MostepanovaFan-Style Rankings After Worlds

If you aren't aware of MostepanovaFan's YouTube channel, I suggest you go check it out. Lots of wonderful informative and entertaining videos for gymfans. One of the great kinds of videos is videos with the rankings of the most successful gymnasts by various categories. The rankings are done by individual medals from Worlds and Olympics, with Olympic medals taking precedence in ties.


Top Ten Most Successful American Gymnasts
10. Kyla Ross: 3 silver, 1 bronze
9. Mary Lou Retton: 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
8. Chellsie Memmel: 2 gold, 2 silver
7. Kim Zmeskal: 3 gold, 1 bronze
6. Rebecca Bross: 2 silver, 3 bronze
5. Shawn Johnson: 3 gold, 2 silver
4. Alicia Sacramone: 2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze
3. Simone Biles: 5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
2. Nastia Liukin: 4 gold, 6 silver, 1 bronze
1. Shannon Miller: 6 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

Simone is one of the top three decorated Americans after two Worlds. Not too shabby. Kyla has also overtaken Awesome Dawesome for a spot on the list.


Top Ten Most Successful Gymnasts Ever
10. Aliya Mustafina: 3 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze
9. Elena Shushunova: 5 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze
8. Nellie Kim: 6 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze
7. Daniela Silivas: 9 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
6. Lavinia Milosivici: 5 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze
5. Gina Gogean: 6 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze
4. Ludmilla Tourischeva: 6 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
3. Vera Caslavska: 10 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze
2. Svetlana Khorkina; 11 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze
1. Larissa Latynina: 12 gold, 8 silver, 4 bronze

The first gymnast to make the list since Khorkina retired. Shows just how special it is not only to have longevity but to medal in multiple finals in the age of specialists.


Top Ten Most Successful Gymnasts of the 2013-2016 Quad (so far)
9. Vanessa Ferrari: 1 silver
9. Bai Yawen: 1 silver
7. McKayla Maroney: 1 gold
7. Yao Jinnan: 1 gold
6. Hong Un Jong: 1 gold, 1 bronze
5. Huang Huidan: 1 gold, 1 silver
4. Larisa Iordache: 2 silver, 1 bronze
3. Kyla Ross: 3 silver, 1 bronze
2. Aliya Mustafina: 1 gold, 4 bronze
1. Simone Biles: 5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze

Simone is on top, duh. The only two gymnasts who have medalled this quad so far who are not on the list are Daria Spiridinova and Mykayla Skinner, who both have one bronze.

Worlds Wrap-Up

Worlds are well and truly over, and now that I have done my ranting about the judging, it's time for the wrap-up post!

The Good

• No major injuries YAY!!!!!
• Super tight competition and high-quality podiums everywhere (except for beam let's just forget that ever happened)
• NOT A SINGLE MEDALIST WITH A FALL!! Only the second time to happen since 2006 (the first being last year)
• Simone is awesome
• No major errors from any of the young and inexperienced Americans in a final
• Kramarenko is perfect and she ALMOST made the all around final!
• Jessica Lopez's amazing all around comeback
• Unique and interesting floor choreography, especially from those who didn't make the final
• Romania going from seventh to fourth
• Pavs back at Worlds
• No crashed-landed on-the-back Prods in the vault final (still looking for video of Dipa's, but she needed to land to get an 8.1, right?)

The Bad

• Pavs having such bad vault QFs and not making the final
• Giulia, Marta, and Masha messing up in QFs and missing their respective finals
• Claudia falling in floor EFs
• Everyone other than the US having problems with their inexperienced members in TF
• Azerbaijan and New Zealand not qualifying a team for next year
• Queen Chuso gone!

The Ugly

• Screwy judging
• The beam final. Let's erase it from memory.
• The Chinese teal and lime leos and the US beam and floor EF leos
• Bad blocking on Chengs

Team: One of the best team competitions in years. Not the tightest race for gold, but an amazing battle all through the ranks. The US did a great job saving any potential disasters and was the only team to put up three strong routines everywhere. China is about where they should be right now, but will definitely need Wang Yan to stay podium worthy. Shang was a bit of a disappointment, especially on bars in team, but I suppose that's what going from one major competition to another will do to you. And she was still scored mercilessly. Russia performed about how I thought they would. Romania shocked me and proved why they got the unexpected bronze at the last two Olympics. They just didn't have quite enough, but Jurca and Iridon (and please Bulimar!) should help remedy that. I was disappointed by Great Britain and I definitely think they could have medalled if they kept it together, but they definitely have the potential and upcoming talent.

All Around: All hail the great Simone Biles. Not her absolute best, but better than anyone else by far. She definitely has the best skills and abilities. This was a way closer final than anyone expected, though, which made it fun. LARISA!! Finally it all came together! She absolutely deserved the silver. She just hit it out of the park and put up her best performance on the day it counted most! Such a happy outcome for such a worthy gymnast! Kyla proved that strategy is still a thing in gymnastics. If something is outside her limits, Kyla's coaches won't make her do it. They put her health and consistency over iffy difficulty, and once more it proved prudent. And, contrary to popular belief, good execution and consistency is enough to make the podium. Aliya's fall was definitely unfortunate. However, I'd say her bars were her only standout of the day. And her beam dismount. Yao Jinnan's floor was also unfortunate. I love the quirky choreography! And of course a shoutout to JLo for coming eighth! Please give her the elegance award next year!

Vault: It was so refreshing so see a vault final with no falls! Hong Un Jong's Amanar is just breathtaking! It's so floaty! Her Cheng was a bit wonky and klunky, but it is worth 6.4. She's made huge strides and it's great to see her winning a World title to complement her Olympic title six years later! Simone was amazing. Two of her most beautiful vaults this season. I can't wait to see what she busts out for next year! She's definitely the favorite if she can up that second vault just a little. Mykayla was definitely clean in her form. The judges weren't really harsh on anyone for shoddy technique, but it is disappointing that someone with that block medalled. Her legs were glued together and she landed nicely on center, though, which was great. Alla should focus the next year on cleaning up her vaults currently in her repertoire. I hope Giulia is able to bring back the DTY- apparently the rumor is that she's developed a twisting block.

Uneven Bars: Such a great final! So many unique routines and exciting combinations! I loved everything about this final- except Ruby's fall. And some of the judging. But great gymnastics! Yao's routine has a great opening combination which is really pleasant to watch. I also like the combination of the spins right into the Tkatchev, and the stuck dismount was a great exclamation point. Huang's routine was the one I thought was better. It was really well polished, and I for one do not mind how she does her pirouettes. And the dismount! It's been a long time since someone's used that! Daria Spiridinova had an absolutely beautiful routine, which was was put her just over the edge for the podium. She had beautiful lines and her pike Jager was absolutely gorgeous. Ashton and Aliya both had wonderful routines with beautiful lines, and Becky Downie had an amazingly hit and exciting routine. It was so great to see her finally hit after how often she's missed before!

Balance Beam: Ugh. Let's just pretend this final didn't happen. Simone and Bai were both outstanding, so it was great to see them on top. Either combination would have been great to see, too bad they couldn't tie. I really love the composition of Simone's routine this year, so it was great to see her finally hit it right. Bai, of course, was just breathtaking. It was great to see her in the final when the Chinese federation was considering dropping her in favor of Shang. Beautiful routine and stunning execution. But otherwise, let's just forget about this final. Yao, Larisa, and Ellie fell, everyone was handing Kyla a medal she just threw away, and then the bronze fiasco. Ugh. This is getting depressing.

Floor: Alright, a good final to end with. I'm still saddened by Claudia's fall since it's just such an awesome routine, but she was definitely able to pick up the rest of her routine and seemed to take it well. That's something that seems to run among the Brits. I never thought a wolf jump out of a tumbling run would look good, but she makes it so cool. Simone, what is there to say. She just blew everyone out of the water. So powerful and so well performed. Just astounding. Larisa's routine is just so pleasant. I love how she added the full-in pike for her dismount, so special! I love her music and choreography. So exciting and energetic and such a complete performance! Aliya adding the whips was such an exciting addition! I also just love the spins. It's a great way of working the code for her. Mykayla hit her routine out of the park, especially her Moors! It was a great ending to her season. Vanessa also had a great routine, but I was sad she didn't do any of her connections.

Worst final: Beam. That final scarred me.
Best final: Bars. Breathtaking work.
Predictions: Not a single one right. I did get the gold and silver for team, bars, and floor.




Best and Worst Leotards
I'm only counting leos once, to make things more fun. So, a leo is out for any rounds after the first one a leo is chosen for.

Qualification:
Best- Great Britain

Source: bbc.co.uk

I love the designs with the flag on the back, and the red is such a wonderful color for it. Good use of mesh, and I liked how the rhinestones went.

Worst- Japan

Source: thegymter.net

......Ummmmm. This paint thing just didn't work. And it made them all look like they were wearing backpacks.

Team:
Best- Russia

Source: www.sportgymrus.ru

This design was so, so sophisticated. It looks old Hollywood glam. Just beautiful. And the shade of red was beautiful. The only thing is the breaks in the rhinestones on the shoulders.

Worst- Italy

Source: angolodellamicizia.forumfree.it

*Sigh* The basic design of this leo I love, but then they throw in mesh armpits and ugly rhinestone patterns on the right shoulder and- ugh.

Shoutout to Romania. I hated this at first, but I really like it now.

All Around
Best- Ruby Harrold

Source: big5.news.cn

Like I said earlier, I love the flag leos. Not the greatest angle, but the best I could do. The blue is gorgeous and I love the rhinestones. The sleeve length is perfect as well. Just perfect overall.

Worst- Shang Chunsong

Source: news.xinhuanet.com

Oh, the Chinese teal and lime leotards. With black mesh. Oh, China.

EF Day 1
Best- USA

Source: thegymter.net

A red, white, and blue USA leotard! It has a bit of an armor-like feel to it, which totally suits the US, but is still really pretty.

Worst- Huang Huidan

Source: zimbio.com

Sleeveless? Check. Nude mesh? Check. Otherwise strange mesh placement? Check. Weird yellowish-green doodles? Check.

EF Day 2
Best- Claudia Fragapane

Source: thegymter.net

She may have fallen in the final, but at least she can have the best leo. I love the colors on this leotard. It looks fresh and light and somewhat Grecian.

Worst- USA

Source: thegymter.net

Oh. Oh. Why? Why this radioactive pink?

Worlds as a Whole
Best- Ruby Harrold AA

Source: big5news.cn

Worst- Japan

Source: thegymter.net

Top 5 Routines
Vault
4. Alexa Moreno VT 1 EF

3. Noemi Makra QF- the video won't embed, for some reason

2. Hong Un jong VT 1 QF

1. Simone Biles VT 1 EF

Yeah, only four. I'm going to assume Ellie Black or Megan Chant would have a vault on here, but no video, sadly.

Uneven Bars
5. Ashton Locklear QF

4. Becky Downie QF

3. Aliya Mustafina QF

2. Lisa Katharina Hill EF

1. Ruby Harrold QF

Balance Beam
5. Larisa Iordache TF

4. Simone Biles EF

3. Bai Yawen EF

2. Shang Chunsong TF

1. Sanne Wevers QF

This was difficult to try and rank- especially 2-4!

Floor
5. Giulia Steingruber AA

4. Claudia Fragapane TF

3. Simone Biles TF

2. Celine van Gerner QF- Again, it's not embedding

1. Ruby Harrold QF- I'm becoming obsessed by this routine

This was hard!! And we're missing video of a ton of routines!




Score: 9.3
Deductions taken for the beam final and screwy judging. I decided not to score Worlds in conjunction with how current E scores are or scores under the system pre-2006, but to just give it a score on how I felt it was. And, other than the beam final and screwy judging, and some under performance as well, it was a great Worlds. Strong competition and amazing gymnastics on display.

For in the Same Way You Judge Others, You Will Be Judged

I'll be making some Worlds wrap-up posts later, but first I need to address a very big problem from this Worlds.

The judging.

There were close races- the vault gold, the bars bronze, the beam gold- these were medals that could have justifiably gone to more than one person. Simone and Hong both were stellar on vault, and Simone and Bai were insanely close on beam, though they had very different approaches. Any of the gymnasts ranked third through sixth in the bars finals could have legitimately received the bronze. Close races like this are simply an aspect of gymnastics. Even though it can be disappointing to lose the coin toss, they are a fair and even healthy part of gymnastics.

And then there were agendas. The judges this year very clearly did not leave their biases at the door this year. Half of the finals were very clearly marred by the judges' determination that certain gymnasts be rewarded.

Yao Jinnan was pushed by the judges in the uneven bars final. While it is true that, as I said in my earlier post, it is lovely to see her finally win through after what a rough career she's had, she was handed an undeserving win. Huang Huidan's routine was only one tenth less difficult. Her execution should have more than made up for it, and that her E score was only .033 higher than Yao's is laughable. It was absolutely more polished than Yao's. Yao missed two handstands by a fair margin, had to shuffle to get in place before her pirouettes, and lacked flight on her Tkatchev. Not only did home bias come into play- which affects all sports, not just those that are judged- but the judges actively favored Yao to beat Huang. They were eager to give her the gold as long as she did nothing major wrong, and they rewarded her over the better gymnast in the final.

Yao Jinnan, however, was far from the gymnast most favored by the judges. One gymnast was pushed blatantly almost everywhere she competed. And she was Aliya Mustafina.

This is not meant to be an attack on Aliya. She is a legendary gymnast and a lovely person. But she was given favor by the judges in many situations that were questionable to say the least.

Even in the all around final, Aliya's scores were given a bit of a bump. Her vault should in no way have scored higher than Larisa's, which was much cleaner. Her beam also scored higher than her beam from qualification despite her low standing Arabian and how much she had to bend to save her Onodi, while her qualification routine was much steadier. Though her scores wouldn't have affected the standings any, the judges did show their penchant for giving Aliya just that little nudge.

In both finals where she medalled, Aliya was clearly given a push to land on the podium. In the beam final, Asuka Teramoto was simply robbed. She was one of the three gymnasts in that final to hit her routine, yet she was not rewarded with one of the three medals. Asuka had a very clean routine (with an acro series) and yet somehow placed below Aliya's, which after the Arabian was very hesitant throughout and riddled with small checks after every skill that was supposed to be connected. And she DIDN'T HIT ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS. No way should Aliya have landed on the beam podium.

While the floor final was less blatant, she still was clearly given a bit of the benefit of the doubt. Aliya certainly could have been justifiable medalist, but the super-close victory by the exact margin needed immediately after being handed the beam bronze made it eye-roll worthy. The judges were inconsistent in their level of harshness and how they chose to deduct in comparison to the former rounds of competition. Mykayla had her best floor routine certainly of the season, and arguably her entire career. Her landings were the best they have been Nanning and her leaps were about as good as she's done them this year. However, the judges gave her a lower execution score in the event final than in qualifications. Aliya, on the other hand, had a better executed performance in qualifications. She fell out of all her turns in the final and had a worse landing on her middle tumbling pass. Aliya, however, received a higher execution score in the floor final. In fact, had Aliya added the stag jump to her routine, she would have beaten Larisa Iordache for silver, which is simply preposterous. Again, it is not necessarily her placement that is suspicious, it is the inconsistency and the methods of the judges. That she got the exact margin she needed to beat Skinner just makes an even stronger case for dishonest judging.

This was (apart from the beam final- that needs to be erased from memory) an outstanding World Championships. The quality of competition and the parity of the competitors was more in the way of an Olympics. However, the judging will stand as a dark blot that will taint this competition. I hope there are disciplinary hearings and consequences for the dirty judging we saw in Nanning.

Worlds Vault and Bars Finals Thoughts

Despite everyone else's tepid feelings going into this Worlds, I knew it was going to be a good one. And these event finals cemented in my mind that I was right! Some of the closest competition in recent years and with only one fall across the two finals!

Vault
Phan Thi Ha Thanh: It's great to see her in the final, even if it didn't go her way. It's her landings that get her, she just seems not to get enough air time to really wrap in the twists during the salto. In a way, I'm glad she came in last, because that's just a testament to how great this final was.

Claudia Fragapane: Definitely not the cleanest vaulter, but I do definitely think she's improved the Lopez on CWGs. It still had a bit of the whip open-whip closed of her Lopez there, but it was nowhere near as pronounced. The DTY was about like usual for her, nothing really memorable either way.

Alexa Moreno: I'm just so happy she made this final! I love how she does an FHS and a Tsuk! Not the cleanest and and the floor seems t come to her as a bit of a surprise, but it's just so lovely that she made the final! I do think her Rudi was my favorite of the final, as well.

Alla Sosnitskaya: The Cheng was fairly nice, other than the landing. She just doesn't seem to get quite enough power to make it to the ground easily. It's definitely one to keep and continue working on though. Her DTY was pretty soft, form-wise.

Giulia Steingruber: Not her best of outings, certainly. The Rudi wasn't one of her better efforts and seemed kind of all over the place. She seems to have kind of lost steam this year. I think it might have been a smart idea to keep the FTT in the locker in case the DTY didn't work out, as it didn't here. I'll always be annoyed at her lack of toe point in the salto of the FTY. It's sad to see how much she's gone back from last year.

Mykayla Skinner: The judges are certainly being generous where the block is concerned, because that second hand could barely have been said to touch the table. Otherwise, it was a gorgeous vault. The form and body position were both lovely, and it was the best Cheng in the air of the final. Her DTY is always nice and powerful, and her vault in the final was no different. Beautiful. She really does just look so great at this Worlds.

Simone Biles: That Amanar is breathtaking. And she minimized the hop for the final! She just rockets off the table and into the stratosphere. I just love the way she's able to really open up into the grouns because she does everything so well in the air. The Lopez was beautiful as well! There's just nothing negative to say about either of her vaults, they're just so precise!

Hong Un Jong: Hong's Amanar has quickly become one of my favorites at Aisian Games and Worlds. I finally understand why they thought she could do a triple. She just hangs in the air! This one was no different, though she took a bit of a large step. Just beautiful vaulting, still. She didn't seem to get quite enough power for the Cheng and looked to go more out than up, but other than a bit of a scrappy landing it was still a crackerjack vault. I never thought I'd be fawning over Hong's vaulting, but she really has just improved a ton. And at 24!!

This was definitely one of the best vault finals in a long time. No falls!!! The top three vaulters were definitely the ones to medal, which is what we always want. It was super close between Hong and Simone and it could have fairly gone either way. This was definitely one of the only times I was on the edge of my seat waiting for a vault result! Two Amanars, three Chengs, three Rudis- great difficulty. All in all an amazing final. Well done to everyone!

Bars
Aliya Mustafina: Gorgeous. Duh. She really is just gorgeous on this piece. I think her handstands were a little bit less perfect than usual, but they were all still very nice. She caught her Van Leuwen with the straightest arms I think I've seen her catch with. I remember Mitch Fenner one time commenting that she was "leisurely in the full turn," and I really think "leisurely" is the best word to describe her bars. She just always seems so calm throughout her work and it really makes you feel like you don't have to worry with her. Brilliant stuff.

Ashton Locklear: Ashton can definitely be really proud of herself after these Worlds. She went from not even having competed at a Nationals to a Worlds gold medalist and individual finalist in such a short amount of time! She did one of her best routines in the final, which was wonderful for her. And she got the six-skill connection! I know some people think this routine is too cookie-cutter, but that connection has the wow factor for me! She had some of her cleanest execution of the season and it flowed really well. She just had the small step on the dismount, which was disappointing after she'd been sticking them so well in the domestic season.

Becky Downie: Becky also did a great job here. Her only really noticeable errors were some short handstands, including the one before her dismount. I wonder if she was maybe playing a little safe since she knew that was where she fell last year. The connections in this routine are just dynamite and I love them so much. It's great that everything is finally coming together for Becky this season and she's really showing the world what she's made of!

Ruby Harrold: I was so sad that she had a fall here! I love this routine so much and it was just so sad to see her falter. The Van Leuwen to Zuchold was breathtaking, as always. Her stuck dismount was also great to see after the disappointing fall. Ruby's had a stacked year this year, and she's done really well overall.

Lisa Katharina Hill: This is a great composition. Her connection of toe full-Maloney-clear hip 1/2-clear hip full-Geinger is really unique and eye-catching! Her Bhardwaj was also beautiful. She definitely had some bobbles throughout the routine, but she covered really well and kept her head through it all. Really exciting stuff and she did very well in the deepest final of these Worlds.

Daria Spiridonova: This was absolutely one of Daria's best routines. Why not save the best for last? All the inbar work was really deftly completed. She caught pretty much everything with fully extended arms, which was wonderful to see. Her Van Leuwen was also really well done, and she managed to make it stand out. The piked Jager was gorgeous and well above the bar in the flight. She hit most of her handstand perfectly, her only really noticeable error being when she lost herself in her last half pirouette before the dismount. Really gorgeous work.

Huang Huidan: I just love her dismount. Just something a little different. She performed pretty much like always. The pirouette combination into the piked Jager was really deftly performed. She also caught her Chow 1/2 with COMPLETELY extended arms, which just made it look so nice! The stuck dismount was a great finishing touch for her great routine. The slo-mo afterward really made me appreciate her lack of grips. She seemed to barely have her hands on the bar at all in some of that elgrip work!

Yao Jinnan: Everything finally came together for Yao! The opening connection was incredibly fluid and beautiful. Her pirouette series into Tkatchev went very nicely, and a 1 1/2 pirouette is always a nice somewhat unexpected flourish. The highlight of the routine was definitely the dismount for me. She just hung in the air and stuck it so easily. And a perfectly done DLO dismount is very easy to watch.

Bars was pegged to be the nail-biter of this year's Worlds, and it didn't disappoint! Excellent work all the way through the ranks and a ton of super exciting routines. Who would have expected Daria to claim the bronze here? Really well done for her, she had an outstanding routine last night and totally deserved the bronze. Haung and Yao pulled off the Chinese 1-2 on bars everyone was contemplating, and they really have superior work. Ruby's fall was disappointing, but it was great that there was only one fall across both finals. It was great to see Yao finally bringing home a World title after a lot having not gone her way in her senior career. There were also some great unique moves- TWO Bharwajes, a Zuchold, and a half-in double front, showing that there is still a ton of creativity!


Leos
My favorite leo of the night belonged to Becky Downie. I love the flag-on-the-back design, and the red was just beautiful! I personally love the bumblebee leo, so I was totally down with Aliya wearing it in the UB final. I loved the American one! It's great to see them in red, white, and blue, and I liked how the design was done. I was also a big fan of Giulia's. The light blue color was really gorgeous on her and the combination and design was great too.

My least favorite was definitely Huang's. I'm a person who prefers long sleeves, and the nude mesh and yellow/green... stuff didn't look great. I'm not a huge fan of the North Korean leotard either. It just seems all king of thrown together to me. I thought Phan Thi Ha Than's was a bit strange as well, kind of space-agey mixed with we-put-together-our-scraps. Alla turned up in a Russian stand-by. I'm not a big fan of it. It is very busy and the colors all kind of compete with each other.

Worlds Qualification Day 1 Thoughts

Vault

This is shaping up to be one of the most exciting vault finals in recent world-level competition. Fortunately, the amount of death-defying skill-chucking that can get you into a final seems to have diminished greatly. And only one Prod this year, and from the gymnast most equipped to handle it! And even then, it looks like it might not be enough to make it into the final. I'm predicting the top five (Simone Biles, Mykayla Skinner, Alla Sosnitskaya, Alexa Moreno, Phan Thi Ha Thanh) are in, Giulia will be able to cling to a spot, and Dipa and Ellie are out. Hong Un Jong, Larisa Iordache, Claudia Fragapane, and maybe Courtney McGregor are the biggest threats going into today, and I'm thinking Hong Un Jong and maybe Claudia take the last two spots. Who knows, though, this could be a very interesting qualification!

• PAAAAAAAAAAAVS!! Why? WHY! Whyyyyyyyyy?
• The Cheng seems to be worth its weight in gold this year. Seems to get a bit of the benefit of the doubt from the judges.
• I'm totally down with Nabieva sticking her DTY at the Worlds she's at by accident
• KRAM!! You do that DTY!
• Where can I find video of Dipa's Prod? If she got an 8.100 E score, I'm thinking she had to have stood it up?
• All hail the great Simone Biles.
• So, Marina seems to have a score now? YES! Go Azerbaijan!
• I am so excited that Alexa Moreno is likely in the finals!
• It just isn't the same without Queen Chuso.

Bars

Again, as I said in my predictions post, why can't this final be open to more gymnasts?! Seriously, qualifying to bars might be harder than the actual competition. Shaposh variations are definitely here to stay, and frankly, I'm okay with that. I'd far rather watch a bunch of Shaposh variations in connection than a bunch of toe shoots or Rays. This should be a nail-biter qualification, and everyone right now has reason to be a little uneasy. I think Ashton and Aliya are fairly safe. I'd also be surprised if Daria wasn't in the final. If Kyla makes it, she'll scrape in if there aren't major errors from most of the big players. I don't think anyone qualified below Kyla will be able to make it if there isn't mass hysteria, which is sad, because there's a lot of good work there. China, Great Britain, Germany, and Australia should all have heavy hitters, and North Korea has some nice bar workers in the mix too. This final could have fifteen spots and it would still be exciting!

• Poor Maddie. I don't think I've ever seen that happen on an inbar before.
• Why can't Russia's qualification have just stopped after bars? So perfect then.
• I wonder what Aliya will actually whip out in finals.
• Where the heck did Adlerteg's score come from? That was a great routine!
• I know some people find Ashton's routine uninspiring, but I just love that opening connection!
• Why can't there be more videos?!!?

Beam

This one should be another nail-biter, if only because there's such parity once you get past the top two, one of whom is now out. With China and Romania coming up, we can definitely expect some change in the lineup, though the judges have been merciless on Shang again this season. And then Becky Downie definitely has a shot if she hits to the best of her ability. Simone should definitely be in the final, and I'd be surprised if Ellie isn't too. Kyla and Aliya are both on the periphery and are vulnerable right now. I'd doubt anyone ranked lower will make the final, but this is beam, so who the heck really knows.

• Yes! Ellie is definitely in good standing!
• Sanne is in the top eight after one day! It's an irrational hope of mine that she wins a World beam medal in her career. Don't you dare bring up how it's unlikely she'll make it- LET ME HAVE MY DELUSIONS!
• MASHA!!!! You could have won!!!!
• This was literally my thought process before/during Maria's beam: Okay, Maria, oh please let her hit, Maria's a holy name, Catholics pray to Mary and it's Maria in Latin, I mean I'm a Protestant but whatever, DANG IT!!!!
• What the heck is up with Kyla's D score? How did she lose four tenths when she only broke one connection?
• Two Swedes in the top eight after one day? Awesome!
• Thank goodness Simone took out that godforsaken wolf hop.
• No Ana why did you only score in the 12s?

Floor

The top three right now are definitely favorites to make the final. I think this one might be a bit tepid in comparison to the drama of the others, especially with one of the top favorites to qualify out. I love the group of women who are in qualifying contention right now, though, and I think it will be entertaining even if it isn't hair-tear-out-inducing suspenseful. Vanessa, Larisa, and Claudia are all obvious picks to make the final. I don't think there's anyone else really in the mix, but there are always surprises!

• ELLIE!!!! GIULIA!!!! WHAT HAPPENED??????
• On the other hand, Julie and Elsa YAS!
• Mustafina outscored Roxi. Let's just let that sink in.
• Again, I don't get where Kyla lost her D score?
• That was the best Moors I've ever seen.
• Simone scored less than four tenths below her Classics floor score (minus the stick bonus) with an effort not quite as strong. Seems a bit less preposterous now, no?
• Marta, I wanted you in the final! I thought you could make it! That save is life-giving, though.
• Love the tripley and the smile after from Aliya!
• Apparently the Uzbek gymnast completed it as well, so no name. On a side note, since her last name ends in "baeva" I always immediately associate her with Alina Kabaeva.
• Yes Pavs you deliver that glorious performance!!
• Ilaria Kaeslin is perfect and she needs the Elegance Award. Shared with JLo.

All Around

• Simone would be in the lead all around by almost a point after that kind of error on bars. Everyone else can just go home.
• I'm still kind of depressed Kram wasn't able to qualify for the all around. I went from not even being a fan of hers to going gaga over her in about one month.
• How did this happen with Noemi Makra? She was in better standing last year, wasn't she?
• I'm super excited Marta, Ellie, Giulia, and Elsa all are right next to each other in spots 6-9 (not counting ousted two-pers)!
• I'm just happy Elsa did so nicely!
• *Sigh* Pavs.....
• No Ilaria what happened? I guess this means no Longines Prize..... It's only those in the AA final, right?
• But Ana, you're so talented, why are you not going to make the all around final?

Team

• Canada, what happened? I just can't help wondering about Tori...
• Belgium ahead of Canada. No one would have expected this two years ago.
• I just can't get past this. But well done Belgium, Julie is a gift to this world.
• I'm super happy to see the Netherlands so well up the standings. They're a great team!
• Azerbaijan in sixteenth- is it too much to hope they can make the top twenty-four? Probably.
• It's really just sad what happened to Ukraine. They were such a great team.