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U.S. Olympic Trials Live Coverage, Day One

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 By Amanda Turner and Christian Ivanov
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Welcome to day one of IG Online's live coverage of the U.S. Olympic Trials in Philadelphia!

We hope you also watch the competition live on NBCOlympics.com, while following here along for expert commentary.

For the first time, you can leave comments during the coverage, and our commentating duo will try to answer live!

IG Live Update: 6:37 PM: The athletes are warming up for tonight's competition.

IG Live Update: 6:58 PM: The athletes are marching in.

IG Live Update: 7:03 PM: The lights have gone out! The athletes are being introduced. We're close to New Jersey, so Jersey natives David Durante and Sean Golden got huge applause!

IG Live Update: 7:09 PM: They are playing the theme from Rocky as the gymnasts march to their events for warmup.

Rotation 1
Guillermo Alvarez FX double arabian piked; front layout, front double full, front tuck full; whip 2 1/2; 2 1/2 fwd; flairs to handstand; manna; double layout; little nervous the first two passes, but stronger than at U.S. Championships. He really needed to come out and hit this routine. 14.950
Sean Golden SR kip to maltese press to planche; back roll to cross press up to Naltese bounce to cross; tuck yama to piked to planche; full twisting double lay but very piked... A good routine but a ring specialist needs to be able to do more. 15.550
Yewki Tomita PB peach to straddle kip; Diamidov; healy; back toss; back toss out; straddle kip press to L... had to swing down and back to L - a beginner's mistake. Stuck double pike. Weak routine. 14.400
Morgan Hamm FX whip 2 1/2 to front half; 1 1/2 full 1 3/4; air flair to flairs; two bobbles on his wide arm press. Arabian 1 3/4. double layout almost to his knees but saved with step. Seemed he was nervous on the press and out of gas - the air flairs are awesome but are they sapping his strength? 8.450 execution. 14.750
Justin Spring SR piked yamawaki to tuck to whippet to cross;press to L; Guczogy; front giant; full-twisting double layout with a hop. He's never been strong on rings but he is really giving it everything to make this team! 5.700 14.700
Kevin Tan PB peach half to peach to giant double pike, giant to giant double tuck; healy to upper arms; double pike with two steps back. He looked a little nervous on the dismount; a little off line to the side on the peach half but nicely saved. 6.3/8.850 15.150
Jonathan Horton FX 1 1/2 full to 1 3/4; double-double nice and high; Thomas; Federchenko (three diagonals in a row won't be allowed under the new rules; 2 1/2 front half; wide arm press; full-in with a step followed by another step. Very nervous dismounts on the first event for everyone. 15.000
Tim McNeill SR kip to maltese; press up to planche; whippet to maltese; kip to cross; piked yamawaki to whippet to cross; tuck double double with a step forward. 14.950
David Durante PB peach half to peach to giant double tuck; healy, giant, stuts back toss, stuck double pike to huge applause. Very clean form, but the routine needs a few more skills to score well internationally. (He does about 25 percent of what Li Xiappeng does.) He's clearly going for a strong execution score. 6.00/9.500 15.500
Sasha Artemev FX whip 1 1/2 double full - overrotated; 2 1/2 front tuck full; flairs to handstand twice; arabian on the side; triple twist with a big step and very crossed legs. 5.900 14.550
Sean Townsend SR kip to maltese, swing to maltese bounce to cross - not held; tuck yamawaki to piked yamawaki to staddled planche; arched on handstand and really bent arms; step on a full twistind double layout. He definitely looks like he hasn't competed in awhile. 5.900 14.400
Joseph Hagerty PB peach half to peach to gaint Diamidov to giant, back toss to Stutz; back toss out; double pike. Clean but not long enough. According the new rules, to be competitive they have to be doing more difficulty. 6.1 15.400
Raj Bhavsar SR whippet to maltese, back roll to cross, kip to Maltese, swing to planche - not held; piked yamawaki to tuck yamawaki; double-double layout with super flexed feet and a step. That score is a gift - he didn't hold anything. 6.5/9.1 15.600
Rotation 2
Hamm PH Sivado across to Magyar to Sivado; to one pommel work; flairs above the pommel. 5.7 14.900
Spring VT Tsuk 2 1/2 - very good landing. It's amazing - he doesn't even have a knee brace. 16.050
Tan HB tkatchev; endo full to el; one arm full twist; stuck full twisting double layout. Very solid and efortless. His family is yelling in Chinese, "Jiayou!" 5.8 15.050
Horton PH Magyar to Sivado to triple Russian with bad form; more scissors;full twisting dismount. Little sloppy on the Russian and stop on the scissor to handstand, but whenever Jonathan hits this event he is happy! 6.200 13.750
McNeill VT Tsuk double full, a little close and piked. 15.400
Durante HB Voronin; Stalder full to el; layout kovacs, far and barely touched the bar (fall). Tucked Kovacs; Tkatchev, Stalder blind; full to mixed; stuck, kicked out layout double-double. Tight, beautiful form, and nearly perfect routine except for the fall. 13.750
Artemev PH Under massive pressure here - he fell twice on this event at nationals and he has to make it. Magyar to Sivado to one pommel work; full Kerhe to flairs to handstand to spindle above the pommel and a flairs to handstand dismount. Wow! He nearly jumped up and down in joy. The biggest applause of the night. 15.650
Townsend VT Dragulescu, low and nearly fell 15.950
Hagerty HB Endo full to el; Tak full to Voronin; Kolman; rybalko; Tak half stalder Rybalko to mixed; stuck full-twisting double layout. He's good here - he really has a shot at coming from nowhere to make this team. 6.6 15.550
Alvarez PH one pommel work; again; Magyar to Sivado to one pommel work dismount; little stop on the press to handstand dismount. 14.500
Tomita HB Rybalko; Tak half; layout Kovacs, tuck Kovacs; Stalder; full-twisting one arm; Endo, Endo full to mixed; stuck layout double-double. This will probably be a top-three routine  
Golden VT Yurchenko 2 1/2 16.200
Rotation 3
Durante FX layout double front; 2 1/2; front full to rudi; Fedorchenko; wide arm press; Arabian; full-in - a little low landing, but a pretty clean routine. 14.750
Horton SR pike yamawaki to swing to maltese press up to planche; swing to planche back roll to cross; kip to maltese bounce to cross; giant; full-twisting double layout with a step back. 6.6 15.800
McNeill PB peach half to giant double back; giant; peach; Stutz; Diamidov; healy; double pike. 6.2 15.550
Hagerty FX 1 1/2 full Rudi; whip to tuck Thomas; layout Thomas; Federchenko; 2 1/2; front double full dismount (worth the same as a full-in!); clean. This guy is clean, prepared and does good gymnastics, - he belongs on the team. 6.20 15.400
Artemev SR whippet to cross, barely held; back roll to cross, barely held; swing to straddle planche - looked like a high straddle L; piked Yamawaki to tuck Yamawaki; giant; giant; stuck full-twisting double layout  
Townsend PB peach half to giant to giant double tuck, peach to Moy; Tippelt; back toss; low double pike.  
Tomita FX double full forward to front tuck half; tuck Thomas; 1 1/2 front full, flairs to handstand down and smacks his foot on the floor; arabian; 2 1/2 to his butt. Not well prepared on this event, struggling throughout. 12.700
Alvarez SR kip to cross press to L; piked Yamawaki to tuck Yamawaki to whippet to cross; whippet to swing to handstand; giant; stuck tucked double-double. 14.650
Bhavsar PB peach half, peach giant double pike; giant double tuck; giant to Tippelt; back toss out; Stutz; double pike with a small hop. Good difficulty. 6.5 15.600
Spring PB back toss out; peach full to giant; to giant double tuck; peach half to peach to double tuck between the bars; back toss to double pike. He left out a giant full which is probably a smart move. Good routine 9 just a little loose and some foot form problems. 6.5 15.700
Rotation 4
Hagerty PH one pommel work short; Magyar to sivado to one pommel work; hit a clean routine but very average difficulty. 5.4 14.300
Artemev VT Yurchenko 2 1/2 with one large step. He really pops off the horse. 15.950
Townsend HB Kovacs, Tak full to Voronin, very close and barely didn't scrape his body; hop full; Rybalko to mixed grip; Endo full to mixed; jam; Tak half, fell over to the wrong side but saved by doing an Endo half - big applause. Stuck full-twisting double layout. 14.100
Tomita PH one pommel work long sequence; Kerhe; sloppy on scissors; Magyar to sivado very tired and jumped off. He looks exhausted - should not have done floor exercise. 13.950
Alvarez VT Yurchenko double-full. Very high on the horse. He really should have gone for his Yurchenko 2 1/2. 15.650
Bhavsar HB Kolman, Kovacs, full twist one arm; full to el; triple back with one step - he limped off the podium. 5.4 14.000
Tan PH one pommel work to triple russian; scissors to handstand on one pommel but had to step down on the horse with one of his hands and then got back to the scissor; Magyar to sivado bad form and musched; dismount with a huge shoulder angle and dismounted on the wrong side coz didn't complete the pirouette... 5.6 13.900
Hamm VT Tsuk 2 1/2 with a big stumble forward. Clean but not high and landing problem - how is this a 9.4 execution? 16.000
Spring HB Voronin; layout kolman; hop full; tuck kolman; rybalko; full one arm; Weiler to one arm half pirouette; triple back. 15.400
Durante PH Magyar over the pommels to double Russian to Magyar to Sivado, fall on travel across the horse; repeats and makes it to triple Russian; hit the rest 13.800
Horton VT double front with a big step fwd and then one more step; 15.600
Rotation 5
Bhavsar FX whip 2 1/2 front half; double full layout rudy; side sami on the side; wide arm press; cart wheel; triple full; awful form on the twisting  
Tan SR whippet to maltese press to inverted cross; double yama pike to plenche bounce to L cross press to invertwhiped to cross press up to maltese not held; full-twisting double layout.  
Alvarez PB peach half, giant, Peach; front ; back toss doubee front dismount... weak routine  
Golden FX 1 1/2 front ful tuck; double full fwd to layout; double arabian piked super high; 2 1/2 front half  
Durante SR roll to L cross press up to maltese bounce to cross; swing to maltese swing to planche; piked Yamawaki; giant; full twisting double lay  
Horton PB peach half peach, giant double pike; peach giant double tuck; Diamidov stutz; double pike with a step 15.200
Spring FX double-double tucked stuck; 1 1/2 full Rudi; layout Thomas; 2 1/2 front half; full-twisting butterfly, whip tuck Thomas; double full. 6.100 15.200
Hagerty SR back up rise cross; kip cross back up rise to straddle planche; piked to tuck Yamawaki; full-in tuck dismount; Not strong here, but with long arms he is not built for the extreme strength needed to score high on rings.  
Artemev PB healy; peach giant Diamidov and a half; giant Diamidov giant, double tuck low; Stutz; double pike stuck. He needs to be stronger, he could do so much more difficuly here and he could be challenging for a place in finals. 6.0... raised .1 to 6.1 15.350
McNeill FX 1 1/2 full 1 3/4; double full forward, front half; tuck Thomas; Fedorchenko; wide-arm press; Rudi; RO 2 1/2 to his butt  
Rotation 6
Durante VT Tsuk double full, clean 15.600
McNeill PH fall 14.050
Hamm HB Tak half to layout Tkatchev; Stalder Rybalko to mixed; Tak full to poorly done Voronin; jam; stuck layout double double; bad form throughout - feet flexed. He gets very generous B scores. 15.200
Townsend PH Magyar to Sivado to triple Russian; dismount with bad form; very short routine almost no difficulty 13.450
Hagerty VT Tsuk double full 15.700
Horton HB Tak full to Voronin; Kolman; tucked Kovacs; hop full; full to el; Stalder; stuck triple-twisting double layout! He took out the layout Kovacs so he is playing it safer. 6.4 15.200
Bhavsar PH one pommel work; to Magyar to Sivado to a dismount. Short routine but he hit it. He's pumped. 14.400
Artemev HB Endo full to el to Jaeger; Kovacs, close and had to bend his arm on his giant; Rybalko; full to L; hop full; layout double double with a solid landing.  
Alvarez HB Stalder Tkatchev; Stalder half to el; Endo full to el; full to el; jam; Endo half; Stalder; front 1 1/2 twisting double layout.  
IG Live Update: 9:37 PM:

Final thoughts from IG Publisher Paul Ziert: The guys looked very tight and in general they seemed to be focused on hitting more than performing the routines full out. I was somewhat surprised to see that the level of difficulty that is the WOWing difficulty was not there. This was particularly true on parallel bars and pommel horse, and to some extent floor. However, the exceptions were Jonathan Horton's floor, Sasha Artemev's pommel horse, Kevin Tan's rings and Raj Bhavsar's parallel bars. With Paul Hamm out of the competition, it gets very competitive.... The top three are only separated by a few tenths, and the guys really seem to be pushing hard to be "No. 1 Minus Paul." Hopefully, they will be able to loosen up some on Saturday! See you then!

Sasha Artemev was the top scorer Thursday, ahead of Jonathan Horton and Joseph Hagerty.

Download detailed results: Combined | Day 1 Only

Results - Olympic Trials (60%) + U.S. Championships (40%)

1. Jonathan Horton 63.255
2. Joseph Hagerty 63.165
3. Sasha Artemev 62.825
4. Raj Bhavsar 62.800
5. David Durante 62.430
6. Guillermo Alvarez 57.910
7. Tim McNeill 57.230
8. Justin Spring 47.335
9. Morgan Hamm 42.645
10. Kevin Tan 42.225
11. Yewki Tomita 33.870
12. Sean Golden 32.675
13. Sean Townsend 26.415

This concludes the first day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Join us again tomorrow night for Day One of women's competition.