favorites. Not only is she an amazing gymnast (Olympic Floor Champion 2008 & Vault Champion 2012), but she is always so elegant and classy. She conducts herself very well, and whenever she wins a medal, she always seems so suprised and grateful, not like she was expecting it. Even after her fall in the 2012 Floor final, she was still smiling, and she said she wanted to show that "a real champion smiles no matter what".

 

 

Viktoria Komova (UB, BB)

Vika is sometimes inconsistent and always emotional, but hey - she's Russian, and the Russians never hide their emotions. If they are upset, they'll show it. Vika didn't have the spectacular Olympics everyone was expecting - she got silver in the All-Around, but hit her feet on the low bar in the UB event final, and fell of the beam in the BB final, placing last. However, she was the AA champion at the YOG in 2010, and she also won silver in the AA & Gold in the UB final in 2011 in Tokyo.

 

 

This is one AWESOME team. If you take their scores in the Team Final from 2012 (Cheng Fei in 2008), you get a total of 183.564; this would have been a bronze medal in 2008 and a silver medal (by .032 points) in 2012. It would also have been a gold medal at Worlds in 2011, 2010, and 2006, and a silver in 2007.

 

 

Day 15: A Rule You Would Change About the Sport

So many. Ok, first I'm going to say that I don't have a problem with the 'two per country' rule. I don't LIKE it, but I see the point. Its all fine and dandy for the US fans to complain about it, and if Jordyn had gotten in, and then the USA went 1-2-3 in the AA, it would have been great. But if Anastasia Grishina had gotten in and Russia had gone 1-2-3, we would have been whining like babies. So I see the point of it.

 

As for what I would change, I'm really not a fan of the tie-breaking rules. Just give them both a medal! Especially in the beam finals, when Catalina Ponor lost her medal, not because the judges gave Raisman a higher score, but because Raisman basically ASKED for a higher score (I know she didn't really, but basically, protesting is like asking for a higher score).

Day 14: A Gymnast You Just Don't Like

I don't dislike any of them, really. But Rebecca Bross is probably my least favorite. I just never got around to liking her. She's a good gymnast, I just don't find her gymnastics as pleasing to watch as others. Nothing against her personally, but she's my least favorite.

Day 13: Best Beam Mount You've Seen

This is seriously one awesome beam mount. It's risky - lots of room for errors and deductions - but really awesome. It's nice to see gymnasts taking risks and getting past this era of mounts that consist of a hop onto the beam and little else.

Day 12: Who's the Most Overrated Gymnast

I don't really think any of them are overrated. If you can make it in elite gymnastics (especially in international competition), you deserve all the recognition you get. However, I do think there are moments when some gymnasts are overhyped, and when they don' live up to the hype, people begin to think maybe they are overrated, when that's not really the case.

For example, people were making Gabby's chances of winning or medaling in the UB event final out to be very high, so her mistake seemed bigger than it actually was. Don't get me wrong, it was a large mistake, but it wouldn't have been as big of a deal if everyone had looked at the other qualifiers before claiming Gabby would medal.

 

Another example would be all those people who were disappointed and upset when Nastia wasn't on the Olympic team this year. Nastia is a great gymnast, and had she had more time to prepare, and really put in the effort in the first couple years after Beijing, I think she might have had a chance. As it was, she was overhyped this time around, leading to a lot of unhappy fans.

 

 



 

Day 11: Most Underrated Gymnast

Probably Kyla Ross or Anastasia Grishina. They're both Olympians too, but nobody knows about them, really. I mean, without Kyla, the US team probably wouldn't have won! And yes, Grishy messed up on both routines she performed in the Team Final, but she was also not trained in the same way as the other Russian gymnasts. She was allowed to live off-site with her mother, and her personal coach basically told Alexandrov that he would take care of it and he knew how to prepare her best. Clearly he didn't, because she's done way better. Oh well. Either way, I love both of them, and I really hope they both stick around at least for 2013 Worlds, if not Rio.

Day 10: Favorite Team to Root For

I have as much USA pride as the rest of us, but to be honest, I really like rooting for Russia. They're not the smiley, friendly, just-happy-to-be-here type, like certain other gymnasts. They are also just fascinating to watch, with their elegant lines and ballet training. And who says they're all divas who don't root for their teammates?

As a side note, if China was a little more consistent, and they could get their act together on vault and floor (consistently), I'd root for them more, too.

Day 9: Who's the Diva?

First of all, I hate how NBC always portrays the Russians as difficult and catty, but the Americans are humble and smiley and amazing. Anyway, a lot of people have said Svetlana on this one, and I think she is deserving of that title:

 

However, I think all gymnasts have their diva moments. McKayla is a very publicized example:

 

 

 

And for the record, here's what Svetlana said about a diva:

 

"A diva is magical; you can't catch her."

-Svetlana Khorkina



Day 8: Which Gymnast Shows the Most Personality?

I'm going to have to go with the entire Russian team on this one. I mean, just look at these pictures:

Day 7: Favorite Vault to Watch

I'm not really into vault. Nothing against McKayla Maroney and Cheng Fei and every other vaulter out there, but it's not really all that exciting to me (except for THIS and THIS)

So my favorite would probably be one of those. But there are other, specific vaults from specific meets that I like:

Aliya Mustafina, Double Twisting Yurchenko (2012 Olympics AA)

and

Deng Linlin, Double Twisting Yurchenko (2008 Olympics TF)

Day 6: Favorite Skill to Watch on Floor

When I said I love watching floor, what I really meant was I love watching the Russians on floor. I love Aly Raisman and American tumbling as much as the next person, but the Russians' elegance and choreography is what makes me love it. Take a look at the dancing and elegant choreography from Aliya Mustafina:



Anyway, for my favorite skill...that's a hard one. Probably Ksenia Afanasyeva's double layout:

Day 5: Favorite Skill to Watch on Bars

Like I mentioned yesterday, bars is my favorite event to watch (especially Aliya Mustafina and He Kexin). Part of it is nostalgia, because Nadia Comaneci received the first perfect 10 in gymnastics history on bars.

For single skills, I've recently become obsessed with the Shushunova:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgoHZfpp06M&feature=related

(Sorry it's so long. After 0:20 it just gives drills for practicing it.)


Also, as far as connecting skills, it would definitey be He Kexin in 2008 (straddled Jaeger 1/2 + straddled Jaeger):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-QIfZUkDBw

(it starts at 0:25, but the whole routine is worth watching).

Day 4: Favorite Skill to Watch on Beam

I'll be honest: beam is not my favorite event to watch (that honor would go to either uneven bars or floor exercise). I don't NOT like it, but it isn't my favorite.

Anyway, as far as single skills go, it would probably be an Onodi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFA4YGSbrlk

(Sorry, I can't find a good picture, and I can't figure out how to add GIFs.)

Also, I absolutely love Viktoria Komova's tumbling pass on beam (back handspring step-out, layout step-out, layout step-out). It's at 0:20.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTzIA1lO1Po

Day 3: Best Leotard You've Seen

I had a hard time with this one. There are so many pretty leotards out there! There's no way I could choose from every one I've ever seen, so I stuck with the ones from this year. Even still, I had to pick two!

This one is from the 2012 European Championships Team Final. From left to right: Aliya Mustafina, Maria Paseka, Viktoria Komova, Anastasia Grishina, Anastasia Sidorova.

This one is from the 2012 Olympics - I think it is from Qualifications.

 

Honorable Mention:



This is from the 2010 World Championships when Aliya won AA gold.



Day 2: Ugliest Leotard You've Seen

Numerous people have pointed this Beijing leotard out, and I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I mean, seriously. Who thought this was a good idea?

Weird color choices + exceptionally shiny material + absolutely atrocious neckline and bodice = THIS

 

 

P.S. Just noticed the wrists. What were these people thinking?

Day 1: Favorite Gymnast

Definitely 'The Queen' on this one.

Maybe it's her strong comeback after an injury that takes many athletes years to recover from, or her 'I'm going to beat you, deal with it' attitude. But probably it's because she's just so amazing. Her routines are absolutely beautiful to watch - very balletic and graceful, but at the same time filled with attitude and strength.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliya Mustafina!