Who I would like to see...

In the all around final at worlds!

Ok, so I have my ticket (and a spare one actually if anyone would like a ticket to the wag all around final in block 103 row J). Here are the gymnasts that I am dying to see...

1. Rebecca Bross

2. Ivana Hong (I know, I know, it probably won't happen. I can dream though, right?)

3. Diana Chelaru

4. Lauren Mitchel

5. Charlotte Mackie

6. Jiang Yuyuan

7. Deng Linlin (I know she's not on the roster.. but again, I can dream! I just fell in love with the little munchkin)

8. Ksenia Semenova

9. Ksenia Afanasyeva

10. Yana Demenychuk

11. Beckie Downie

Who do I want to win? I'm not so sure. Part of me thinks that Sloan deserves to win, even though she's not one of my favourite gymnasts. Most of me wants a non-American gymnast to win. Give the rest of the world a chance! I think I'll be rooting for Yuyuan and Semenova :)

The Year After the Olympics....

It's always an exciting time, with new crops of seniors mingling with established super stars. Who will carry on their reign? Who will establish themselves amongst the seniors? Who will do better than last time? Who will burn out before their time? Let's have a look back at previous years!

2005
-Nastia Liukin, one of the USA's most promising juniors hit the senior ranks with a storm, taking her first national championship title and four world medals.
-Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Sacramone improved on their previous years as seniors. Chellsie Memmel took the world all around title along with two silvers, while Sacramone took two world medals on floor and vault. China's Cheng Fei improved on her Olympic performance with a gold medal on vault at worlds. Monette Russo also moved up with a bronze medal in the all around.
-Oksana Chusovitina continued her success with a silver medal on vault.
-Golden girl Carly Patterson quit whilst she was ahead. Also exiting the gymnastic scene included Svetlana Khorkina, Oana Ban, Annia Hatch, Terin Humphrey and Courtney Kupets.

2001
-Katie Heenan burst on to the senior scene with a surprise bronze medal at worlds in uneven bars. Russia's Natalia Ziganshina also made her senior debt with a bronze medal in the all around
-Oksana Chusovitina re-entered the world of gymnastics with a silver medal on vault at worlds.
-Sveltana Khorkina improved on her 2000 Olympic performance, taking three world gold medals along with a silver and a bronze.
-Andrea Raducan continued to impress, with three golds and two bronze medals.
- Taking the fast road out of elite gymnastics included Simona Amanar, Maria Olaru, Liu Xuan, Yang Yun, Yelena Produnova1997
-Simona Amanar continued her success with two gold medals. Sveltana Khorkina also continued to impress with two golds and three silvers.
- Gina Gogean improved her performances with three golds and a bronze, Produnova began to make an impact after missing the olympics and failing to impress in 1995, she took bronze in the all around and on floor exercise.
- Bowing out gracefully included Lilia Podkopayeva, Lavinia Milosovici, Mo Huilan and Kerri Strug1993
-Shannon Miller improved on her Olympics, taking the all around world title along with two other golds, Gina Gogean impressed with a silver in the all around along with two other medals. Tatiana Lysenko also moved up in the ranks, taking a bronze in the all around. Dominique Dawes did better than in 92, with two silver medals.
-Lavinia Milosovici continued to do well, with a gold and a bronze medal at worlds.
- Leaving gymnastics included Tatiana Gutsu, Henrietta Onodi, Kim Zmeskal, Lu Li and Cristina Bontas.

Lilia Podkopayeva - 1995 World All Around Champion

Honestly, I thought that with such a vast number of readers being from the US, that Shannon Miller would win my 'Favourite 90s All Around Champion' poll.
Personally, I did vote for Lilia but I thought I would be over ruled! It turns out I was wrong, with Lilia storming the competition with over half the votes. Shannon Miller came in second with 20%, while Kim Zmeskal snatched third with 11%.
So, why is LiliPod so endearing?


First off, she was tremendously talented, taking five European and World medals prior to the 1995 World Championships. Throughout her career, she took 17 World, Olympic and European medals!


She was a true all arounder, with no weak event. Throughout her career, she earned medals on all the apparatus individually at either Worlds or the '96 Olympics.

She invented a number of fabulous skills, including a Double front with a half twist on floor and her very own Podkopayeva vault.

She was modest and gracious, even when she didn't win. Leonid Arkaev named her as the gymnast he would miss working with the most!

She was the full package, powerful and yet beautifully balletic.


She made you smile when she came out onto the floor with her charming routines!


At this competition, she was widely considered an underdog, but remained consistent to beat the favourites Lavinia Milosovici and Svetlana Khorkina.

Vanessa Ferrari

'I was ready to compete against anyone. I am not afraid of anyone and I will win'
(when asked how she felt when she heard Chellsie Memmel had
withdrawn from the 2006 world all around competition)

... I guess she was right!

1993 World Qualifying Competition

I've been watching the 1993 World Qualifying Competition...
Here's some of the highlights:

He Xuemei's Balance Beam Routine.
She mounts with a press to handstand into a heely turn and goes on to perform a straight back with a full as well as a (very high and straight) straight back. She does a beautiful jump into scale and like all the Chinese, shows great flexibility and control. She qualified to the beam finals but unfortunatley fell on her full twist and stumbled back on her dismount.
She competed in the 1992 Olympics but sadly didn't qualify to any finals. Apparently, she moved to Japan and competed for them at the Asian Games in 2006 aged 29 (!) under the name Setsubai Takaseki.

Mini Lilia Podkopayeva's Floor Routine
Sure, she fell, but there was definatley an air of what was to come here. She already had nice dance and clean lines.


Luisa Protocarrero's Beam Routine
This was jam packed with interesting and beautiful skills. I loved her flexibility. Unfortunatley, she seemed to be having an off day with quite a few wobbles and thus, didn't qualify for the beam finals. Here she is in the all around final, where she performed better:


Shannon Miller.. On every piece of appratus.
She really was on form here. I wish we still saw execution like hers. I was less impressed with her in 92 and 96, but here she was beautiful, a truly deserving world all around champion.
Here she is on floor:


There's also a few interviews and training footage, it's worth a watch

Who's Your Favourite?

1991 Kim Zmeskal
Shannon Miller - 1993/4

Lilia Podkopayeva 1995

Svetlana Khorkina1997

Maria Olaru 1999

Be sure to vote!