Gymnastics

[theredhead77]

Has anyone been able to identify the brand and style of the backpacks the USA women's team is using?

[ferjy]

23 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

So I'm watching the women's qualifying round now, and I can see why people don't like Wolf turns. They really are aesthetically horrendous. Simone is the only one who can pull them off.

 

22 minutes ago, Daisy said:

they are sooo ugly lol

 

I had to look up Wolf turn. For all you Wolf turn lovers: 😉

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by ferjy

[Chaser]

Simone’s expression when she was hurrying back to the mat after flying off of it was honestly adorable. It was a little ‘whoops, my bad’. 

[kittykat]

27 minutes ago, Daisy said:

I'm going to say - i know this isn't new, but i really hate the 4 person team. Really don't know why they changed it from seven to four

I think it's because it's the All Around team final and many top countries (US included) have put two maybe three strong AA gymnasts and pad the rest of the team with specialists to bump scores where with the the new four person team you have to have at least three gymnasts who can reliably hit all four per competition criteria.  The US team for the last four Olympics has had at least one person who only did one event, usually bars or vault.

I do think a four person team is a little too sparse, especially for the six event men.  If anything I would have kept the five person team but had a two apparatus minimum per team member requirement.  That way one isn't doing the heavy lifting and the designated specialist also has to do another thing very well.

[Lilac2000]

45 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

So I'm watching the women's qualifying round now, and I can see why people don't like Wolf turns. They really are aesthetically horrendous. Simone is the only one who can pull them off.

Is that the spin close to the ground? Is it a required element? It's stupid. No one looks good and it takes away from the routine. 

I think on the beam it looks ok but on the floor...just no.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Lilac2000

[tanyak]

12 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Has anyone been able to identify the brand and style of the backpacks the USA women's team is using?

I’d like to know, too!

I don’t follow gymnastics as closely as I used to, but it seems like the Wolf turn has just come out of nowhere. I can’t tell — has it replaced an element that people used to do more or is it just an additional element? 

[Lady Whistleup]

1 minute ago, tanyak said:

I’d like to know, too!

I don’t follow gymnastics as closely as I used to, but it seems like the Wolf turn has just come out of nowhere. I can’t tell — has it replaced an element that people used to do more or is it just an additional element? 

The wolf turn was actually a favorite move of Ludmila Tourischeva:

 

 

[ancslove]

The tumbling pass Simone did where she flew off the mat was really, really gorgeous!  I do wonder though that her training hasn't really seemed to tackle reining in that power and cleaning up her landings.  I know with her difficulty level and overall execution, she doesn't really need to, in order to score high.  But it's her one consistent weakness.

That said, she does seem a little subdued or sullen here.  (Sullen might not be the right word, since obviously I don't know her inner thoughts!)  

[Conotocarious]

Simone overrotated her landing significantly. She doesn’t usually have a problem on that pass.

[Irlandesa]

46 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Jesus NBC put a trigger warning before that Simone piece on Larry Nasser. 

I am pretty sure they did say Hoda interviewed her about gymnastics and being a survivor of sexual assault.

[ferjy]

39 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

The wolf turn was actually a favorite move of Ludmila Tourischeva:

 

 

She's so fluid. I don't know whether it's because of her skill or whether the routines were different back then, but it's beautiful.

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by ferjy

[Dots And Stripes]

I'm really surprised they didn't show Jordan on bars. 

[Lady Whistleup]

25 minutes ago, ferjy said:

She's so fluid. I don't know whether it's because of her skill or whether the routines were different back then, but it's beautiful.

 

Ludmila was famous for her low-beam work. She designed a compulsory exercises that required a lot of low beam work and many of the best gymnasts struggled with making it look as easy as she did.

[ancslove]

Did NBC Primetime show Jordan's and MyKayla' bars and beam routines?

[Conotocarious]

No. I don’t think they showed Grace either.

[Bewitched]

So after watching the abridged NBC coverage, my initial reactions are that Jade far exceeded my expectations.  I also noticed that she wore no makeup.  That isn't a positive or a negative, just an observation.  I was impressed with her focus.   

OTOH, Simone almost came across as flippant.  Whether it was just because she knew she could rely on her start values or she doesn't know how to handle the mistakes, it just seemed like something was off.

[ancslove]

Simone's makeup was also very toned down - I think she only had a bit of gold/bronze inner eye corner going on.  I loved Jade's and Simone's makeup at Trials.  They'll probably go flashier for Finals.

I'll have to catch up on the rest of Team USA (I completely forgot about Grace, about halfway through the competition) and some of the other countries' gymnastics online.  But at least NBC gave a nice tribute to Uzbekistan's Oksana.

I noticed during Trials that Simone seemed to have a hard time moving on from her fall on Beam.  And today she definitely seemed upset, going into each event.  It makes me wonder if maybe she's always been so on top, that she's never really had to deal with competitive disappointment before?  (Or at least, not since 2013.)  But it's also a huge amount of pressure to basically know that the USA's supreme dominance in the sport is literally all because of her.

[DawnDavenport]

28 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Ludmila was famous for her low-beam work. She designed a compulsory exercises that required a lot of low beam work and many of the best gymnasts struggled with making it look as easy as she did.

Oh yes! The infamous 1996 compulsory beam! That thing was an absolute beast and ate everyone alive in Atlanta! I believe Shannon Miller had the highest score of 9.737. Other than a 9.7 from Lilia Pod. and a few 9.6's, everyone else scored around 9.5 or lower! 

It was insane: the shoulder roll (which I believe was a D element back then), fouette jump-split handstand-180 handstand turn, split handstand, the cartwheel right out of releve, etc.

I guess she thought since it was the last compulsory routine, might as well go out with a bang.

Edited July 26, 2021 by DawnDavenport

[Jeddah]

I want to know how they all decided to go with one braid across their head and a messy bun.

[cesstar]

Well that was an exciting qualifications! Being in the same time zone I even got to watch most of it live which never happens.

Surprised that Russian qualified first but they really did have a fabulous day with their top three hitting absolutely everything. I feel bad for Listunova who was the one 2-pc out, they were all sooo close to each other's scores! It will be interesting to see if they can replicate this performance again in finals - I really hope they do because a close team final would be a lot of fun to watch.

Some nerves perhaps for the US team but I can't see them making the same number of mistakes in the actual final, especially Simone who is just so experienced. And even with some of her mistakes she still made all the finals. Jade was fantastic, she really stepped up when it mattered most and I was very happy for her making two finals. Suni also did exactly what she is there for, her uneven bars are excellent and her poise and calmness on beam was just what the US needed after a nervous set from Grace and poor Jordan. 

Other highlights - the Gadirova twins were fabulous and I just love their charisma and sky-high tumbling. Rebecca Andrade!!! What a comeback for her, I would absolutely love her to medal in the all-round, she has been through so much. Guan ChenChen on beam, phenomenal, can she please repeat it in event finals because that routine deserves a gold medal.

Relieved that Japan made the team final in their home country, so much pressure on those girls. Mai wiping away Yuna Hiraiwa's tears after UB almost broke me.

[ShellsandCheese]

I hate wolf turns! Hate hate hate them. And I love Simone Biles but the judges give her so many breaks when she has mistakes and I get start value and difficulty, blah blah blah. But I think it’s time for an overhaul of the scoring system (again). 

And I know I’m supposed to hate Russia but my favorite gymnasts have always been Russian with a few Ukrainians. I would be okay with ROC winning the team gold - the Americans have been overlying on Simone Biles and benefitting form her dominance for the last 7-8 years.

Edited July 26, 2021 by ShellsandCheese

[BlackberryJam]

Just me or did Simone have serious circles under her eyes? That's where she seems to show her nerves and stress.

Just like with figure skating, if you are doing quads and get messy, you're still going to score better than a clean double. 

Like trials I think Simone had too much power this first night.

[Jeddah]

I didn’t see Sanne Wevers. Did she fall? I’m sad she won’t be there to defend her title

[BitterApple]

48 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Just me or did Simone have serious circles under her eyes? That's where she seems to show her nerves and stress.

I thought she looked tired as well.

[Lady Whistleup]

Simone looked a bit over it. Even in the interview with Andrea Joyce where they showed her family she seemed tired more than anything else.

[KittenPokerCheater]

If the USA women don’t win gold in the team final, I’m afraid that the Karolyis will be cackling like old crones and there will be some people who will  out for their return to “save” USA gymnastics. 

Go USA men!  I hope they have a good competition.  It would be lovely to see them take home a medal of some kind.   I am happy that I will get to see more routines from other countries in the team final. 

[choclatechip45]

27 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

If the USA women don’t win gold in the team final, I’m afraid that the Karolyis will be cackling like old crones and there will be some people who will  out for their return to “save” USA gymnastics. 

Go USA men!  I hope they have a good competition.  It would be lovely to see them take home a medal of some kind.   I am happy that I will get to see more routines from other countries in the team final. 

It's gross people on twitter already are starting to praise the Karolyis and stuff. 

This is shaping up like Bejing (but hopefully with better results for the women) that the men have no pressure and might do well they might not while women are stressed. 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by choclatechip45

[CeeBeeGee]

10 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

So glad that Simone’s classy’s Twitter message to Mykayla proves she’s head and shoulders over most people commenting on gymnastics message boards.

Thank you.

9 hours ago, Dots And Stripes said:

She has. This was covered in Golden, the Peacock documentary following her and a few other gymnasts trying to make it to the Olympics. It's worth a watch.

MyKayla is not my favorite. I don't blame anyone for not liking her or things she has said or done. That said, her teammates seem to like her which speaks volumes more than stupidly liking some tweets. Again, it's fine if people aren't fans (I'm not really) but some of the glee at her pain feels unnecessary.

Seriously, it's gross.

3 hours ago, Daisy said:

I'm going to say - i know this isn't new, but i really hate the 4 person team. Really don't know why they changed it from seven to four

Because Bruno Grandi hates gymnastics and wants to destroy the sport. Seriously, every decision he made as the head of FIG was horribly detrimental to the sport.

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

What the hell is Nastia Luken (spelling?) wearing?    It looks like orange garbage bags.  

AUUUUGH. She is so naturally pretty. WHYYYYYYYYY is she wearing these tacky, extra, terrible outfits? I'm embarrassed for her. She seems desperate for attention and Nastia, you're fucking gymnastics royalty. Why are you uglifying yourself like this? Go back to those cute polos! You looked great, professional and like an athlete in those! Stop with the tacky outfits!

[Daisy]

1 hour ago, ShellsandCheese said:

I hate wolf turns! Hate hate hate them. And I love Simone Biles but the judges give her so many breaks when she has mistakes and I get start value and difficulty, blah blah blah. But I think it’s time for an overhaul of the scoring system (again). 

And I know I’m supposed to hate Russia but my favorite gymnasts have always been Russian with a few Ukrainians. I would be okay with ROC winning the team gold - the Americans have been overlying on Simone Biles and benefitting form her dominance for the last 7-8 years.

I agree with you, Like I understand why they changed the system (sort of even though after all this time, I still don't understand it) - but i honestly believe it just rewards ugly gymnastics and you just see all these mistakes (step outs, huge jumps forwards/to the side) since they wanna focus on the tricks/power etc. which is fair but i think you should still be fluid etc. It should matter if you make a huge mistake. It should matter if you make a tiny mistake. Like the argument was before in the 90s etc  we could watch at home and see someone be awesome and not understand why they didn't score well. Well I think now it's the reverse, you watch at home, see someone screw up and you're puzzled on how they scored so well. 

6 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Because Bruno Grandi hates gymnastics and wants to destroy the sport. Seriously, every decision he made as the head of FIG was horribly detrimental to the sport.

Then I hate him on principle. 

6 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

AUUUUGH. She is so naturally pretty. WHYYYYYYYYY is she wearing these tacky, extra, terrible outfits? I'm embarrassed for her. She seems desperate for attention and Nastia, you're fucking gymnastics royalty. Why are you uglifying yourself like this? Go back to those cute polos! You looked great, professional and like an athlete in those! Stop with the tacky outfits!

i agree. I don't get why she's so much she needs to tone it down and just... i dunno dress like a colour commentator lol

[ShellsandCheese]

9 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Because Bruno Grandi hates gymnastics and wants to destroy the sport. Seriously, every decision he made as the head of FIG was horribly detrimental to the sport.

Yeah. I hate a lot of the changes. I wish they would go back to at least a six person team. I also wish they would just admit and acknowledge that there are a handful of countries that are head and shoulders above the rest of the world.  Those athletes shouldn’t be punished for being from one of those countries - go back to allowing up to three from each country in the individual all around and I don’t think there should be any caps in the event finals. I want to see the best people competing, not the sort of kind of best. 

And I know this will never happen, but just like figures in figure skating - gymnastics would benefit from bringing back compulsories and harsher penalties for big mistakes. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by ShellsandCheese

[Daisy]

1 minute ago, ShellsandCheese said:

Yeah. I hate a lot of the changes. I wish they would go back to at least a six person team. I also wish they would just admit and acknowledge that there are a handful of countries that are head and shoulders above the rest of the world.  Those athletes shouldn’t be punished for being from one of those countries - go back to allowing up to three from each country in the individual all around and I don’t think there should be any caps in the event finals. I want to see the best people competing, not the best two from each country. 

I don't mind the caps - allowing other nations to compete helps grow the sport (and is contingent on funding etc for some countries). I want to see the best people as well- but i think that is a firm compromise. Like I'd want gymnastics (even with the USA/China/ROC Powerhouse) to reach a point where you can watch a team final and have no clue who'd win (same with AA/Event Finals) not "well here's all USA/etc since we have no cap." 

4 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

And I know this will never happen, but just like figures in figure skating - gymnastics would benefit from bringing back compulsories and harsher penalties for big mistakes. 

OMG YES. I've been screaming for this forever. 

[Lady Whistleup]

I think the Karolyis are absolutely horrible people and I'm glad their reign of terror is over. I do think though that there might be sort of a gap between the old-school gymnasts (Simone, Mykayla) who experienced those horrific camps and Larry Nasser and the newer gymnasts who didn't. I actually wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't sort of triggering for Simone and Mykayla to be abroad in Tokyo with a group of girls who didn't experience LN and MK and if there wasn't anger/tension.

[LexieLily]

11 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

I also wish they would just admit and acknowledge that there are a handful of countries that are head and shoulders above the rest of the world.  Those athletes shouldn’t be punished for being from one of those countries - go back to allowing up to three from each country in the individual all around and I don’t think there should be any caps in the event finals. I want to see the best people competing, not the best two from each country. 

To me the two-per-country cap just seems like an Olympic-shaped, higher stakes version of the participation trophies you get at school or in team sports. Every athlete that makes it to the Olympics is better at their chosen sport than 99.9% of the world, but if the United States or China or whatever country happens to have the three highest scores so be it.

It's the same as how Simone Biles is capped out at a certain level of difficulty points because she's doing tricks that no one else in the world can do. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by LexieLily

[CeeBeeGee]

2 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

Yeah. I hate a lot of the changes. I wish they would go back to at least a six person team. I also wish they would just admit and acknowledge that there are a handful of countries that are head and shoulders above the rest of the world.  Those athletes shouldn’t be punished for being from one of those countries - go back to allowing up to three from each country in the individual all around and I don’t think there should be any caps in the event finals. I want to see the best people competing, not the best two from each country. 

Yes! Thank you! I am an old and I remember Sydney--I wasn't a gymnast nor a coach or in the world but I was online and absolutely no one that I can recall reacted to Romania's AA sweep by complaining about how unfair it was. It was all "welp, guess we have to get better then." All of these gatekeeping measures Grandi introduced smack of participation trophies. I'm still angry about Jordyn Wieber--the reigning AA World champion--getting two-pered out after finishing fourth--FOURTH--in quals in London. Not twelfth. Fourth. And because of a stupid tie-break rule, the no. 5 qualifier lucks into a bronze AA medal. I love Aliya's gymnastics, don't get me wrong, but these shitty rules just get in the way of the best being recognized as such.

Bring back a six person team! Better yet, a seven person team!

[Daisy]

9 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Yes! Thank you! I am an old and I remember Sydney--I wasn't a gymnast nor a coach or in the world but I was online and absolutely no one that I can recall reacted to Romania's AA sweep by complaining about how unfair it was. It was all "welp, guess we have to get better then." All of these gatekeeping measures Grandi introduced smack of participation trophies. I'm still angry about Jordyn Wieber--the reigning AA World champion--getting two-pered out after finishing fourth--FOURTH--in quals in London. Not twelfth. Fourth. And because of a stupid tie-break rule, the no. 5 qualifier lucks into a bronze AA medal. I love Aliya's gymnastics, don't get me wrong, but these shitty rules just get in the way of the best being recognized as such.

Bring back a six person team! Better yet, a seven person team!

 

well again a lot of sports have the "Participation trophy" ranking/limitation too. You do have to grow the sport (and some countries have their funding completely tied in by either making the Olympics or placing well). It's one thing to say "Well do better," but you can't do better if you don't make the Olympics or you finished out of the top 24 because the three best countries in the world can allow their entire team to be in the AA/Finals.  (and then again, I think you can miss out on "Olympic Moments" where you simply get a chance - then have the performance/meet of your life and win a medal or something. 

Going back to 3 wouldn't be bad (and no, no one complained when it was 3 Romanians, or in the past the Russian grip on the podium) and I do think the talent is varied enough that it wouldn't be a sweep all the time (and special if it were). 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Daisy

[choclatechip45]

24 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I think the Karolyis are absolutely horrible people and I'm glad their reign of terror is over. I do think though that there might be sort of a gap between the old-school gymnasts (Simone, Mykayla) who experienced those horrific camps and Larry Nasser and the newer gymnasts who didn't. I actually wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't sort of triggering for Simone and Mykayla to be abroad in Tokyo with a group of girls who didn't experience LN and MK and if there wasn't anger/tension.

Jordan Chiles was a top junior under Martha. She was definitely attending camps with the seniors during that era. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by choclatechip45

[CeeBeeGee]

2 minutes ago, Daisy said:

 

well again a lot of sports have the "Participation trophy" ranking/limitation too. You do have to grow the sport (and some countries have their funding completely tied in by either making the Olympics or placing well). It's one thing to say "Well do better," but you can't do better if you don't make the Olympics or you finished out of the top 24 because the three best countries in the world can allow their entire team to be in the AA/Finals.  (and then again, I think you can miss out on "Olympic Moments" where you simply get a chance - then have the performance/meet of your life and win a medal or something. 

Going back to 3 wouldn't be bad (and no, no one complained when it was 3 Romanians, or in the past the Russian grip on the podium) and I do think the talent is varied enough that it wouldn't be a sweep all the time (and special if it were). 

I'm not suggesting a free for all. And one of my favorite event finals was the vault EF at Worlds 2011, because so many of the finalists were from non-powerhouses. I still remember the look of joy on the Vietnamese bronze medalist--she was thrilled enough to make the final but to medal...she was incandescent. It was wonderful. 

I'm just saying--when the reigning World AA champion finishes fourth in quals and isn't allowed to continue to the final, something needs to change. They need to strike a balance between honest competition and a hand up to the countries that don't have the background that the Big Three (Would be the Big Four but sadly Romania is not what they were. We're lighting a torch for you guys! Please recover!) do.

[Daisy]

I clearly missed something regarding the Karoliyis
(what is it that i missed?)

[DawnDavenport]

14 hours ago, Daisy said:

I clearly missed something regarding the Karoliyis
(what is it that i missed?)

They are and have always been horrible monsters that were only held accountable but were still able to claim "we had no idea this was happening in our gym!" Their apology tour was sickening.

The alarm bells were there for years and not until Nassar were they held remotely "accountable" and still skated by without hardly any harm.

Remember Martha has nothing to do with Biles' successes in Rio. Aimee Boorman put her foot down and said she and Simone were going to decide her training, not Martha. 

Every gymnast they touched showed up to an Olympics injured or recovering from injury:

Nadia was recovering from injuries in '76 and they forced her to lose weight for '80 by giving her diuretics

Retton was barely recovered from knee surgery in '84

Durham was injured and didn't even make it to LA

Zmeskal showed up to Barcelona with wrist and ankle stress fractures from over training

Moceanu had a stress fracture in her tibia from over training at '96 Nationals

Nastia suffered her ankle injury in '07 at camp because Valeri was pressured to have her do "just one more repitition" to prove she was ready. It almost ended her career.

All of these injuries were exacerbated by poor nutrition and over training. I also understand that the camp didn't have landing pits until after 2008, well after most gyms had them, and so gymnasts were always training on hard surfaces.

Edited July 26, 2021 by DawnDavenport

[kittykat]

I understand the reasoning for country caps. But for individual AA I think the top twelve should be in no matter how many from the same country.  If 3 or 4  Russians/Americans/Chinese/etc make the top 12, you're in.  If not, then the max rule kicks in.  No one questions a podium sweep because guess what, THEY'RE THAT GOOD!  

And it wasn't just Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas in 2016 finished THIRD in qualifying...behind Simone and Aly.  

Regarding the Karolyis, they've ruled their teams with an iron fist and have abused and starved gymnasts. Also they knew about Nassar and turned a blind eye.  But hey, they win medals!  Garbage. Both of them.

[ShellsandCheese]

4 minutes ago, Daisy said:

I clearly missed something regarding the Karoliyis
(what is it that i missed?)

Generally abusive and horrible people. But they ruled USA Gymnastics after the American team beat Russia in Atlanta in 1996. This was allowed even though subsequent teams continued to place 2nd and 3rd to the Romanians, Russians, and Chinese and they didn’t win team Gold again until 2012. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by ShellsandCheese

[Daisy]

1 minute ago, DawnDavenport said:

They are and have always been horrible monsters that were only held accountable but were still able to claim "we had no idea this was happening in our gym/camp, it's not our fault!"

 

1 minute ago, kittykat said:

Regarding the Karolyis, they've ruled their teams with an iron fist and have abused and starved gymnasts. Also they knew about Nassar and turned a blind eye.  But hey, they win medals!  Garbage. Both of them.

Oh the coach who was sexually abusing the gynmasts :( that's horrible and disgusting. I didn't realize they were starving and abusing them too. Thanks for letting me know (and popping my "You Can Dooo itt!!!" bubble. 

 

 

[DawnDavenport]

5 minutes ago, Daisy said:

 

Oh the coach who was sexually abusing the gynmasts :( that's horrible and disgusting. I didn't realize they were starving and abusing them too. Thanks for letting me know (and popping my "You Can Dooo itt!!!" bubble. 

 

 

It's even worse, Nassar wasn't a coach, he was the team doctor and played good cop to the coaches bad cop to gain the gymnasts (and coaches) trust. It was so sickening and insidious.

He was part of the medical staff at least going back to '96. He is part of the team helping Kerry Strug off the podium in Atlanta.

Edited July 26, 2021 by DawnDavenport

[Lady Whistleup]

It's gross that Marta never apologized for LN. I feel like to be halfway human you'd feel horrible that a guy abused so many girls under your watch. The Karolyis really are sociopaths.

[DawnDavenport]

11 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

It's gross that Marta never apologized for LN. I feel like to be halfway human you'd feel horrible that a guy abused so many girls under your watch. The Karolyis really are sociopaths.

Hopefully she's relegated to changing addle brained Bela's diapers for the rest of her life. There's nothing that could happen to them that they don't deserve. They destroyed so many lives and perpetuated so many negative coaching behaviors that are still in practice today that will take years to get rid of (see Kim Zemskal's gym issues: injuries, mistreatment, overtraining, etc.). 

I also have serious issues with any member of the '96 team that didn't listen to or back up Moceanu when she started speaking out years before the Nassar issue broke. Including "Ms. Christian Mom" Mary Lou Retton who lobbied (unsuccessfully) the US Congress from passing a bill that protects athletes. She is and always has been trash.

Edited July 26, 2021 by DawnDavenport

[CheshireCat]

3 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I didn’t see Sanne Wevers. Did she fall? I’m sad she won’t be there to defend her title

Sounds like she was simply outscored. https://www.intlgymnast.com/main/tokyo-olympics-womens-qualifications-flash-quotes/ (You have to scroll down a little to find the section about her/quotes from her).

[SnarkShark]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I am pretty sure they did say Hoda interviewed her about gymnastics and being a survivor of sexual assault.

Okay, I've gotta go seek that out, since I imagine Hoda made a real hash of it, and that's got me curious. 

[Dr.OO7]

I hope they can get it together for Tuesday. Luckily, we're only a point behind.

[Cherpumple]

I watched all the women's qualifications, and I just want to say that I love the uniforms that the German team has recently adopted (they have full leg coverage down to the ankle). The design was very nice, and the aesthetic of having a single color from the waist to the ankle gave the gymnasts clean, elegant lines. This is definitely a fashion trend I can get behind!

[LexieLily]

There's not a thread for general Olympics questions but I thought the age minimum for the Olympics was that you had to be thirteen. (Which I think is way too young, but that's neither here nor there.) So what's up with Hend Zaza, a twelve year old from Syria in table tennis/ping pong?