World Championships Wrap Up

So here it is! The blog I've been talking about for 2 years now. I'm just going to go ahead and jump in here.

The World Championships: USA was obviously the big winner, with China & Russia right behind.  
The team competition went as everyone expected after seeing how well the newcomers did in Prelims. The big surprise to everyone was Komova's fall (I wasn't surprised, seeing as she looks like she's dying), and the fact that Vega was as fierce as she was. 

The All Around, of course, caused ALL kinds of drama. Here's what I don't get. Everyone on every blog and twitter wanted a really close competition that came down to the last event. Apparently things got too close for comfort because now about 50% of Fans are just endlessly bitching about it. This is the premise of the sport. A bunch of gymnasts get up and perform their routines and then the judges decide which one had the best execution & difficulty based on the code. Isn't that exactly what happened? Yeah, it was by .033 but isn't that the point? Isn't it exciting to see someone win by such a small margin rather than the 6 Points Wieber won by at Championships? 
Anyway, Raisman needs to be acknowledged for her AA Performance. Now, I've never been a big Raisman fan (She sat in front of me at 2009 Classics and made fun of Olivia Courtney), but I'm over it. She made a MAJOR mistake and still placed fourth in the World. She also really stepped it up in TF, becoming the leader when A-Sac was injured. Aly Raisman is now officially Fierce in my book. 

Vault finals were so much fun to watch. Up and comers, chucked Double Fronts and Phan from Vietnam falling in the medals! Oksana & McKayla medaled, which was great. 


There weren't any huge surprises on bars, other than the list of qualifiers. Only one girl qualified from China and she wasn't He Kexin. I was super sad for Douglas, who hit every routine at Worlds EXCEPT for her EF Bars Routine. She was totally capable of medaling but she smacked her legs on the bar, so no medal for her. I wasn't shocked with the bar medals of Komova, Nabieva & Qiushuang. 


Sui Lu is the most wonderful beam worker on earth. Hands down. I was so utterly impressed with her routine; I almost cried. No, I'm not kidding. Komova fell, but this time, I wasn't anticipating it. She looked fairly solid through the rest of her routine. Sui, Yao & Wieber medalled. What kind of world is this where the Russians go 1-2 on Bars and the Chinese go 1-2 on Beam? Weird. 

And then, we come to the hot mess of floor. What the HELL was that? There were 3 replacements, 2 of which were made the day of. Bulimar, Ferrari & Komova all didn't compete. Now, I know that the rules say that a country can replace an athlete for no reason for EF, but I'm still not a fan of this. Would I feel different if Afan wouldn't have won? Probably. But still, how are you going to replace this poor girl you've been running down all competition on the very last event? I do not approve. (Unfortunately, It's not up to me.) Also, am I the only one that HATES Lauren Mitchell's floor? All this hype with a 6.4 and "It's gonna be amazing!" and THAT'S what we get? Ew. I felt like I was watching a lemur flip around on speed. I'm really glad she didn't medal. Finally, HOORAY FOR ALY! I was getting scared for her there. Getting 4th place in the All Around, on Beam and on 2010 Worlds would suck if you never ended up getting a medal. Hello Pavlova. 

Overall, I'm excited for the next year to unfold and to see Bross & Mustafina healthy again and I can't wait for Ross, Grishina and others to be Seniors.