In 2008, the bars final was marred, first by a confusing and obscure tie-breaking rule, then in two medalists who won more than they deserved, if you asked me. (Yang Yilin was robbed BLIND of that gold medal).
This year, we have the opportunity to have a top-notch final full of outstanding gymnasts who've pushed this particular event in new and exciting ways, despite the Code's best efforts to squeeze the artistic out of artistic gymnastics.
My favorite routine on bars this quad came from Aliya Mustafina at this year's Euros:
Even without her Mustafina dismount, which adds a bit more difficulty and which she has since competed successfully at the Russian Cup, this routine has still got it all- beautiful handstands, great swing, innovative skills and a stuck dismount. It's exciting, original and well-executed- what else could you ask for in an Olympic gold medal routine? Aliya is who I'm rooting for on bars- not just everyone would take a torn ACL and turn it into an opportunity to push themselves even further on the one event they can still work.
Her biggest competition will probably come from her countrywoman, Viktoria Komova:
For my money, this is an outstanding routine in terms of execution, but the composition isn't as exciting or original as Aliya's, which is why I'm giving her the edge. However, Vika is more than capable of taking the gold if she nails her double double dismount and maintains her consistency on this event.
The hometown favorite is of course Beth Tweddle, in her 3rd and probably last Olympics. Beth is another athlete that's been pushing the boundaries of what's possible on bars, and I love how she's kept going and pushing herself even as she's gotten a bit older and battled back from injuries. It would be such a thrill to see her win a medal in front of a home crowd, especially since she's been such a driving force in building up British gymnastics.
The Chinese can never be counted out on bars. He Kexin will be expected to make this final, but I think she'd need some help from the other competitors to defend her gold. Here she is at Chinese Nationals, winning the Chinese title on bars:
Fine, but still very labored on the transitions from high to low (as she was when she was about a foot shorter) and her swing isn't as smooth as it once was. I think this routine doesn't play to the strengths of her taller and heavier physique, and although there have been rumblings of her having a 7.4 routine, I'll believe that when I see it.
Huang Quishuang is another gymnast with a great shot of making the finals, and if she does what she's capable of, she is definitely in the hunt for a medal. Of course, depending on what side of the bed she gets up on, she'll either be brilliant or a mess. If she misses in qualifications, expect Yao Jinnan to make the finals as China's second gymnast.
Gabby Douglas should be the only American to make this final. She has great execution, but her difficulty is only out of a 6.6, sometimes 6.7. A medal isn't out of the question if some of the favorites falter, but she'll have difficulty cracking the top echelons without help.
Youna Dufournet has one of the hardest routines in the world, but her consistency is on a par with Quishuang's. If she makes it through qualifications with what's left of France's WAG team, she will be in the final, but I can't even remember the last time she put together two solid bar routines- at Euros, she hit in quals but missed in TF and EF. So basically, who knows.
A sentimental favorite for me is Nataliya Kononenko. Every so often, the Ukrainian women's program does something to remind us of their former brilliance, and it would be wonderful to see her in the final. Again though, you've got as much of a chance to predict what Ukraine will do as making gold coins rain from the sky.
Lineup Predictions:
Komova
Mustafina
Tweddle
Kexin
Quishuang
Douglas
Kononenko
Dufournet
Medal Predictions/If I ruled the world medalists:
Gold: Aliya Mustafina
Silver: Viktoria Komova
Bronze: Beth Tweddle
This year, we have the opportunity to have a top-notch final full of outstanding gymnasts who've pushed this particular event in new and exciting ways, despite the Code's best efforts to squeeze the artistic out of artistic gymnastics.
My favorite routine on bars this quad came from Aliya Mustafina at this year's Euros:
Her biggest competition will probably come from her countrywoman, Viktoria Komova:
The hometown favorite is of course Beth Tweddle, in her 3rd and probably last Olympics. Beth is another athlete that's been pushing the boundaries of what's possible on bars, and I love how she's kept going and pushing herself even as she's gotten a bit older and battled back from injuries. It would be such a thrill to see her win a medal in front of a home crowd, especially since she's been such a driving force in building up British gymnastics.
The Chinese can never be counted out on bars. He Kexin will be expected to make this final, but I think she'd need some help from the other competitors to defend her gold. Here she is at Chinese Nationals, winning the Chinese title on bars:
Huang Quishuang is another gymnast with a great shot of making the finals, and if she does what she's capable of, she is definitely in the hunt for a medal. Of course, depending on what side of the bed she gets up on, she'll either be brilliant or a mess. If she misses in qualifications, expect Yao Jinnan to make the finals as China's second gymnast.
Gabby Douglas should be the only American to make this final. She has great execution, but her difficulty is only out of a 6.6, sometimes 6.7. A medal isn't out of the question if some of the favorites falter, but she'll have difficulty cracking the top echelons without help.
Youna Dufournet has one of the hardest routines in the world, but her consistency is on a par with Quishuang's. If she makes it through qualifications with what's left of France's WAG team, she will be in the final, but I can't even remember the last time she put together two solid bar routines- at Euros, she hit in quals but missed in TF and EF. So basically, who knows.
A sentimental favorite for me is Nataliya Kononenko. Every so often, the Ukrainian women's program does something to remind us of their former brilliance, and it would be wonderful to see her in the final. Again though, you've got as much of a chance to predict what Ukraine will do as making gold coins rain from the sky.
Komova
Mustafina
Tweddle
Kexin
Quishuang
Douglas
Kononenko
Dufournet
Medal Predictions/If I ruled the world medalists:
Gold: Aliya Mustafina
Silver: Viktoria Komova
Bronze: Beth Tweddle
I love bars ! My favorite event in wag gymnastics and I am rooting for my country team ( Russian ) we one of the main pretendents for gold on the Olympiad. But this will be hard fight vs Twidlle and He Kexin mostly
ReplyDeleteI agree that it won't be easy, but I think Russia definitely has the edge on bars- they combine great execution with originality and excitement in a way few others do.
Delete