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IG Editor Dwight Normile is blogging from the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships at the O2 Arena in London, where competition kicks off on Tuesday.  IG Tour The IG Tour arrived in London Monday morning to warm, sunny weather. A welcome sight after being stuck in a plane for eight-plus hours. Kermit and Jean Davis first started organizing the IG tour for the 1987 Rotterdam World Championships, and this tour group includes at least one of the original members. Now that's loyalty. Ironically, next year's worlds return to Rotterdam in the same venue as in 1987 (Ahoy Arena). After assembling at the airport, the tour boarded a bus bound for Windsor Castle. Despite the fact that nobody slept much on the plane, the side trip was relaxing and enjoyable. Afterward, we did a quick bus tour of London during which we saw a Greenpeace protest where people were sitting on the roof of the Parliament. A huge sign read "Change the Politics." After a quick photo-op at Buckingham Palace, we finally checked into our hotel. As inviting as the beds looked, we unpacked and walked over to the meet site instead. O2 Arena What a venue! Predominantly blue inside, the O2 is a dome-like structure that opened on June 24, 2007, and has a seating capacity of 23,000. Sitting adjacent to the River Thames in southeast London, it will house the gymnastics and basketball competitions at the 2012 Olympics. Podium Training Red- and cream-colored Gymnova apparatus fills the floor and provides a startling contrast to the blue podiums and seats. The acoustics are brilliant (an adjective I would like to start using to replace the worn-out American term of "awesome"). Ukrainian Alina Kozich is representing Uzbekistan, although she didn't appear to be in great shape. Russia's Ksenia Semyonova, on the other hand, looked dazzling as ever on floor exercise. Her teammate Ksenia Afanasyeva injured her back in training and went home on Friday. Great Britain's gymnastics queen Beth Tweddle took a nasty fall off uneven bars when she peeled off. Apparently, she was OK. In the final women's session, Elsa Garcia (MEX) looked to be in great shape (clean vault of roundoff half-on, piked Cuervo), as did American Rebecca Bross and Becky Downie (GBR). It is interesting that Bross has the later session instead of U.S. national champion Bridget Sloan. Anna Myzdrikova (RUS) showed excellent tumbling on floor with a whip-Arabian double front and a triple twist, punch back tuck. Men's Start Lists became available tonight, and notable all-arounders in the first of three subdivisions include Daniel Keatings (GBR), Maxim Devyatovsky (RUS) and Tim McNeill (USA). Subdivision 2: Kohei Uchimura (JPN), Jonathan Horton (USA), Benoit Caranobe (FRA), Luis Vargas (PUR) and Yuri Ryazanov (RUS). Subdivision 3: Jeffrey Wammes (NED) and Luis Rivera (PUR). Comments (15)
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alexandrite105
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... sick of martha, i am almost positive that coaches or national team coordinators have anything to do with the session a gymnast draws for prelims. as far as i know it's random. further, while bridget sloan did win, i believe bross has more potential as long as she hits. also, while i agree that world and olympic teams should be picked more in advanced, nastia and shawn were still the two best gymnasts and would have finished 1-2 as they did anyhow. lastly, woga has nothing to do with anything, it's the gymnasts that matter, and if multiple exceptional gymnasts happen to come out of the same gym, then so be it. by your logic hollie vise would have been on the 2004 team, but she wasn't, was she? didn't think so. it is obviously about the gymnasts and not the gyms. |
allusion1987
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... Great! I'm really excited for the Worlds to start now. I'm sooooo excited to see Anton Fokin from Uzbekistan compete. And perhaps, win his favorite event, the parallel bars. GO! Anton! I love you! |
Jessica M
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Martha and WOGA I think Martha prefers WOGA coaches to Chinese and American coaches because they have the same Eastern bloc background she does, and they work very closely with her, and are only a few hours away from her. There is a "rumor" (well it's a true rumor) that she told some juniors to go to WOGA if they want to make the Olympic team. |
Jennifer
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All-Around Bross has way more potential in the world all-around. Keep in mind that WOGA does not let there gymnast peak to early in the season. So at nationals all Bross needed to do was qualify. Sloan's gymnastics is not clean at all and has no where the difficulty as other US or world gymnastics. Don't get me wrong she is good but not good enough to medal in the world or olympic all-around. Ivana's style is appreciated more on the world level as well. |
SickOfMartha
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... I am pretty sure that Martha chose who competed where. Maybe IG can answer that question but I know in the past whoever was in charge of teh Country chose who competed where. No one knows what could have happened in 08 if these otehr gymnasts were as mentally rested as Nastia and Shawn were. After Nationals everyone should have known Memmel and Sacramone were going as long as they didn't get hurt. I don't care what potential Bross has she has not earned the right to compete last no matter how much alleged potential she has. Sloan has entered 4 events this year and won three of them finishing second to Jordyn Wieber at the SCAM cup. Nationals, the two US vs meets from earlier in the year and then the scam cup. I don't understand how anyone can rationalize Bross competing where the scores usually get the highest. She placed third at Nationals. If she was training at any other gym she never would have gotten this spot OVER the NATIONAL Champion |
alexandrite105
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... you're not listening sickofmartha. i did not say martha does not choose who competes where. obviously she does. what i said was that she has no control over the competition draw or order, which, as i said, i am nearly positive is done at random. |
sickofmartha
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... and that point doesn't matter at all and has NOTHING to do with anything. Bridget is the Nationals champ and she should have the last sub division the US competes in PERIOD. The discussion was who deserved to compete last Bridget or Becca and anyone that has followed the sport this year know's it should be Bridget the NATIONAL champ. |
OldGymFan
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... I am saddened at the route gymnastics has taken. Gymnastics meets used to be exciting because they determined who advanced and who did not. Gymnasts essentially chose their future--not anymore. Its a popularity contest. |
Jennifer
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Bross vs Sloan Sloan is like Maloney was. Good in small meets international meets and US meets but not so good in Worlds and Olympics. Form is not there. Skills are not there. Bross style appeals to the judges nternational judges more. That is hwy she will be given the better draw. Martha knows this. She is going to give the U.S the best chance to medal and that is with Bross. We don't know how Sloan has done since Nationals either. Remember it is the best at the time not who won a meet a month and a half ago. |
alexandrite105
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... ok but you were acting as though martha had anything to do with the competition draw and she doesn't. |
Nicki T.
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... You know I don't care about this whole Bross vs. Sloan and who deserves which spot more...all I care is that an American ends up at the top of the podium fair and square. There's no need for heated argument about the draw. |
Cara
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... The draw for which sessions gymnasts compete in is random but Martha can decide who goes in each of the US slots. |
Vicki
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Bross vs Sloan It sounds like session 5 goes late into the night and Sloan has the fine company of Tweddle and Semyonova in session 3 so phs that is the choice session. |
Lauri
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Ksenia Afanasyeva Poor Ksenia Afanasyeva! I wish her only the Best! And I hope that she can win a medal at the Olympics 2012! Good luck for the next time, Ksenia! You`re my favourtie gymnast, EVER!!! You`re so amazing! Best wishes! |
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