COMPETITION I: Team qualification MEN  / Männer

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SUBDIVISION 7 / GRUPPE   (2nd day)
GRE

BUL

EGY

ESP
   
An interesting group got the second day started

Individual gymnasts in the limelight:Jordan Jovtchev, medal contender on floor and rings.

Ioannis Melissanidis will debut a "Melissanidis 2" on vault: A double Yurchenko piked.Dimosthenis Tambakos is incredibly strong on rings. The Spanish team has the Carballo brothers and should be able to contend for a place in the final even without Olympic champion Gervasio Deferr. A mixed group of gymnasts from Barbados, Columbia and Iceland with  Runar Alexandersson , who is hoping to make the final on pommel horse, rounds out the group together with a team from Egypt. 

<< New possibilities thanks to the Pegases Melissanidis vaults his new creation of Yurchenko double pike

Rotation 1
Lots of technical mistakes. The Egyptians struggle to land a single vault, Bulgaria constantly comes off pommel horse. Only Jordan Jovchev gets through his routine for a 8,762 (9,2 SV) The Greeks have a hard time sticking their difficult tumbles - Arabian double fronts and double double- Only Alejandro Barrenechea gets through his bars rotuine without fault. His 9,125 are the highest score of the first rotation.

Rotation 2
The falls continue. Only three gymnasts score big in this rotation. Jesus Carballo is not his old self on high bar and manages only 9,125 whereas Columbian Jorge Giraldo vaults a 9,275. Jordan Jovchev provides the highlight of this rotation : His strength elements on rings are perfect and he earns the highest score on the apparatus to date: 9,675. Andreu Vivo is shaky, falling from high bar twice.

Rotation 3
Jorge Giraldo contines to surprise. He actually scores a 9,35 on bars. The Spanish team is gradually getting going on floor. Victor Cano gets a 9,2 for his excellent tumbling runs, Barrenechea goes one better with a 9,375.  Jovchev stays in contention on vault with a double twisting Tsukahara (9,3). Dimosthenis Tambakos (GRE) lives up the expectations on rings, just scoring a tad less than Jovchev - 9,662.

Rotation 4
The Egyptians put on a display on floor. Their tumbling is up to par with double layouts, double doubles and double fronts but they still lag behind in quality.  Giraldo (COL) puts his hands down on his dismount on high bar. Jovchev is not happy with his bars routines after losing points for an instability - 9,087. Scores above 9 stabilise the Spaniards' position on pommels.  Surprisingly, Jesus Carballo doesn't compete. Is he injured or fed up?
The Greeks are fantastic on vault. Konstandinos Barmpakis and Vlasios Maras score 9,35 and  9,412 for respectively for their double twisting Yurchenkos. The tension mounts as Ioannis Melissanidis sprints down the runway to present to the world his new vault: RO-ff- double piked back salto. Gymnastics has a new element. His 9,512 should allow him to show his Melissanidis 2 in the final.

Rotation 5
The only notable routine was by Vasilios Tsolakidis on bars. He may not have been spectacular, but incredibly clean.  9,612 was well deserved. Tambakos can't contend. Jovchev shows no ambition on high bar for a 8,95 Giraldo (COL) surprises everybody with a strong floor routine for 9,087. The Spaniards - still minus Carballo- are dead solid on rings.  Barrenechea and Victor Cano score over 9 points. .

Rotation 6
Egypt suddenly becomes the center of attention. Two of their gymnasts are incredibly strong on rings Ali Abdelraouf scores  9,187, Walid Elderiny even manages 9,537.  Runar Alexandersson (ISL) is disappointing on pommels and  Giraldo sits on the horse. Vault goes very well for the Spanish gymnasts who show Tsukaharas with twists or, like Victor Cano, double saltos.  Barrenechea  9,037, Oriol Combarros 9,275 and Victor Cano 9,325. Greece is losing ground on high bar. Vlasios Maras comes back with a fantastic routine and 9,525, but it is not enough. 

Fazit
Generally speaking, the teams were rather weak, individuals like Jovchev, Tambakos and Melissanidis live up to the audience's expectations. Jorge Giraldo and the Egyptians add some colour to the competition.

<< Alejandro Barrenechea after his floor routine  (l); Spain is currently eighth but won't make team finals

 

Russian coach Leonid Arkaev checking the results after his team's disastrous performance. France and Romania could still be dangerous


Leonid Arkaev (RUS)

Team Standings after 7 groups:  (... 8 teams make the finals!!)
1. BLR 222,132 2.USA 221,420 3. KOR 220,857 4. UKR 218,757 5. RUS 217,384 6.ITA216,043
7. LAT
215,030
8.ESP
210,635
9.AUS
2010,207
10. GBR
208,085
11. BUL
206,571
12.FIN
305,482
13.SVK
202,883
14.GRE
202,371
15.BRA
201,373
16.CZE
201,096
17.ARG
199,922
18.MEX
199,334
19.TPE
199,260
20.KAZ
196,297
21.AUT
195,361
22.ARM
195,099
23.RSA
194,510
24.EGY
193,384
25.DEN
193,034
26.IND
185,511
27.SRI
150,549
28.TUR
150,248
29. MAS
148,412
 

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