I'm too sleepy to write anything sensible.
Here are links to the results of the Individual comeptitions.
Ryuzo Sejima (Senior; Rakunan H.S.), who had replaced Chihiro Yoshioka (Senior; Seifu H.S.), took the 2nd place with a score of 88.300, while Sho Yokoyama (Junior; Seifu H.S.) came in 5th (86.450) in the Senior Competition. In the Junior Competition, the Japanese young gymnasts did great, too. Congratulations!
I've just watched Uchimura doing "Ri Jong-Song" BEAUTIFULLY on the floor in Asahi TV's Hodo Station. I think it was taken during the warm-up time before the Nationals in November. (Tomita also appeared in the same program. He was talking about Uchi's sense of positioning in the air.)
Wow! What an amazing skill it is! I can't wait for the next season!!
The 2010 season starts with the 64th National Championships for Individual (Worlds Secondary Trials), which will take place at Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo from May 8 to 9 (JGA Calender).
Before that, several top gymnasts are going to compete abroad.
According to JGA's official blog, international competitions their gymnasts are going to enter are as follows (FIG Calender):
International Gymnix (World Cup B) (Montreal, Canada; March 4-7):
To be announced.
Tyson American Cup (Worcester (MA), the US; March 6):
Koji Yamamuro (MAG), Yuko Shintake (WAG)
34th Turnier der Meister (World Cup B) (Cottbus, Germany; March 12-14):
Yosuke Hoshi, Koki Sakamoto, Takuya Niijima Yay!!!
Doha World Cup (World Cup A) (Doha, Qatar; March 22-24):
Kazuhito Tanaka, Hisashi Mizutori, Kazuki Machida
17th Internationeaux du France (World Cup A) (Paris, France; April 9-10):
Kohei Uchimura, Takuya Nakase
Hoshi, Gumba!!!
(I'm getting annoying . . .)
Makoto Okiguchi's name was suddenly dropped from the list for Cottbus. Why?
(from here)
This is the best photo of this year (to me.)
Here is a link to the official site of Valeri Liukin Invitational (WOGA). You can find some other photos of the rest of his (or her?) routines as well as those of humans.
And here is a link to the results. Takuto Kakitani (Senior; Rakunan H.S.) came in third in the individual. In the team competition, Japanese Jr. team came in second. Congratulations!
I really like this photo, too.
N. Liukin and Bhavsar.
They are beautiful people, aren't they? Very attractive.
They are American, at the same time they are not American.
That's what the greatness of America is about, I think.
Have you seen all of those photos posted on MAG's official blog?
It seemed this competition was chockablock with the chocolate snack in question.
I'll call this phenomenon "The Curse of Black Thunder" (or rather The Curse of Uchimura?)
I've no idea though who was cursed or what kind of curse it was apart from making people addicted to this snack.
I'm only worried about the diet habits of the Japanese gymnasts.
This is the "Black Thunder."
It's not so shockingly delicious, but it's extremely cheap.
I'm so happy that both Eiichi Sekiguchi and Takuya Nakase stood on the top of the podium this time because they really deserve it. They couldn't show what they could do at the Worlds, but, except that, both of them have been so great throughout this season. Overall, this year's Worlds was for event specialists (and Uchi), while their specialities are all-around and team. I'm already looking forward to their performance at the Nationals next spring.
By the way, I found Tomita in one some of those photos (wow, they keep posting tons of photos. What happened to them?).
Did you?
It's like an easier version of "Where's Waldo?"
Voronin Cup will take place tomorrow. I believe Ryuzo Sejima (Rakunan H.S. ) and Sho Yokoyama (Seifu H.S.) are going to make a senior debut in this competition. Good Luck!!!
From here.
VT
1 Sekiguchi, Eiichi (JPN) 16.325 Congrats, Sekiguchi!
2 Okiguchi, Makoto (JPN) 16.100
3 Lyszczarz, Marek (POL) 15.787
4 Fahrig, Matthias (GER) 15.512
5 Ikeda, Ken (CAN) 15.012
6 Ignatyev, Nikita (RUS) 14.712
7 Gentry, Timothy (USA) 6.762
*** Buscaglia, Alexander (USA) ---
PB
1 Wang, Guanyin (CHN) 16.225 Wow! He's unbeatable!
2 Tanaka, Kazuhito (JPN) 15.675
3 Kierzkowski, Adam (POL) 15.225
4 Yoo, Won Chul (KOR) 15.100
5 Nakase, Takuya (JPN) 14.900
6 Ignatyev, Nikita (RUS) 14.400
7 Nguyen, Marcel (GER) 14.325
8 Hulboj, Kamil (POL) 13.600
9 Fahrig, Matthias (GER) 13.275
10 Buscaglia, Alexander (USA) 12.575
11 Ikeda, Ken (CAN) 12.550
HB
1 Nakase, Takuya (JPN) 15.775 Congrats, Nakase!
2 Uchimura, Kohei (JPN) 14.425
3 Rizzo, Philippe (AUS) 14.400
4 Ingatyev, Nikita (RUS) 14.225
5 Krimmer, Sebastian (GER) 14.125
6 Ikeda, Ken (CAN) 14.075
7 Buscaglia, Alexander (USA) 13.775
8 Yoo, Won Chul (KOR) 13.275
9 Nguyen, Marcel (GER) 11.525
I've just watched Uchimura's high-bar routine on TV.
He couldn't connect Adler full to Yamawaki, a new combination he added after Worlds. He also had a fall at tucked Kovacs and a hop on the dismount.
He's been trying a new routine whose difficulty is no less than 0.3 higher than the one at Worlds. So it's no wonder he's been a little bit struggling on this event recently. But, don't you think he's driving himself too hard? As a fan, I'm a bit worried about that. Reportedly, he has a pain in his leg.
The season is finally over. I hope he will now have a well-earned rest.
Otsukaresama!
From here.
BB
1 Shintake, Yuko (JPN) 14.125
2 Deng, Linlin (CHN) 13.900
3 Kuratova, Ekaterina (RUS) 13.875
3 Tsurumi, Koko (JPN) 13.875
5 Semenova, Ksenia (RUS) 13.850
6 Hunter, Kytra (USA) 13.825
7 Pihan-Kulesza, Marta (POL) 13.675
8 Roll, Maike (GER) 13.500
9 Seitz, Elizabeth (GER) 13.175
10 Jurokowska, Katarzyna (POL) 13.075
11 Jo, Hyun Joo (KOR) 12.725
12 Caquatto, Mackenzie (USA) 12.275
13 Nurbaeti, Nefy (INA) 8.975
FX
1 Oshima, Kyoko (JPN) 14.275
2 Tsurumi, Koko (JPN) 14.200
3 Hunter, Kytra (USA) 14.150
4 Pihan-Kulesza, Marta (POL) 13.850
5 Kurbatova, Ekaterina (RUS) 13.575
6 Seitz, Elizabeth (GER) 13.550
7 Semenova, Ksenia (RUS) 13.475
8 Jurkowska, Katarzyna (POL) 13.075
9 Roll, Maike (GER) 13.025
10 Jo, Hyun Joo (KOR) 12.650
11 Caquatto, Mackenzie (USA) 12.100
*** Nurbaeti, Nefy (INA) ---
Just scores (from here).
FX
1 Uchimura, Kohei (JPN) 15.600
2 Fahrig, Matthias (GER) 15.325
3 Okiguchi, Makoto (JPN) 15.250
4 Nguyen, Marcel (GER) 14.700
5 Ignatyev, Nikita (RUS) 14.650
6 Gentry, Timothy (USA) 13.150
7 Buscaglia, Alexander (USA) 13.000
PH
1 Zhang, Hongtao (CHN) 16.250
2 Sellathurai, Prashanth (AUS) 15.900
3 Berki, Kristian (HUN) 15.400
4 Krimmer, Sebastian (GER) 14.850
5 I keda, Ken (CAN) 14.550
6 Hulboj, Kamil (POL) 14.050
7 Uchimura, Kohei (JPN) 13.775
8 Yoo, Won Chul (KOR) 12.575
9 Ignatyev, Nikita (RUS) 12.550
10 Farig, Matthias (GER) 12.125
11 Sakamoto, Koki (JPN) 11.300
SR
1 Yan, Mingyong (CHN) 15.900
2 Pluzhnikov, Konstantin (RUS) 15.525
3 Yoo, Won Chul (KOR) 15.375
4 Tanaka, Kazuhito (JPN) 15.300
5 Sakamoto, Koki (JPN) 15.050
6 Nguyen, Marcel (GER) 15.000
7 Ignatyev, Nikita (RUS) 14.725
8 Gentry, Timothy (USA) 14.150
9 Fahrig, Matthias (GER) 13.975
You can find some funny photos of the super-relaxed Japanese guys before and after the meet in MAG's official blog.
What some of them are eating is Black Thunder. . . lol. Read Uchimura's comment. It seems he's willing to be a bit toady to get the chocolate for free. So funny.
For the Japanese guys, tomorrow will be the last day of this looong season.
I wish no one will get hurt.
Good Luck!
I didn't go to the meet, so just scores (here).
VT
1 Kurbatova, Ekaterina (RUS) 14.012
2 Jo, Hyun Joo (KOR) 13.750
3 Jurkowska, Katarzyna (POL) 13.162
4 Oshima, Kyoko (JPN) 12.525
UB
1 Tsurumi, Koko (JPN) 15.100
2 Caquatto, Mackenzie (USA) 14.675
3 Miller, Larrissa (AUS) 14.650
4 Kurbatova, Ekaterina (RUS) 14.625
5 Semenova, Ksenia (RUS) 14.300
6 Pihan-Kulesza, Marta (POL) 14.200
7 Roll, Maike (GER) 14.150
8 Seitz, Elizabeth (GER) 14.100
9 Hunter,Kytra (USA) 14.050
10 Minobe, Yu (JPN) 14.000
11 Jurkowska, Katarzyna (POL) 12.175
12 Jo, Hyun Joo (KOR) 11.450
*** Nurbaety, Nefy (INA) ---
