Olympic Gymnastics Training Report: USA and Romanian women

Jul 25, 2012 by Anne Phillips

Day 1 in London is in the books, and it sure was an eventful one. I found my way all over London, attended a press conference with Nadia Comaneci, the men completed podium training, and in between the men's sessions I got to pop into the women's training hall at Greenwich Academy to observe a few of the top teams. Here are some of the things that stood out and some insights from the women's training.

When I arrived, Team USA was on balance beam in a sweltering hot gym. London was uncharacteristically hot and sunny today, and you could feel the effects inside the gym.

I was welcomed by some fantastic beam routines from the US girls. Just as I have seen them at every other international assignment, they were business-like and constantly moving, always with a purpose. Each girl did a number of beam routines, rotating between the two beams available in the hall. I did not witness a single fall from the Americans on beam, and only a handful of wobbles. To say that they look ready to go is an understatement.

Gabby Douglas looks even better than she did at Olympic Trials - light and airy with impeccable form. She looks so confident and calm on beam in training sessions. Jordyn Wieber looked back to her old self on beam, showing smooth, quick connections on her new combination, front handspring+tuck full+back handspring.

Meanwhile, the Canadian team was on floor and they were an absolute pleasure to watch. They stood out with big tumbling and lovely, expressive choreography. Dominique Pegg showed a great double layout and precise half in half out. First year senior Ellie Black impressed with a very difficult 2.5 step out through to triple twist! Victoria Moors, a contender for the floor final, looked confident with her tucked double double.

At the back of the gym we had France on uneven bars. There were a few bright spots, but I saw very few hit routines. The French team is lacking depth this year and it showed. Youna Dufournet stood out an bars as always, showing a strong shaposnikova into immediate free hip, and a big stalder tkatchev to pak salto connection. She has also added a wieler kip on low bar. Look for her to make the uneven bars final if she hits this big routine on Sunday.

The American girls finished up their training session on floor. World Vault Champion McKayla Maroney is still dealing with an apparent foot injury. As her teammates trained beam, Maroney sat on the sidelines with her foot in an ice bucket. When the team moved to floor, she sat in oversplits, then did a few arm routines. She was not walking with a limp, which is promising.

On floor, the Americans warmed up each of their tumbling passes, and Aly Raisman looks very dialed in. Her final pass, double pike+split jump, is textbook. She looks as if she could easily do double pike, punch front. Her first pass is even more improved than at Trials. Look for her to put up a massive floor score.

Every girl but Maroney did a full floor routine with two of the four passes. Kyla Ross won the imaginary stick contest with a stuck full in and stuck double tuck. She will not be used on this event in team finals due to her lower D score than her teammates, but she so very clean and pleasant to watch.

There is never a wasted moment in a USA training session. Other teams stand around and wait for their turn to do a floor routine. The Americans keep busy working on dance parts or stretching until it is their turn to go. If Maroney is not ready in time to do floor for prelims it looks like the lineup will be Ross, Douglas, Wieber, then Raisman.

I didn't see much of Great Britain. They had a light training on vault when I arrived, then moved to bars. I could not miss Beth Tweddle on bars. At age 27, she looks as great as ever and ready to compete for the gold medal on her signature event. Her routine is the same she competed last year from what I could tell, packed with insane combinations like khorkina to gienger, and toe full+Tweddle (toe on tkatchev half)+ezhova, then right back up to high bar with a maloney half. The routine is capped off by a full in dismount. I can not wait to experience this routine live with the home crowd on Sunday!

Other than Tweddle, the highlight combination of the day was Youna Dufournet on beam with onodi+front aerial+back handspring+layout step out. Incredible.

The Training time winded down and Team USA sat in oversplits. None of the alternates were present in the training hall. The U.S. women's alternates are staying and training about an hour away in Birmingham.

Time for the next training session. Team USA exited as a group looking relaxed and satisfied with a solid workout.

I stayed as long as I could to watch the Romanians train. This is a very intriguing team, led by triple gold medalist from 2004 (beam, floor, team) Catalina Ponor who looks just as strong as she did eight years ago at age sixteen, the reigning Olympic Floor Champion Sandra Izbasa back from a torn achilles, and up and coming all around star Larisa Iordache.

After a short jog and stretch, the Romanians began their training on floor and practicing one full floor routine. Diana Bulimar led off, mounting with a stuck double layout, followed by a nice 1.5 step out through to double pike, and a pike full in 3rd pass with a small hop. Chelaru went second with a hit floor routine, then it was time for the past two Olympic floor Champions. Ponor went 3rd, showing a new floor routine to "You Give Me Fever. The music was rather mellow, but the choreography had a touch of sass. Her tumbling was huge, including a powerful double layout, two whips to back handspring to pike full in, a high triple full, with messy legs as usual, and a double pike dismount.

Izbasa's tumbling looked great in her warmups before the routine, but fell on her last pass, which was intended to be a back 2.5+front layout full. She also threw the strangest combinations I've seen in a while, a full in to back tuck. However, it was not quite connected. It was more of a land, small hop, standing back. She too has new floor music, "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd.

I was excited to see Iordache's floor routine, as she too has an incredibly difficult set. But mysteriously, Iordache sat out on floor and vault. More on that here.

The Romanians finished floor early and sat and relaxed as they waited to rotate. Next was vault where Ponor showed a strong double twisting yurcheko. Izbasa did a few timers and drills for her second vault, and I only saw tiny Bulimar do a yurchenko full. Iordache remained on the sidelines, and after vault was done she got a firm talking to from coach Octavian Belu.

The last rotation I saw was the Romanians on bars where Iordache was the highlight of the group of otherwise scrappy bar routines.

Because there was an open beam, Catalina Ponor went ahead and got her beam training in. This was a delight to watch. She works beam unlike anyone else, with aggressive yet fluid connections.

In her second of two beam routines she did an amazing switch half+onodi+back handspring+ 2 foot layout. She finished the routine with her piked full in dismount. The amount of punch she is able to get off the end of the beam is incredible.

Assuming the Romanians have Iordache healthy and able to compete floor and vault which she was unable to do today, the Romanians look ready for a place on the medal podium.

Tomorrow we will get a preview of every female gymnast in these Olympic Games as the women take to the competition floor for podium training. Follow live updates from every session of training here.