International GYMNAST Magazine Online: Behind the Scenes: Pacific Rim Championships Behind the Scenes: Pacific Rim Championships ================================================================================ John Crumlish on Saturday, April 05, 2008 IG revisits last weekend's Pacific Rim Championships in San Jose, with exclusive comments from top performers. Triple gold medalist Nastia Liukin of the U.S. said she was satisfied with her overall performance, despite a few mistakes along the way. Nastia Liukin (USA) During the team competition, which also determined all-around rankings, Liukin bent her knees on a Pak salto on uneven bars. On floor exercise, she stumbled out of bounds on her third pass, a 1-1/2 twist, punch rudi. Liukin, who won the all-around and led the U.S. women to the team title, encountered similar problems in the next day's event finals. In warm-ups on bars, she missed a Gienger; she repeated the same mistake during the competition. "I think it was going really slowly in the beginning, since we had to wait a long time between when we warmed up and competed," Liukin said. "My warm-up thing (fall) was just a fluke, and I wasn't thinking about that." Later in the routine, Liukin lost some of her swing while working on the low bar, but continued her set without breaking form. "I think I was so overwhelmed with thinking, 'I can't believe I just fell," but you learn a lesson every time," she said. "I know I can't give up, and every tenth counts." After winning the title on balance beam, Liukin put one hand down and went out of bounds on the landing of her first tumbling pass in the floor final. "I think it was just being a little fatigued," said Liukin of the mistake on a combination of handspring, layout front, double twisting front. "I've never had to compete two days back-to-back, where you do two full floor routines two days in a row. But at the same time, it's a wonderful experience because you don't know when you would experience it, and you don't want the Olympic Games to be your first time." Liukin said she had intended to compete on only bars and beam in San Jose, so the all-around experience was a bonus in her preparations for this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. "It's still early in the season, so we're all going to be making mistakes," she said. "I had a brand-new bars routine, so even though I've been doing that skill (Gienger), thinking about the other skills throws you off a little bit. It's been a really great weekend, even with those mistakes. I was really happy to get back out there." ------------------------- 2004 Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm of the U.S. admitted that his winning all-around performance in San Jose came with a bit of frustration. In the fifth rotation, Hamm marred an otherwise positive day by falling on pommel horse. "There was no real reason," Hamm said. "As I was going into my flops, my triceps felt a little fatigued. Sometimes going into the fifth event, my body can tend to break down, and it's something I need to focus on. It's not a technical problem, because in practice I'm hitting routines every day. What's frustrating is that I've fallen in the past couple meets. I need to be a bit more aggressive and train a few more routines, and make sure I'm completely focused going into the routine." In the event finals, Hamm avoided falls and won the gold medal on pommel horse. He tied China's Wang Heng for the gold medal on parallel bars, won the silver medal on floor exercise, and finished his competition by winning the bronze medal on high bar. Hamm said he was pleased to keep his last routine of the meet moving, despite a missed connection. "The problem I had was on the full Takemoto into the Markelov," he explained. "That was supposed to go over the bar, but I know how to cover up. I did a blind change into the release, and that meant I lost only 0.20. The Takemoto is a touchy skill. Sometimes you end up a little short and sometimes you go over a little too far." After a two-year absence from major competition, Hamm said he is confident that he can return to Olympic form by summer. "I'm getting really, really close to where I want to be," he said. "I have yet to hit all six events in all-around competition (in 2008), so that's going to be my biggest goal. I'm on track. I just need to keep pushing, go back home, work hard and stay healthy." ------------------------- Kristina Vaculik paced the Canadian women to the team silver medal, a result that brought her mixed emotions. Only two Canadian women can compete at the Games, cecause Canada placed only 14th at last year's World Championships that served as the Beijing Olympics qualifying competition. Vaculik is a leading contender for one of the spots. "It's kind of sad, but I'm still looking forward to Beijing and working toward it," said Vaculik, who placed sixth all-around and tied Liukin for the silver medal on uneven bars. Vaculik said she was most excited by her performance on balance beam during the team/all-around competition. She scored 15.800, exceeding the 15.200 she needed to score points under the Canadian federation's system for assessing its Olympic candidates. Vaculik's score on beam and her medal on bars were even more impressive, considering she crunched her hand on a Rulfova during beam training the day before the meet. "After lots of therapy, Kristina decided to compete," said Vaculik's coach, 1980 Olympic all-around champion Yelena Davydova. "I said, 'OK, then be tough and let's go for it.'" Other members of the Canadian squad in San Jose were seniors Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs (the 2006 world bronze medalist on balance beam) and Nansy Damianova and juniors Peng-Peng Lee, Charlotte Mackie and Brittany Rogers. In the junior division, Mackie and Lee placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the all-around. Rogers won bronze medals on vault and uneven bars, and Lee won the silver medal on uneven bars. Davydova said that, although the Canadian women did not qualify as a team for Beijing, their performance in San Jose indicated potential for the next Olympic cycle. Vaculik, who will turn 16 in July, may well be part of the next Olympic cycle, as well. "I'm in between," she said of her age status in this year's team. Davydova said the Canadians' team silver medal will benefit not only Vaculik, but the next generation of Canadian talent. "For the future, it gives us confidence that we can do well," Davydova said. "It will give confidence to the whole team." ------------------------- Samantha Shapiro (USA) American Samantha Shapiro won the gold medal on uneven bars and the silver medal in the all-around in the junior division, as well as a glowing review from U.S. national team coordinator Marta Karolyi. "Sam Shapiro is a very promising gymnast," Karolyi said. "The most special thing about her is that everything is close to perfection, [her] technique and connection. I foresee a very, very nice future for her." Shapiro, 14, said she was glad to perform well after an injury-plagued year. "I feel wonderful," she said. "I had an elbow injury, where I couldn't put my right elbow down for eight months. I'm just coming back from a heel injury, so I didn't have the chance to upgrade my routines as I would have liked." Shapiro easily won the junior bars final, although she said her routine was not her best. "I was satisfied but not pleased," said Shapiro, who is coached by 1980 Olympic all-around finalist Galina Marinova (Bulgaria) and 1983 world vault champion Artur Akopyan (Soviet Union/Armenia). "I felt I could have been more precise and had a better landing. But I'm going to go back home, train hard and make it better. There's always room to improve." Shapiro, who is too young to try for a spot on this year's U.S. Olympic team, said the chance to compete with some of the top American seniors was unique and rewarding. "The whole experience was amazing, and I really enjoyed myself," she said. "It was amazing competing with the seniors, having them right there and cheering me on. They were such great leaders. Everyone worked so well together." Read more from behind the scenes at the Pacific Rim Championships in the May 2008 issue of International Gymnast magazine. To subscribe, click here. For IG Online's coverage of the 2008 Pacific Rim Championships, including live commentary, click here.