Gymternet Weekly: Larisa Iordache punches ticket to Tokyo, Nikita Nagornyy’s triple pike, the Jade Carey saga continues (April 19 – 25, 2021)
It’s never a dull week around the gymternet! Here’s our weekly roundup of news, videos, and more from your favorite gymnasts!
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Top headlines from this post
– 2021 European Championships recap
Did she? Didn’t she? The gymternet seemed to collectively panic and then breathe a sigh of relief when it was announced Wednesday that Romania’s Larisa Iordache had earned an individual Olympic berth after her performance during qualifying at the 2021 European Championships. Meanwhile, Russia’s Nikita Nagornyy dominated the men’s competition with his groundbreaking triple pike.
– The Jade Carey saga continues
Ever since Team USA’s Jade Carey opted to pursue an individual Olympic berth back in 2018, and subsequently (and unsurprisingly) clinched it last year, there has been controversy and a lack of clarity surrounding the situation, specifically: could Carey give up her individual berth and pursue a team spot instead? And how would that impact the U.S. women? With less than three months to Tokyo, we’re starting to get some answers.
– U.S. gymnastics docuseries added to Peacock Olympic programming
Peacock has added a new gymnastics docuseries to its countdown to Tokyo programming called, ‘Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts’ and is set to follow five gymnasts as they compete for four spots on the U.S. women’s Olympic team.
2021 European Championships recap: Larisa Iordache punches ticket to Tokyo in exciting fashion, Nikita Nagornyy dominates with show-stopping triple pike
The 2021 European Championships were the talk of the gymternet last week, with one eye on women’s qualifications and Larisa Iordache’s last chance at an Olympic berth and one eye on men’s qualifications and Nikita Nagornyy potentially landing the first-ever triple pike in competition (spoiler alert: he landed it – multiple times).
In line with the FIG’s 2020 Olympic qualifying procedures, the top 2 eligible all-arounders in qualifying from each continental championships – including this Euros – earn an individual berth to Tokyo, whether it be for themselves by name or for their country (if the nation has already qualified a team previously).
With Olympic berths on the line, men’s and women’s qualifications were easily the highlight of this Euros.
Ultimately, Iordache finished in fourth place with a 54.698 all-around total, earning an individual berth for herself to the Tokyo Games since Romania failed to qualify a team this quad.
Ahead of Iordache, Russia qualified with the top 3 all-arounders: Russian star Angelina Melnikova (55.991), three-time junior World champion Viktoria Listunova (55.465), and Vladislava Urazova (55.299).
Listunova’s second-place finish earned Russia an additional +1 Olympic berth to the Games for the country to award to the gymnast of its choice (since Russia qualified a team to Tokyo back in 2018).
On the men’s side, Turkey’s Adem Asil secured his ticket during qualifying with the fifth-best all-around total behind another Russian sweep of the top 3: Nikita Nagornyy (87.097), David Belyavskiy (85.398), and Aleksandr Kartsev (84.731).
As it stands, Kartsev’s finish placed him first among the eligible gymnasts to obtain a ticket to Tokyo, but that berth – which would be for the country to award as the Russian men have already qualified a team – is contingent on how the Individual Apparatus World Cup series plays out at the finale of the series set for June in Doha.
Currently, Kartsev’s Russian teammate Vladyslav Poliashov is tied for first in the parallel bars standings. If he were to earn that individual berth (for himself), it would trump Kartsev’s and the second Euros Olympic berth would fall to Italy’s Nicola Bartolini, who is next in line.
The FIG will officially communicate the Olympic qualifiers after the conclusion of the World Cup series in June.
The remainder of this Euros was eventful but somewhat underwhelming after the excitement of qualifications.
Listunova (56.731) went on to beat Melnikova (55.432) for the all-around title after the latter suffered falls on bars and beam. Great Britain’s up-and-comer Jessica Gadirova (of the Gadirova sisters) rounded out the podium with the bronze (55.100).
“This is an incredible feeling,” Listunova said after the meet. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. From now, I will continue to work hard to achieve my goals.”
Iordache withdrew from the all-around final after being diagnosed with a kidney infection (can this girl ever catch a break!?).
Nagornyy secured his second consecutive European all-around title with a total of 88.032 points, posting the highest scores on floor (14.933), rings (14.466), vault (15.000), and high bar (15.000).
“The main task for me today was to get 88 points,” Nagornyy said about his win. “And if I wouldn’t achieve that, I would have been very upset. Next to that, it was important for me to get on the podium together with David. I am super happy it worked out.”
Belyavskiy took silver (85.864) and earned the highest scores on pommel horse (14.933) and parallel bars (15.366). Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun, the 2020 European junior all-around champion, earned the bronze with an 84.864.
Asil, who qualified fifth for the all-around final, had to withdraw after two apparatuses due to a shoulder injury.
The women’s apparatus final winners were Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber (vault), Melnikova (bars), Melanie de Jesus dos Santos (beam), and Gadirova (floor).
The men’s apparatus final winners were Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias (rings), Armenia’s Artur Davtyan (pommel horse), Nagornyy (floor), Ukraine’s Igor Radivilov (vault), Turkey’s Ferhat Arican (parallel bars), and Belyavskiy (high bar).
You can find full recaps from Euros here and full results here.
P.S. Read about how the German gymnasts’ full body suits defied convention at Euros and are taking on sexualization in sport here, and if you’re wondering where Oleg Verniaiev was this championships, the FIG and the Ukraine star’s camp are remaining silent on his suspension… but Ireland’s RTE may have let slip some potential news (take it with a grain of salt). Catch up on that story here.
The Jade Carey saga continues… with no resolution until summer
The ongoing Jade Carey saga (read more here and here) bubbled up again this week. Why you may ask? Jade Carey has clinched an individual berth for herself! The saga is over! She’s going to Tokyo!
Wellllll, not so fast.
For as long as the Jade Carey saga has been a saga, the gymternet has questioned whether Carey could pursue a spot on the U.S. women’s Olympic team even after qualifying as an individual to Tokyo, but it didn’t become “headline news” until recent weeks, as USA Gymnastics finally released some relatively clear-cut statements on the situation from how they see it on their end – two months to trials and three months to the opening of the games.
For reference, Gymnastics Now asked USAG about this situation last April, after Carey had mathematically clinched her individual berth and her father, Brian, was quoted afterward saying, “She still plans to compete at trials ‘to show that she’s ready if need be’ for the team event.’”
There response: “Based on our understanding of the current FIG qualification rules, and FIG’s announcement finalizing the results from the recent World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, we believe Jade Carey’s performances on the floor exercise in the World Cup Series have mathematically qualified her, by name, to the Tokyo Olympic Games. Barring any rule changes, we anticipate that FIG will award her the spot at the Series’ conclusion. We are extremely proud of Jade’s performance on the world stage, which earned her this well-deserved opportunity. The choice to accept or reject the qualified spot is hers, and she has the full support of USA Gymnastics in any outcome.”
A year later, it seems we’re finally getting somewhere.
Gymcastic asked USAG about the same scenario this April, and this was their response: “Based on our understanding of the current FIG qualification rules, we believe Jade Carey’s performances on the floor exercise in the World Cup series have mathematically qualified her, by name, to the Tokyo Olympic Games. Barring any rule changes, we anticipate that FIG will award her the spot. We are extremely proud of Jade’s performance on the world stage, which earned her this well-deserved opportunity.”
Note: The above italicized quote was essentially the same response USAG gave GymNow last year, but the next part is where the national governing body elaborates.
“This path – to pursue the opportunity for an individual qualification – was open to certain qualified national team athletes. No other eligible athletes opted to pursue this qualification route. We anticipate that Jade will be competing at Trials. Unless she accepts the individual spot beforehand, Jade would be eligible to make the four-person team. At this time, FIG has not announced when they will officially award the spot or whether they will impose a deadline for acceptance. In any event, the choice to accept or reject the qualified spot is hers, and she has the full support of USA Gymnastics in any outcome.”
USA Today’s Nancy Armour took it a step further and asked the FIG whether the U.S. could send someone to the Pan American Championships (the U.S.’s continental championships) to earn a sixth spot if Jade decides to give up her nominative place. Their answer? No.
Essentially, Carey’s being awarded a nominative spot means the FIG considers the U.S. to have qualified the max of six spots, having earned the sixth via the All-Around World Cup series.
“An NOC who qualified a team in Criteria 1 (2018 World Championships – Team Final) or 2 (2019 World Championships – Team Qualification) and qualified two (2) additional individuals in Criteria 5 (Individual Apparatus World Cup Series) and 6 (Individual All-Around World Cup Series) may participate, but may NOT qualify an additional quota place for his/her NOC through the Continental Championships.” (See the full Olympic qualification system for 2020 here.)
So where do the U.S. women go from here? It’s really all in the hands of one 20-year-old (soon to be 21 on May 27).
If Carey chooses to accept her individual berth, the U.S. will send the maximum six athletes to Tokyo. If she gives up her berth and makes the main team (or doesn’t make the team, but still rejects it – unclear when the deadline is), the U.S. will only be able to send five athletes.
As it stands, the gymternet seems torn on these latest developments.
Some say if Carey doesn’t accept the individual berth and pursues a team spot, it’s “unforgiveable” – that is, being the reason one of the many capable U.S. gymnasts doesn’t get to go to the Olympics. After all, it’s been clear since she decided to go down this path that she would not be able to compete with the team and earn that coveted (and nearly guaranteed) team gold.
Others say it’s not Carey’s fault, but the system’s – specificaly, USAG.
“It’s not her fault that USAG is saying she can,” one Twitter user said in response to Armour’s tweet. “USAG should have been clear since the beginning in saying that they would not jeopardize a spot for the U.S., and if anyone got an individual spot they were out of team race.”
As a news outlet, it’s not our place to take sides or determine right and wrong, and in this scenario, it’s an even more difficult situation since there is so much gray area. Either way, the saga will conclude, one way or another, at U.S. Olympic Trials in June.
‘Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts’ docuseries added to Peacock Olympic programming
Peacock has added a new gymnastics docuseries to its countdown to Tokyo programming called, ‘Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts’ and is set to follow five gymnasts as they compete for four spots on the U.S. women’s Olympic team.
Partnering with Uninterrupted, which stars LeBron James and businessman Maverick Carter, Peacock has ordered six-episodes of the docuseries, which will follow five of the top American gymnasts – Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez, 2016 Olympic team alternate MyKayla Skinner, 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd, 2019 World champion Sunisa Lee, and 2019 Junior World bronze medalist and first-year senior Konnor McClain.
Per a press release from Peacock, “The series will follow these athletes, whose preparation for the Games is fundamentally altered by the pandemic, over a five-month period as they continue their grueling training regimens and fight for a chance to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.”
Get all the details on this new docuseries here.
Tickets for 2022 World Championships are now on sale
Tickets for the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships – set for October 29 – November 6, 2022 at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England – are now on sale. Click here for more details on packages, how to purchase, and more.
Rhys McClenaghan joins latest episode of Gymnasts on Zoom Drinking Coffee
In episode six of Gymnastics Now’s “Gymnasts on Zoom Drinking Coffee” series, we sit down with the 2018 European champion and 2019 World bronze medalist on pommel horse: Rhys McClenaghan.
Rhys and host Patricia Duffy discuss the current coaching revolution, European championships, his preparations for the Tokyo Games, how one becomes a pommel horse specialist, and more.
Click here to watch/listen to the latest episode.
Simone Biles’ busy week: Superstar drops Nike, sets dates for post-Olympic tour, and appears on The Tonight Show
The Olympics are less than three months away, but you wouldn’t even be able to tell by Simone Biles’ busy schedule – the G.O.A.T. does it all!
In the midst of training for the summer Olympic season, Biles was making headlines this week for non-gymnastics related items, including her decision to leave Nike for a partnership with Athleta (“I feel like they support me, not just as an athlete.”), announcing the stops for her Gold Over America post-Olympic tour, and appearing on The Tonight Show, where Jimmy Fallon pitched potential Olympic team names to the star, among other topics (watch the full interview here).
Skye Blakely leads field at 2021 American Classic
WOGA first-year senior Skye Blakely is one step closer to a potential Olympic team push after leading the field at the 2021 American Classic, which took place behind closed doors at The Gymnastics Company in Indianapolis from April 23-24.
One of the U.S. seniors in contention for the Olympic team after the Tokyo Games were postponed last year, Blakely earned a 55.350 in the all-around to edge runner-up and Florida commit Leanne Wong (GAGE) and her 54.450 for the all-around title. Karis German (World Champions) took third with a 53.250.
Read our full recap of the junior and senior competition, as well as the Hopes Classic, here.
Final dismount: Triples, triples everywhere! Plus, a crazy mount.
This week’s final dismount features THREE crazy triples (triple pikes from Russia’s Nikita Nagornyy – a.k.a. The Nagornyy – and Oklahoma’s Gage Dyer and a triple Arabian from Team USA’s Eddie Penev), and a wild beam mount from retired Team GB gymnast Amy Tinkler – yes, that’s a FULL-TWISTING candle mount!
