International GYMNAST Magazine: Random thoughts on the gymnastics world

Random thoughts on the gymnastics world
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Dwight Normile on April 10, 2008
 
European Championships: Romania proved its superiority within European borders
last week, but its winning total of 181.525 is still well shy of challenging
for anything brighter than bronze at the Beijing Olympics. The U.S. won the
2007 World Championships with 184.400, with China second at 183.450.
Still, Romanian gymnasts should be highly motivated in August, since any
Romanian Olympic champion will earn a bonus of 100,000 euros, plus a car. And
if thats not incentive enough, the womens gymnastics team was recently
proclaimed our great hope for Olympic Games by Traian Basescu, president of
Romania.
Though a Romanian team victory in Beijing seems unlikely, we shouldnt forget
that this relatively small nation found a way to win the womens team title at
Athens 2004 over the U.S., which was world champion at the time.
United States: How deep is the U.S. womens team right now? When the final six
are chosen to compete in Beijing, the Olympic team could include four world
champions who combined have won eight individual world titles: Nastia Liukin
(3); Shawn Johnson (2); Chellsie Memmel (2); and Alicia Sacramone (1).
Olympic Wild Cards: The Olympic Creed states that the most important thing in
the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, which is a noble thought.
And I agree. So when Nashwan Al-Hazari (Yemen) and Di Thi Ngan Thuong (Vietnam)
received the final two berths to the Beijing Olympics, I understood that certain
criteria factored into the selection process (geographical representation being
one of them).
That said, I can only wonder how Greeces Dimosthenis Tambakos received the
mens wild card to the 2004 Athens Olympics, since Greece already was
represented by two-time high bar world champion Vlasios Maras.
When FIG Mens Technical Committee President Adrian Stoica was asked in 2004
about a perceived home advantage for Tambakos, who won the Olympic gold on
rings, he told IG, Maybe the home advantage was set in the moment of the
allocation of the wild cards!
For the record, the womens wild card in 2004 went to Bolivias Maria Jose de
la Fuente, who placed 61st in Athens. That was special, because Bolivia isnt
exactly a hotbed for any sport other than soccer.
Gymnastics crowd at Utah Is this seat taken? The University of Utah drew 15,447
spectators for its March 28 dual meet in Salt Lake City. It was the largest
crowd in NCAA gymnastics history, and all the more impressive because it was
not against a top team. The seats were overflowing (official seating capacity
is 15,000 at the Huntsman Center) because of Senior Night, and the frenzied
fans watched their beloved Utes defeat 29th-ranked BYU, 197.100-193.850.
Utah senior Ashley Postell, who has placed second all-around to Georgias
Courtney Kupets at the NCAAs the last two years, is the top-ranked all-arounder
for 2008. With Kupets out with a torn Achilles tendon, the title is Postells
to win or lose. I do think shes the best all-around gymnast in college this
year, says Utes coach Greg Marsden of Postell, who is also ranked first on
vault and beam. But she has to have a great meet, because there are many good
[gymnasts]. Anything can happen.