Jonathan Horton represents the U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team's last chance for another medal. On the last day of competition in the Event Finals, Horton will do his thing on the high bar. He plans to add some difficulty to his routine to increase his chances against his fellow high bar competitors. Coming on the heels of Sasha Artemev's disappointing seventh place finish on pommel horse, Horton would love to [...more]
The new Olympic bronze medal holder spoke to the Fighting Illini the other day about his future plans. Back when he first made the Olympic team, visibly shocked would be the best way to describe his facial expression. But he has turned in some great Olympic gymnastics, especially high bar, and he was pumped and […] [...more]
Tonight is the big night for Sasha Artemev, who will compete in the Men's Olympic Gymnastics Event Finals for Team USA. Ten days ago, Sasha was an alternate, doing his part with David Durante, working out in case their services were needed. Lo and behold, Sasha's number was called after Morgan Hamm unfortunately called it quits. Artemev had no time for any anxieties, stepped forward, and delivered. He not only qualified for the All-Around Finals, he also qualified for the Event Finals on his best event, pommel horse. In both the Team Finals and All-Around Finals, he posted the second highest scores on the horse. Ironically, it was his [...more]
During the Olympic Team Finals and All-Around Finals, gymnastics fans from all over the world have been burning up keyboards discussing the new scoring rules and how the judges have applied them. To most concerned, another tweaking of the system seems imminent. Originally, the change was meant to improve judging by separating the difficulty of the chosen routine from the gymnast's execution of it. Theoretically, this would make scoring more transparent for all, as previously the old perfect 10 scoring was [...more]
Yes, social scientists (with or without your tax dollars?) at Clemson University have been working hard to determine which sports get the most prime time coverage. Shocker results are now in. Gymnastics, beach volleyball, and swimming top the evening’s prime coverage on NBC so far, says the Boston Globe. Next week, perhaps those short shorts-clad […] [...more]
Kohei Uchimura, 19, of Japan, hoped for a medal in the Olympic All-Around competition, but was surprised when he actually did win silver. After tumbling from the pommel horse twice, he may have felt nothing could have made up his score deficit. Yet his high bar routine was beautiful to watch, and he really is […] [...more]
It was a weird night of gymnastics, chock full of untimely falls and miscues. In the end, China's Yang Wei ran away with gold, turning in a yeoman-like performance. He posted a 94.575 to demolish the field. The only other human being on the planet who could have contended with a score that high is Paul Hamm. Yang Wei never had to worry about collecting [...more]
Just a few thoughts before the Men's All-Around Finals. As Jonathan Horton predicted to his Mom, just before departing for Beijing, "I'm going to win an All-Around medal." You know what? It wouldn't be a surprise if he does. Horton has been red-hot since the Trials. His tendency [...more]
StickItMedia extends well-deserved props to the American women for their silver medal performance tonight in the women’s Team Finals. The Chinese team turned in a powerful performance to win the long anticipated Olympic showdown between the world’s top two women’s teams. Romania captured the bronze, while Russia finished in fourth place. We wish Team USA […] [...more]
The Men's All-Around Finals are shaping up to be every bit as exciting as the Team Finals, although China's Yang Wei will enter the competition as the prohibitive favorite. Jonathan Horton's big-time performance in last night's Team Finals is setting him up to be a [...more]
