Stretching Out: Beijing, London and the Phantom 10.0

Like all Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 represented both an end and a beginning. Careers have concluded for some gymnasts, while others will battle a new generation as the next quadrennium begins. The first big test will be the 2009 World Championships, to be held from Oct. 13-18 at the 02 Arena in London. Individual all-around and apparatus titles will be on the line, and with various veterans retired, a few surprise world champions could emerge.

Look for Fabian Hambüchen, Kohei Uchimura and Jonathan Horton to be among those chasing the men’s all-around title. With the right motivation, Paul Hamm could win in 2009 too. It’s a pity to see all the hard work he put in go to waste, but then again, he’s already won a world all-around title.

It may be premature to predict another duel between Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, given the opportunities both are enjoying at present. So if neither shows up in London, Russia’s Ksenia Semyonova would lead my picks to win the women’s title. But I would never count out Chellsie Memmel, who won in 2005 under the same meet format.

China’s Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan are also likely candidates, assuming the Olympic team gold didn’t end their careers. A Chinese woman has never won a world all-around title, and 2009 might be ripe for the picking.

Speaking of the Chinese women, did anyone else notice how much a few of them struggled in Beijing with the sole circle transition from low bar to high bar? Their technique, for which they are generally so well known on bars, was simply abominable on this element. I don’t buy the excuse that the skill is difficult for short gymnasts, because Shawn Johnson did it very well. The Chinese seemed to shoot their legs toward the high bar without opening their shoulder or hip angle enough. This created no forward rotation and left them in a virtual dead hang on the high bar. He Kexin, who won the event, was one of the biggest culprits.

Something else I’ve noticed for years about the Chinese on bars is their skill selection. Correct me if I’m wrong (and I don’t mind if you do), but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Chinese gymnast do a free hip-reverse hecht, Stalder-reverse hecht or sole circle-reverse hecht. They are primarily a Tkatchev and Jaeger program, complemented by numerous elgrip combinations. It’s a simple palette of skills, but then again, most artists (painters, musicians, etc.) stick with what is comfortable and familiar.

I’m not sure what mandates were established for judges under the current Code of Points, but I thought some of the execution scores in Beijing were a bit severe. If Nastia Liukin had done the vault she did in the all-around final 20 years earlier, at the Seoul Olympics, she would have scored a 10.0. Or at the very least, 9.95. In Beijing, her execution average was 9.525.

If the FIG is going to promote the concept that the 10.0 is still part of the open-ended scoring system, then it should allow gymnasts to score one occasionally. Or at least get close. I’m not suggesting the 10.0 become as common as it was at Seoul 1988, when 40 were awarded. But as it stands now, who will ever remember what Liukin scored on that beautifully stuck vault? 

That vault was a salient moment in the all-around final, and had the potential to market gymnastics to the masses. Its score, however, conveyed a different message to viewers, who could only deduce that it must not have been that special. Under the circumstances, it was remarkable.

When the new Code was introduced in 2006, I was OK with losing the 10.0 as the final score because I thought we’d finally see it again in the B-score. Remember, the 10.0 had disappeared since the 1992 Olympics, when only two were awarded.

Apparently, it has become extinct.