Today, we were treated to some more great gymnastics in its final day at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This has been a strenuous competition, with five straight days of gymnastics for some of these ladies. As such, it's really no surprise there were some off moments from top competitors, but all the medalists had lovely, hit routines.
Beam Final
This final started out as a splat-fest, with three of the first four falling. However, the later gymnasts were able to pull it together and put out some stunning routines.
Becky Downie started the final off on not a great note, and she was clearly having a terribly off day. After some choreo on her mount, Downie immediately fell on her first skill, a punch front. She sadly also experienced falls on her next two skills as well, her beautiful acro series and Y turn. After remounting the beam for the third time, Downie had a fairly good go of it, though she elected not to go for the ring position on her second switch leap, but she dismounted with only a layout. Downie appeared not terribly upset afterward, accepting that she had just had a very, very bad day. We hope she can put this behind her for Worlds and put up performances like those we have seen earlier this year.
Sadly, Lauren Mitchell followed suit with her beam, up second. She began with her amazing mount series, switch leap mount immediately into front tuck into wolf jump. I love front tucks immediately connected out of other skills so much! Sadly, on her series of two back handsprings into a layout to two feet, Mitchell also came to grief and fell. She went on to have a very lovely routine, including her low-to-beam cartwheel which I just love and her signature turn. Mitchell is very watchable on beam and really makes it a complete unit. Even with her fall, Mitchell was able to reach a 13.000 for her routine for sixth place. She submitted an inquiry which was rejected.
Isabela Onyshko sadly joined the ranks of those who succumbed to the beam today. She has beautiful work on this event, but is also quite inconsistent. Onyshko also fell on her BHS+BHS+layout series. She also has a beautiful split full and switch leap into gainer layout connection. Her final score was a 12.9666 to put her in seventh place. Onyshko is very elegant and I loved her choreography. She could be great on this event if she could get her mind together.
After Onyshko was English Pocket Rocket Claudia Fragapane. I love the composition of her routine. She has a great interesting mount and engaging choreography. Her opening acrobatic element was her back handspring layout connection, which she wobbled on but was able to hold onto. Fragapane had wobbles on lots of skills and stumbled a bit on her aerial cartwheel. She performed her standing full with a bit of a wobble but great power. She had a back handspring connection into her double pike to dismount. Apparently Fragapane lost CR for her dance series because the judges did not think she directly connected her switch leap into her wolf jump. Her score was a 13.133 for fifth.
The two Welsh gymnasts competed in succession. Lizzie Beddoe was the first of the two to mount the beam. She put on a beautiful and solid performance. She connected her switch leap into another with half a turn into a wolf jump. Beddoe continued her lovely dance work with an illusion turn. Her acro series, a BHS+LOSO was lovely. She also had a very solid double turn, which was very special. She dismounted with only a 1 1/2 twist, which kept her difficulty down. Beddoe placed fourth with a score of 13.366.
Georgina Hockenhull was able to build on her teammate's beautiful performance to earn Wales's second medal in WAG at these Games. Hockenhull also had a beautiful BHS+LOSO connection for her acro series. She had a lovely dance connection of a switch leap to a Johnson leap. Hockenhull had a nice split jump out of her aerial walkover to make for a very beautiful connection. Hockenhull also included a switch leap with half twist which had beautiful position in the air. She dismounted with a double tuck, was was landed slightly low and had a step as a result. Hockenhull earned the bronze with a score of 13. 466.
Mary-Anne Monckton, who competed second, was able to overcome the first-half curse and put up a solid routine. She began with a pretty forward roll mount which was followed by her choreography low to the beam. Monckton started her routine in style with a well-fought aerial cartwheel into layout stepout. Her front foot on her LOSO was very off line, but Monckton was able to bring it under control with just a step back. She had a wobble on her dance series of a switch leap connected to a switch leap 1/2. She also had a solid sheep jump in her routine. She also had a double tuck dismount which wasn't able to quite tell if it was stuck. Monckton received a 13.666 for the silver.
Ellie Black stormed the beam final today as the final performer to win by over a point with a 14.900. She began with her double turn, which resulted in a wobble. To quote the BBC commentators, she followed it up with a front pike which she "stamped". Her back handspring to layout connection was also perfect. Her difficulty continues to build with a tuck full connected out of a back handspring. On her front tuck, Black had to fight for it because she was underrotated, but she was able to reign it back under control. She clearly wanted this title. She dismounted with a 2 1/2 which was landed with a "Shannon stick". Black's score today would have tied her for the gold at least year's World Championships.
Floor Final
Lots of great personality was displayed on the floor mat today! This was a great finale to the women's competition in Glasgow and filled with big gymnastics.
Kirsten Beckett got this final started in style with her very exciting and powerful floor routine. She opened with a big half in-half out, which unfortunately went out of bounds. Her double Arabian had nice position in the air and stuck the landing! Her third pass was lower difficulty with only a 1 1/2 twist. She finished with a double tuck. She did not have problems with her dance passage today, where she executed a switch leap into switch leap full. Beckett showed lots of personality and put on an engaging performance! She placed eighth, her score a 13.000.
Jessica Hogg followed Beckett in the lineup. She opened with a big stuck full-twisting double tuck. Her double tuck dismount was a bit overrotated and led to a step back. She had beautiful switch leap variations throughout her routine. Hogg used very upbeat music and put on a good show. Hogg placed fifth with a score of 13.166
Stephanie Merkle had a sparkling performance in her final routine of these Commonwealth Games. She opened immediately with her leap connection which was a switch leap connected into a Johnson 1/2. Her first tumble was a full-twisting double back with a bounce. Like fellow Canadian Ellie Black, Merkle also includes a Popa in her routine. Her second pass was a beautiful 2 1/2 twist punch front. This was followed by a triple twist. Her final pass was a double back with a hop forward. Her choreography was amazing and Merkle really shone in her performance! I loved her choreography low to the floor, and it was definitely a memorable routine for me! Merkle placed fourth with a score of 13.433.
Hannah Whelan of England put up her usual fierce performance on floor. She also started with a full-in, but had a big out of bounds on landing. She followed it with a very strong 2 1/2 punch layout. Her leap series was a switch ring to split full. After her double pike dismount, Whelan performed a Ferarri to end. As always, Whelan sold the heck out of her routine and had a fabulous ending choreography. Whelan placed sixth with a score of 13.133.
Charlotte Sullivan of New Zealand made her second appearance in and individual final today in the floor final. She had a beautiful double turn into double stag connection to open. She opened with a triple twist. Her routine also included a 2 1/2 twist into a stag-ish jump. That doesn't even get bonus anymore. She had a very nice switch ring to switch full passage. Sullivan dismounted with a double tuck. Sullivan received a 13.033 for seventh place.
Ellie Black now has a full set of medals after picking up a bronze in the floor final. I just love her floor because she combines artistic value with incredibly unique and creative tumbling. She had a little bit of a stumble on her opening Popa. Her double layout was high and beautiful in the air with just a small hop. A split leap full was connected into her switch leap full. After falling on her double pike in both the team and all around events, Black made a smart decision and replaced it with her previous double full. However, she went out of bounds on this pass. Her third and final pass was her punch full into double tuck. Black put on an enchanting performance for a score of 13.666.
Lauren Mitchell followed up hear beam performance in the floor final. This is definitely one of her best routines she's ever had. She opened with a full-twisting double pike which bounded backward. On her double Arabian, Mitchell tried to jump out with a stag jump, but instead went out of bounds. Her signature triple wolf turn was the best I've ever seen Mitchell do. It was eased around all three turns. She had a lovely bounding pass with her punch front out of a 2 1/2 twist. She dismounted with a great double pike. Mitchell earned the silver with 13.833. If Lauren Mitchell really is retiring after these Commonwealth Games, this was a fabulous final performance.
Claudia Fragapane added to her collection of gold medals today with the gold on the floor exercise. Unlike how she usually plants her landings, Fragapane had to adjust with a step on her full-twisting double layout. She did follow it up with a planted double layout, though. As always, her breakdancing choreography into her third pass was so much fun to watch! She followed it up with a planted double Arabian with a nice lack of cowboying. I love her new addition before her final pass! When she landed her double pike, everybody knew the gold was hers. Fragapane took her fourth gold of these games with a score of 14.541.
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