The Weirdest Worlds EVER!

Yeah, I know I'm about a week after what could be considered reasonable timing for this post, but The Gymternet just started post-Worlds coverage as has The Couch Gymnast, so I feel justified in that.

The Good Surprises

• SANNE WEVERS HAS A WORLD BEAM MEDAL!!!!
• Great Britain got a team medal on both sides
• Brenna Dowell has officially competed at a World Championships and got the pike double front named after her with only the clapping of the audience as her track
• Sanne Wevers got a SILVER on BEAM
• The Netherlands qualified directly to Rio!! And were represented in three individual finals.
• Shang Chunsong is suddenly a beast
• Gabby won the AA silver
• Vika didn't fall of the beam in a major international event final.
• Farah Ann Abdul Hadi earned a higher AA total than either of the "Belorussians."
• Did I mention Sanne Wevers is A WORLD MEDALIST ON BEAM?

The Bad Surprises

• Romania only qualifying in 13th. If the Tokyo qualifying rules were implemented this quad, they wouldn't be going to Rio.
• On the flip-side of the Netherlands qualifying to the final, Brazil was SO CLOSE!
• Flava-Flav coming in dead last in the AA final.
• Aly not making a single individual final.
• Brenna falling twice on her UB routine (though admittedly, that can't be considered too shocking)
• Only one Russian in the AA final
• Simone grabbed the beam and landed her sisone in the red in the AA final

The Just Weird

• Russia was laughing and smiling after coming in fourth?
• Russia had fewer falls in qualifications than the US?
• Simone was 2-per-ed out of the UB final with China benefiting?
• There was a FOUR-WAY TIE?

The Top 5 Weirdest Things That Happened:

5. China benefited from an American being 2-per-ed out of the UB final

4. Simone had two big errors in the AA final

3. Russia was more consistent than the US in qualifications

2. Great Britain won the team bronze

1. A FOUR-WAY TIE

Team: The competition for second through fourth was amazing. The US, China, and Great Britain all had pretty much the best competition they could reasonably expect, so it was great to see them rewarded for it. It was also very exciting to see Canada sneaking up the rankings in a couple of rounds! And we had the Netherlands making everything pretty, even if they didn't catch lightning in a bottle like they did in qualification. I think Russia seemed a bit cavalier, and Seda was the only one who really seemed to care about their performance. But it was nice to see them take it in stride.

All Around: It's so disappointing that Simone had such big errors, but she still managed to get her highest score of a Worlds all around final yet! Ridiculous! Someone made the point that Simone tends to peak earlier in the season, so hopefully that is a good sign for next year. Larisa's fight to the podium was so wonderful! She's the first from outside the top group to make the podium in years, and it was such a triumphant victory! Speaking of gymnasts coming from outside the top group, so many of them were able to climb the rankings this year! Half of the gymnasts in the top eight who get recognized were from lower-ranked groups, and three of the top ten were from the bottom group! Unfortunately, the scores needed to get into the AA final were quite high, and they weren't sustained in the final itself, but the fluidity of the placements between qualifications and the final still shows a good competition. And to round of the medalists, we have Gabby. Long may she reign. She proved herself so well at these Worlds even after a rough training.

Vault: I'm of the mind that Hong Un Jong was the rightful winner of this one. But I also just love her vaulting. It's also disappointing that Simone wasn't able to win because of her lower difficulty when she has such superior technique and execution. When will she upgrade? But either way, this was by far the most exciting vault final in a long time! The podium was so close! Also, I just love Ellie Downie's vaulting. I would not be at all surprised to see her with upgrades next year, she's got such great power and technique. Giulia's injury was horrible, but at least she's supposed to be in fairly decent shape and not too badly injured. Ah, I miss the final last year when no one was injured.

Uneven Bars: Oh my goodness, THIS FINAL! No falls, and a FOUR-WAY TIE! It's too bad about Sophie Scheder messing up her dismount, but it is nice to know that that was the biggest error of the final. I think we can all pretty much agree that Spiridonova and Kocian were not on the same level as Fan Yilin and Vika. But here's my perspective: Fan Yilin and Vika won the gold anyway. So while it wasn't necessarily the most accurate judging, when the gymnasts who were overscored didn't affect the placing of the gymnasts who were better anyway, why can't we just appreciate the fact that we witnessed a four-way tie and gymnastics history? It's not like four-way ties are going to become a common thing. With the exception of Scheder's dismount, everyone had a great routine in this final, and it will definitely be one I'll watch over and over again as the years go by. And ruby made it with her wonderful routine!

Balance Beam: SANNE WEVERS WON THE SILVER! My delusional dream is now a reality! And so nothing else that happened in this final makes me at all unhappy. Honestly, it was better than I was worried it might be. With this group of eight gymnasts, who would stay on was seriously a crap shoot. I was going into this final with the mindset that Simone would be the only gymnast to stay on just because that was a legitimate possibility and I didn't want to get my hopes up. So honestly, I'm pleased with four of them staying on. Also, Pualine Schaerffer got a medal for Germany and that was so wonderful! And Vika didn't fall in a major international beam final, so that's more than could have been expected. So yeah, this final was pretty bad, but I wasn't expecting better. And Sanne medalled! So I really can't look at this final with any objectivity or any disappointment that anything else happened. She could have been the only one to stay on and I would have been happy.

Floor: I still haven't seen this final in whole: I missed the beginning of the final as I tried to get the mobile stream up, and I couldn't watch the last four routines with music because I was watching it in public. However, I have seen all of the routines (with music) at this point, though I still don't have a great perspective on it. No falls! The only World floor final this quad with not a single fall! Simone obviously was the deserving champion, she put on her usual awesome display. As to the debate over the bronze (and silver?) medals, my opinion is that Maggie, Sae, and Shang all had routines of pretty much the same quality, and so whoever took the bronze took it rightfully. It's sad, but true: sometimes a medal could go more than one way. Also, overall, the E scores were pretty high in this final, which was nice to see. And who doesn't like just watching Lieke's routine?

My favorite final: Bars. Only one major error which wasn't even that big comparatively and a four-way tie. This is one of my favorite finals of all time.

My least favorite final: Beam. Though, as I said earlier, I'm still not that unhappy with it. Sanne!

Overall, I really enjoyed these Worlds. The competition was generally pretty strong and so much unexpected happened! And there were people who thought this Worlds was boring.

Worlds Predictions

'Tis the season!!!

Team:
Top 16 (*Finalists):
USA*
China*
Russia*
Romania*
Japan*
Great Britain*
Italy*
Brazil*
Germany
Canada
Australia
Netherlands
France
Mexico
Belgium
South Korea

Podium:
1. USA
2. Russia
3. China

Obviously, the US is going to win. Anyone who doubts that at all is delusional. Valentina would have to Tanya Harding them all for something else to happen. I think Russia's team this year, even without Aliya (honestly, I like this team a lot better without her- not sure why, I'm not a big fan of Vika or Bee Farm and I really do like Aliya), has the most evenly distributed ability of the rest. But if their beam rotation is a bomb, they could open the door. I do think Japan will outscore Romania. Their team average for this year is actually higher than China's, and though that's pretty much due solely to the most outrageous domestic overscoring this year, I'd still LOVE to see them on the podium.



All Around:
Podium:
1. Simone Biles
2. Larisa Iordache
3. Aly Raisman

Even though her highest AA score is of the season is the third highest of the non-Simone US AAers, I still think she'll get the second spot. If not, just swap her out for whichever American makes it. Even though Simone said Maggie's not the alternate, I'm still accepting her as such until we have an official announcement otherwise, so I think it'll be between Aly and Gabby. With Yao and Aliya out (and Rebeca Andrade), there's pretty much no other competition for the podium. I just feel so gutted doing these predictions right now with no Rebeca to surprise for the podium.



Vault:
Finalists:
Simone Biles
Mykayla Skinner
Hong Un Jong
Marcia Videux
Maria Paseka
Giulia Steingruber
Wang Yan
Alexa Moreno

Podium:
1. Hong Un Jong
2. Simone Biles
3. Maria Paseka

This one should be really close. Vault was so stagnant and this quad it's suddenly become so exciting! Now that Simone's been sticking Amanars, she really could outdo Hong Un Jong, but I just love her floaty Amanar so whatever. Also, word on the street is that Mykayla beat Simone on vault at camp, so there's that. Bee Farm has cleaned up a fair bit since the last time she made a vault final and added a Cheng, so she's really upped her game. And Marcia and Giulia would both be fabulous- and plausible- medalists. Three fourths of gymnasts in this final could legitimately medal. And that's awesome.



Bars:
Finalists:
Fan Yilin
A second Chinese gymnast
Daria Spiridonova
Vika
Elisabeth Seitz
Sophie Scheder
Maddie Kocian
Yuki Uchiyama

Podium:
1. Fan Yilin
2. Daria Spiridonova
3. Vika

This final is far too small. A 12 or even 16 person final would be much better for exhibiting the top bars talented. No one's really been dominating the top of the field, let alone my choice for the gold medal, but I think these three are the safest bets. I definitely think Spiridoz will leave with a medal. This will be a pretty exclusive final. And I'm so ready for it!



Beam:
Finalists:
Simone Biles
Aly Raisman
Larisa Iordache
Sakura Yumoto
Ellie Black
Flava Flav
Maria Kharenkova
Shang Chunsong

Podium:
1. Simone Biles
2. Aly Raisman
3. Sakura Yumoto

Well, this one's a crap shoot. There have been a lot of stunning one-off performances this year (PAULINE SCHAEFER) that I don't expect to be repeated at Worlds. Alas. I've picked Shang for gold the last two years and just given up at this point. I've also given up on predicting Larisa will stay on. Or Maria. I made my pick because I trust those three not to fall the most. Literally everyone else I'm expecting to. Maybe the trick is just to expect them to fall? Flava Flav always makes it into the final, she just falls once she gets there. Ellie is the only one I didn't pick for the podium who I'll hold out hope for staying on. And then if anyone else doesn't fall, it'll be a pleasant surprise.



Floor:
Finalists:
Simone Biles
Aly Raisman
Larisa Iordache
Afan
Sae Miyakawa
Claudia Fragapane
Erika Fasana
Giulia Steingruber

Podium:
1. Simone Biles
2. Aly Raisman
3. Larisa Iordache

Yet another floor title to Simone. A fall is literally the only mistake that could keep her from this one. Aly is back and better than ever, and a hit routine should clinch a medal for her. Larisa is great as always, but I think the other two have an edge on her. Afan either wins or doesn't medal, so she's off the podium. If Sae Miyakawa busts out the best she's got, she's the only other one who can challenge, methinks. But the other three are awesome. So it should be an enjoyable enough final even if it isn't as competitive as vault of bars.

Floor Music I Want to See: Russia

Of course, I want these gymnasts to use this music after the Rods have been kicked out once and for all and the gymnasts are conditioned to a point where they can actually perform strongly artistic routines again.

Aliya Mustafina- "Montagues and Capulets"

Aliya is a diva on the floor (in an "every person in this stadium needs to be looking at me right now because I am killing it" kind of way), and this music is big and dramatic enough that she could own the floor with it. Also, as it is classical, it combines the drama with "Russian tradition" and would be a bit more regal for her, methinks.

Viktoria Komova- "Avrora" (Anna Bessonova's 2007-2008 Hoop Music)

I've honestly never considered any of Vika's floor routines highly artistic (except for the AA performance of her 2012 one). I believe that is because the Russian choreographers decided "Swan Lake Breakdown didn't work, so since classic style isn't her, we'll give her crowd-pleasing routines!" I really think Vika has a lot of untapped artistic potential in a darker and more emotional style. Of course, I have no solid evidence to base this on, so I could be totally wrong. It's just a feeling. I will fully admit that this could be a disaster, but I think it really would be haunting and beautiful and a performance for the ages.

Maria Kharenkova- "Blues for Klook"

I have a confession to make and you all may judge me for this. I don't really get the hype over Mitova's floor to this music, other than it's sheer difference from the rest of the routines of the time. Of course, Russia would never (and nor would any other major program besides the US, who used two recycled pieces in 2014 AND has had multiple gymnasts use "Blues") use music from a routine so venerated. Too much of a risk artistically. I love Maria's routine from 2012 and think routines with more passion and tension are better suited to her than the purely elegant, purely graceful routines she's had this quad. This would really give her opportunity to stretch her wings artistically and get back to her artistic roots from 2012, but with the maturity she has acquired since then. I also would love to see Afan with this music.

Alla Sosnitskaya- "Fever"
This one would never be allowed either, since Cata JUST used it. For shame. I mentioned in my Nanning floor analysis series that she displayed a slinkyness in the slow part of her "Pretty Woman" routine I think Russia should capitalize on. The jazz tones and prominent bass would give her plenty of room to play with that and she could finally have her chance to sparkle on floor. If not "Fever", at least "Why Don't You Do Right?" Also, I want Afan to use one of these ones. Afan just needs a season where she has a different floor routine every time she competes so she use all the music she should.

Anastasia Grishina- "The Promise" from The Secret Garden or "Once Upon a December"
Grishy is coming back and slaying, okay? These would both be great routines for Grishy's light and pretty style. And "Once Upon a December" is a waltz, which Grishy has a corner on. "The Promise" would be the softer, more lyrical route, while "Once Upon a December" would be grander. And come on, how awesome would it be for Grishy to use music from Anastasia?

Afan- Postmodern Jukebox's cover of "Seven Nation Army"
In case you can't tell by this point, I want Afan to do something bluesy. I think she's got just the right mix of maturity, dancing style, and slightly sardonic expression to make it awesome. This cover is the perfect moodiness for Afan to get in some of her awesome original choreography (BRING BACK THE LEG CHOREO FROM 2012). And come on, Afan doing "Seven Nation Army"? Awesome.

Literally Anyone- "Padam, Padam" (Zhenya's 2009 Ribbon Music)
Any Russian should use this. ANY OF THEM. And all of them. But honestly, somehow this music would be absolutely perfect for every single style of the Russian gamut. Aliya could totally get all diva/queen with it and incorporate a few death glares while she's at it. For Vika, she could stay all light and ballerina and I-don't-have-body-fat-ly while still being able to play with more than she's been given in the past. This music is definitely more in the way of Masha's 2012 routine than we've seen recently and she could bring back some of the old cheekiness with it. Alla could totally throw in a bunch of playful slinkyness with it and light up an arena. It's light and frothy for Grishy to keep her super pretty style but she could also be playful with it. And Afan! Lots of leg choreo-like opportunities, as well as opportunities for that wry expression from her 2011-2012 days.