The Good
- Diverse competition and medalists
- Giulia winning two golds
- Oleg Vernaiev winning things and clapping before his national anthem ended
- Seda's TF beam
- Lieke Wevers performed beautifully on beam and floor and was rewarded for it
- The Netherlands won a team medal!
- Fabian Hambuchen shouting when he stuck a dismount
- Releases other than Jagers
- Giulia's vaults
The Bad
- Team GB imploding
- Tea Ugrin somehow finishing last in the bars finals leaving a medalist who fell
- The one-per-country rule left a lot of strong competition out of finals
- Only six in EFs
The Ugly
- Kelley Simm getting a 0 on her second vault in EF
- Bars and beam finals
- The uproar after floor
Team: This was a great competition. I especially really enjoyed watching all the gymnasts from smaller nations, they're always interesting. It's always nice when you come upon a format where you can watch all the top high-level gymnasts and so many gymnasts from developing programs as well. I was surprised Hungary placed so high. Romania needs to get into shape. They really do need their comeback "kids" (and Iordache, of course). Very pleased with how the Netherlands did.
All Around: I wish more of the top gymnasts hadn't fallen. Really, the results are quite jarring. Jurca in ninth, Simm not even in the top 10. Glad that none of the top three had a fall. I really didn't feel like Giulia was all that invested in the performance of her floor in either the team or the all around. Her vaulting was fabulous, though. Absolutely no question about the medalists, certainly. Mustafina seemed more well carried and steadier in the all around than the team final.
Vault: Giulia was amazing, of course. She gets so much height on her Rudi! Her form has also greatly improved. she only has flexed feet now. I think Seda's DTY has improved from last year. I really loved Janik's vaults. I like a tuck front full. I preferred her Tsuk layout, but it was still a bit piked. Kelley Simm's vault was very scary. She got no height, and it was quite splatty. Very good she wasn't hurt.
Bars: Oh, this was a splat-fest. I still don't understand how Tea Ugrin only finished last when she was one of three who didn't fall. It was messy, but I still don't understand it. I'm pretty sure Makra also caught her feet on her dismount. Scheder and Mustafina were both incredible. I'm obsessed with Sophie Scheder's casts! Nothing makes quite the impression on bars for me a casts with legs together. They just look so much cleaner and even gravity-defying. Her dismount was perfect! Her entire routine was just so beautiful. Aliya's was also lovely, of course. I don't know, I feel like there's not too much to say with her because it's the same basic watered-down routine she's had since 2012 and she's performed it beautifully many times.
Beam: Sophie and Giulia both almost didn't put their hands down. So close to having a podium with no major errors! Still, I might go so far as to say this was a better beam final than Nanning. And Georgina had a completely steady routine other than her fall! All we can do is tear our hair out. Andreea Iridon finally didn't fall apart. She has made it through a final! I missed the first part, I have to say, but it was without error. Lieke Wevers won!! Ugh, so beautiful. Her turns are glorious. I loved the aerial+aerial as well.
Floor: I was surprised by Zarzu's score. I thought it was better executed than the score it earned. Lisa Verschueren's floor is everything I never know I needed! It's so ridiculously bizarre and she is so totally un-self-conscious about it. Lieke's floor is a dream, though that spin needs to go. It ruins the whole aesthetic and suddenly breaks up how easy she makes it all look. Aliya's turns were interesting in this one. I'm not feeling the attitude+Memmel connection. I think she just needs to switch feet because she always fell out of that. Apparently Semenova confirmed her Gomez was downgraded. That doesn't really make sense seeing as it looked completely clear, but her turns in general were a bit confusing and imperfect. Too much twisting in this routine for my liking, she needs to play to her strengths more. Giulia was lowballed on execution, I think. Either that or Aliya was scored high. She had one large bound back, but her execution overall was much cleaner and her artistry was much better. The amplitude Giulia was able to get on her DLO was breathtaking! She definitely put her heart into this one, and I thought it was by far her best performance of the competition. I'm definitely siding with Giulia on who should have won. She was superior in difficulty, execution, and artistry. On heelgate- we had a live stream that was of good quality but was by no means crystal clear and a screenshot that was a bit fuzzy. One person who took a screenshot said she had to slow it down to .25 speed to get her screenshot. AND IT STILL WASN'T CLEAR IF HER HEEL WAS OUT. The line judge was a few feet away and had a perfectly clear view. Is it possible her heel was out and the line judge couldn't see it? Yes. But if it was that close, I am going to trust the line judge's judgement.
Team Russia: Seda was the gymnast who impressed me the most of Russia's team. She seemed the most prepared and, in the team competition, in the best competitive mindset. I'm worried, of course, by the fall in the beam final because her value from the team final appeared to be as a team player. If she can't prove her value there, I don't think I see her in Glasgow. Viktoria is just so frustrating. She's been working a comeback in dribs and drabs for over a year now and- when is it all going to come together? She could at least compete all four events at a competitive level this year, which she couldn't in December. I don't know, I wasn't one of her converts of 2010 and 2011 and so I guess I just don't have the same investment in her as most of the gymternet. She does seem to see that she has a way to go and a desire to get there, so we'll see. I'll try not to be too cynical. She was able to stay on beam despite the wobbles, so I do at least have some hope she can bring that to more future competition. Her beam could be a strong deciding factor in the fall, methinks, so if she can prove she can be depended on to stay on, if nothing else, that should be a plus by her name. Especially with the Russian inconsistency on beam (see Seda in the EF). She hit her feet on the low bar again- that seems to be an even bigger vice of hers in her comeback, so I hope she can get that under control. Okay, so she and Aliya both debuted DLOs on floor. Of course, Aliya has been teasing us with this for a long time, but I, at least, was taken completely off guard by Vika's. I'm not particularly taken by either of their routines, I must say. Very Rod-era we-don't-condition-our-athletes choreography. Aliya's choreography is taken up almost entirely by setting for turns. They're both routines where I finish watching and think to myself "Wait, there was choreography in that routine?" Again, I blame the majority of the blame for this at Round Lake and the lack of proper conditioning. I personally think Vika may be a highly artistic performer, perhaps one of the most artistic of her age, but her coaching staff has given her routines that do not fit her style and it hasn't been given the opportunity to let it really show. Really, I don't think it would be a bad idea for Aliya and Vika to switch music- it would seem a much better fit to me. And for the Russian athletes to be conditioned. Really, I'm not a huge fan of any of Aliya's new compositions. On her bars, I have absolutely no idea what's bothering me seeing as it is in every significant way the same basic routine she's had for years, but something's not doing it for me. Her twisting form did catch my eye, though. In the team competition, I though it looked worse if anything, but in the individual finals I saw a definite improvement. I still want her to bring her double arabian back instead of one of her twisting passes (especially if she has a whip-whip), but I must give credit where credit is due. I feel like that was really negative. I'm just too depressed about Russian gymnastics under the Rods to look on the bright side.
Team Germany: Scheder and Seitz can be double-hitters for Germany, and Scheder really could be a very big asset this season. Both gymnasts have huge bars sets which could bump up their score very well. Seitz could be in their vault lineup as well. Scheder definitely has the best all around potential. Her beam is capable of a good score when she hits and her floor is decent. We only really got to see any of Scheder since the German girls weren't shown much in the team final. The biggest thing for her is her mind, as always. Her beam especially is hit-or-miss, which isn't really what one wants to see. Her bars could be Worlds final-worthy though.
Team Netherlands: The Netherlands are on a roll this year. Sanne won a bars medal at Euros and made the beam final, and now her sister cleaned up at the European Games. Lieke's performance was huge. I loved what we saw from her (okay, who didn't?) Her performance in the beam final stood out to me especially because of how she kept her cool. It was a splat-fest of a final and all she needed was a solid routine to be assured of a medal, and she delivered easily. That ability to remain clam, cool, and collected will be of huge value if she maintains it. She also has really made the most of her gorgeous floor. It's getting good solid scores in the mid-13s, so it's usable, to say the least. The biggest thing Lieke displayed in Baku was a very valuable competition mindset. She kept it all going in the all around as well, and I see her really proving herself as a team player. Celine van Gerner- I don't know what to think about her. They didn't show her floor, which made me really mad. But it got a 13.00, which is better than she got at Worlds! She was able to make bars finals, and her bars are pretty good as a Dutch gymnast. Her scores counted on all events, so she also displayed team player ability. But then in her bars final routine, she caught a release to her chest. Lisa Top was really valuable for her vault and floor. Vault, she delivered; floor, not so much. I hope it was just a fluke. Her power is good for the Dutch team. Overall, the Dutch girls were really impressive.
I thought the European Games was a good competition and I enjoyed watching it. I'm always interested in new formats, and this one definitely delivered. I think this might have given us a bit of an indicator of what things will be a bit like in Tokyo. And- well, it should be interesting, at least. I can't decide how I liked having the men and women run simultaneously. I do definitely blame that for missing some routines I was looking forward to. I just wish more teams would have sent stronger representatives. And why didn't Tyesha Matthis go? She needs the experience! Was there and injury? I've looked and seen nothing Well, now you'll leave me to question the British strategies on my own.
