From: rachele@cs.rice.edu (Rachele Harless)
Subject: GYMNASTICS: preview!
Summary: a look at the gymnastics competition in Barcelona
Keywords: gymnastics
Organization: Rice University, Houston
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 04:20:49 GMT
Expires: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 05:00:00 GMT

Women 

"Women's gymnastics" should rightfully be called "girl's gymnastics".
No argument there.  However, don't dismiss these girls's athleticism
merely because the media constantly judges their "cuteness" and their
"darling of the Games" potential.  Once, the GAGE (Great American
Gymnastics Express) gymnastics team challenged an NFL team (I think it
was the Green Bay Packers?) to a contest of push-ups, pull-ups, etc,
and the "darlings" beat the professional athletes.  If NBC shows any
shots of these girls in tank tops, note their shoulder/arm muscles!
(Or look at the cover of this week's _TIME_...).  Here is my opinion
of what to watch for in the Olympics.

Team 

The CIS is the strong favorite to win.  They have terrific form, the
best technique, and loads of amplitude.  Their one weakness will
probably come from the disintegration of the Soviet Union.  However,
the CIS appears to still be on top.  If all goes well for them, they
will win easily... they are strong in all events.

The Romanians and the US present a strong challenge to the CIS and
also to each other.  The USA, having finished 2nd in 1991 to the
Soviet Union, is steadily gaining more and more momentum and is
fielding undoubtably its best team ever, with a lot of the depth it
has been missing in the past.  All of its team members have competed
in a world championships.  The US is not necessarily weak in any
event, but they need more difficulty and creativity in general.

The Romanians, having finished just *barely* behind the US in 1991,
are determined to prove that they are not only better than the
Americans, but they are on top of the CIS too.  With a little bit of
luck they can pull it off, as they have a strong, creative, exciting
team.  Also, they have been doing very well in recent competitions,
with some of their middle gymnasts pulling of excellent results.
While the Romanians display ample difficulty, they tend to have
problems with major slips... they were relatively (to the USSR and
USA) inconsistent in 1991, which is why they ended up third.

Other teams to watch are the Chinese, who have unquestionably the best
choreography on beam, and even better on bars.  Their vaults are weak,
and so is their tumbling... they will challenge for the bronze, and
perhaps the silver too.  Other key teams to watch are the Bulgarians,
and the Australians (as a team, the best body line of everyone).

Individuals 

Kim Zmeskal of the USA is the favorite to win.  She has won three
national all-around titles ('90-'92) and is the defending world
champion, a status that she acquired in Sep '91.  She is also the
defending world champion on floor and beam, which she won in April
'92.  Her best event is floor; her greatest asset is her nerves of
steel, concentration, and consistency.  Zmeskal lacks the graceful
elegance of Miller, but makes up for it with the power in her legs.
Apparently she slightly injured her leg last week, so we'll have to
see if it affects her in the olympics.

Shannon Miller, from the US, recently defeated Zmeskal at the US
Trials (depending on how you look at the numbers).  This is the first
time ever that the US has had a pair of gymnasts capable of Olympic
champion.  Miller has the US's hardest routines, but had problems
sometimes with her consistency.  Technically brilliant and very
graceful, Miller does not have a lot of power, which is her weakness.

Svetlana Boguinskaya, CIS, must be considered simply because she has
maintained such a high level of gymnastics for so long.  She came onto
the international scene in 1987, and won the bronze in Seoul.  A
beautiful gymnast, she lacks the complexity of the other all-around
contenders.

Tatiana Gutsu is probably the best hope for the CIS.  She won the
recent Europeans in May of 1992, a competition that is historicaly a
predictor of Olympic greatness.  She has always had the difficulty in
her routines, but has lacked the form, something that she has
apparently recently acquired.

Tatiana Lysenko, CIS, if she hits all of her routines, could well be
the best.  She has difficulty, form, and a great Presence.  Her floor
is beautifully choreographed.  She won the World Cup in 1990, but her
problem has been inconsistency at the wrong times.  However, she is
very, very talented.

Christina Bontas, ROM, was her country's highest finisher in 1991 at
the Worlds in 3rd place.  She has difficulty in her routines, and a
lot of experience (4th in 1989).  However, she was injured a few
months ago, so I do not know if she is up to par.  Her weakness is
bars.

Lavinia Milosovici, ROM, has won two world championships, one on vault
in 1991 and one on bars in 1992.  She is a powerful tumbler yet
displays creativity in her routines.  She has gained a lot of fans
around the world for her style.

Gina Gogean, ROM, recently placed 2nd at the Europeans to Gutsu.  She
is somewhat new on the scene, but looks to have Olympic potential.
Her bars are simply amazing, with three major release moves.

Vanda Hadarean, ROM, displays a lot of form and amplitude in all of
her routines.  Like Gogean, she is somewhat inexperienced, but she did
compete well for Romania in the 1991 Worlds.  She finished 3rd at the
Europeans.

Henrietta Onodi, HUN, should delight audiences in Barcelona and around
the world.  She has problems with consistency but is very talented,
and has mucho difficulty in her routines.  She tumbles four passes in
her floor routine.  She won the world vault competition in 1992.

Siliva Mitova, BUL, has a lot of strength, grace, and consistency.
Coached by her father, Mitova also tumbles four passes, including a
double layout punch front for her opening and a double tuck punch
front for her closing.

Men

Team

The CIS will dominate.  End of story.  They are completely,
unarguably, without-a-doubt the best team in the world.  They have
completely overrun their competition easily in the past years, and no
one in their right mind would pick another team as a favorite for the
gold.  Their talent and brilliance is so deep that it almost gets
(ho-hum) boring.  The CIS sets the standard, and the rest of the world
tries their best to follow.

Other teams to watch are the Chinese, who have really come on strong
recently.  Also, the Germans are set to medal.  The US could perhaps
challenge for a bronze, but this would require a great deal of
consistency, not exactly a trademark of the USA men.  However,
stranger things have happened.  The Japanese men also figure to do
well.

All-Around

CIS, CIS, CIS.  Vitaly Scherbo (Pommel Horse and Rings Champ, 1992,
2nd AA at Worlds 1991), Grigori Misutin (1991 World Champ, Rings 1991,
High Bar 1992), Igor Korobchinsky (1989 World Champ, FX champ in '89,
'91, and '92), Valery Belenky (Pommel Horse 1991) ... all of them are
capable of gold.  They will first have to qualify to the all-around
competition, as only three gymnasts per country may enter (this is
true for women too).

Contenders from other countries include Li Jing from China (1991 and
1992 world champion on parallel bars).  Also, Li Xiaoshuang placed 4th
in 1991.  Yuri Chechi had a great chance but has to miss the Olympics
due to injury.  Yukio Iketani from Japan also figures to do well,
along with Sylvio Kroll of Germany.

The US's best hope lies in Scott Keswick, who was 10th in 1991.  Also
expected to do well are Jair Lynch (the US's most exciting gymnast),
Chris Waller, Dom Minicucci, Trent Dimas, and two-time National champ
John Roethlisberger.  You will notice that I have listed 6 men here,
and that 6 men per country are entered in the preliminary all-around
competition.  The point here is that all of the US men are more or
less interchangeable (both a strength and a weakness), and it just
depends on which three have the best day.  The US is definitely
capable of a top-10 finish in the all-around, however.


Hope you enjoyed this sneak preview!

Rachele