Men's gymnastics team finals competition tonight! The prelims from a couple days ago: 1. China - 374.675 2. Japan - 369.550 3. Russia - 366.225 4. South Korea - 365.675 5. Germany - 365.675 6. USA - 365.200 7. France - 361.200 8. Romania - 359.350

China gold, Japan silver, and USA gets the bronze! USA Jonathan Horton hits his routines. Sasha Artemev was great on pommel horse - more consistent than in the national competitions, he says he feels better on the international stage. China's difficulty (A score) was awesome! Way to go China! [quote] As expected, China blitzed the competition, taking the top team score on five of the six events. After a slow start on floor exercise, the team was untouchable. World champions Xiao Qin (16.100 on pommel horse) and Chen Yibing (16.575 on still rings) were superb on their respective specialities. On vault, Yang Wei scored 16.600 for a near-stuck Tsuk triple full, and Li Xiaopeng took 16.775 for his namesake vault (Yurchenko half on, Randi). In the fifth rotation, Huang Xu took the top mark for China on parallel bars with a 16.475, followed by Li at 16.450. China held such a high lead that by the end of the sixth rotation, team anchor Zou Kai needed only 8.75 to secure the gold on high bar. A routine with a stuck dismount delivered 15.975 and the gold medal. The Chinese team, which included three veterans of the gold medal team from the 2000 Olympics, were moved to tears after the victory. Japan, the defending team champions, could be relieved with the silver. The team was second to China on pommel horse and still rings, and edged China on floor exercise. Japan earned the lowest team total on vault, typically the highest-scoring event, and trailed the U.S. team going into the sixth rotation. Japan turned in three strong high bar routines to pass the U.S. on pommel horse. [/quote] Results 1. China 45.925(6) 46.025(1) 48.875(1) 49.325(1) 49.025(1) 46.950(1) 286.125 2. Japan 45.975(5) 45.575(2) 46.900(2) 46.750( 47.075(4) 46.600(3) 278.875 3. United States 45.400(7) 41.875( 46.375(3) 48.225(4) 47.050(5) 46.925(2) 275.850 4. Germany 46.225(3) 44.650(3) 45.650(6) 47.000(7) 45.425(7) 45.650(4) 274.600 5. Korea 46.350(1) 43.050(5) 45.500(7) 47.225(6) 47.225(3) 45.025(6) 274.375 6. Russia 46.050(4) 42.875(7) 45.950(5) 48.150(5) 47.300(2) 43.975(7) 274.300 7. Romania 46.250(2) 43.525(4) 46.375(3) 49.300(2) 45.225( 43.500( 274.175 8. France 44.625( 42.925(6) 45.300( 48.400(3) 46.575(6) 45.050(5) 272.875 If you were wondering why the Chinese spectators in the arena would chant "Chi -Na" like NBC Al Trautwig said in the NBC broadcast: [quote] tripleaxel on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 who did the research for Al Trautwig during the Men's Artistic Gymnastics Team Final broadcast? The Chinese spectators are NOT chanting out loud "Chi-na" in English. They are chanting a root/cheer in Mandarin: "Ga-You", similar to "Go Go Go" or "Go for it"! Why would the Chinese chant China in English? If that were the case, they'd chant: Zhong Guo (Mandarin for "China") Someone correct him before he continues to make a fool of himself! [/quote] International Gymnast: http://www.intlgymnast.com/olympics/603.html

China's 3-time Olympian 28 year old Yang Wei wins 2008 Olympic all-around gold. Yang Wei wins by 2.6, 2nd-10th place is separated only by .475 points, very close competition. 1 Yang Wei (China) 94.575 2 Kohei Uchimura (Japan) 91.975 (2 falls on pommel horse, in 2nd rotation, great bar routine with 3 releases including kovacs full with stuck dismount) 3 Benoit Caranobe (France) 91.925 4 Hiroyuki Tomita (Japan) 91.750 (peeled off rings right before/on his dismount and landed on his side) 5 Sergey Khorokhordin (Russia) 91.700 (vault fall) 6 Maxim Devyatovsky (Russia) 91.700 (vault fall) 7 Fabian Hambuechen (Germany) 91.675 (had two extra swings in the middle of p-bars, on high bar hand slipped on catch of kovacs full and he fell, and repeated the element again, catching, nice 2 releases in a row after that, stuck dismount) 8 Yang Taeyoung (Korea) 91.600 9 Jonathan Horton (USA) 91.575 10 Rafael Martinez (Spain) 91.500 more results China's Chen Yibing did not do his dismount on high bar and just "inexplicably" jumped off according to International Gymnast (scoring 12.975) and did not compete on his next event, floor. He fell on his first event pommel horse (13.750), and did a good comeback on his next 3 events.

For those wondering about Yang Wei's coach standing on the podium and next to the high bar the whole time, and coaching him - it is allowed for the coach to stand under the high bar the whole time. He doesn't have to go back and forth to only be under the bar when he is doing "hard" skill. also: "Coach ready to spot at each event" - http://gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?t=33396&highlight=spot

It's a 0.3 deduction for the coach talking to Yang Wei throughout the whole routine.

Men's floor excercise final: 1 126 ZOU Kai China 6.700 9.350 16.050 2 136 DEFERR Gervasio Spain 6.500 9.275 15.775 3 206 GOLOTSUTSKOV Anton Russian Fed. 6.500 9.225 15.725 4 152 HAMBUECHEN Fabian Germany 6.500 9.150 15.650 5 175 UCHIMURA Kohei Japan 6.300 9.275 15.575 6 223 HYPOLITO Diego Brazil 6.700 8.500 15.200 7 191 DRAGULESCU Marian Romania 6.500 8.350 14.850 8 245 SHATILOV Alexandr Israel 6.600 7.925 -0.400 14.125 http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GA/C73I/GAM001101.shtml#GAM001101

Men's pommel horse final: 1124 XIAO Qin China 6.400 9.475 15.875 2 230 UDE Filip Croatia 6.400 9.325 15.725 3 234 SMITH Louis Great Britain 6.700 9.025 15.725 4 125 YANG Wei China 6.200 9.250 15.450 5 171 TOMITA Hiroyuki Japan 6.100 9.275 15.375 6 181 KIM Jihoon Korea 6.100 9.075 15.175 7 217 ARTEMEV Alexander United States 6.300 8.675 14.975 8 266 FUENTES BUSTAMANTE Jose Luis Venezuela 6.300 8.350 14.650 Another gold for China!

Rings: 2 more medals for China, gold and silver: 1122 CHEN Yibing China 7.300 9.300 16.600 2 125 YANG Wei China 7.500 8.925 16.425 3 261 VOROBIOV Oleksandr Ukraine 7.200 9.125 16.325 4 164 COPPOLINO Andrea Italy 7.100 9.125 16.225 5 144 PINHEIRO RODRIGUES Danny France 7.500 8.725 16.225 6 165 MORANDI Matteo Italy 7.100 9.100 16.200 7 196 STANESCU Robert Romania 7.000 8.825 15.825 8 228 IOVTCHEV Iordan Bulgaria 6.800 8.725 15.525 According to Tim Daggett on the NBC coverage Jordan is living in the States, Houston Texas - I thought he moved to Bulgaria again with his friend and former teammate Krasimir Dunev: "Jovtchev and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Krasimir Dunev recently moved back to Bulgaria." Bulgaria's team, men's team gets robbed, poor standings http://www.gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?t=34170&highlight=krasimir+dunev

Men's Vault Final (2 Vaults average): 1 248 BLANIK Leszek Poland 17.000 9.600 16.600 27.000 9.475 16.475 16.537 2 141 BOUHAIL Thomas France 17.000 9.575 16.575 27.000 9.500 16.500 16.537 3 206 GOLOTSUTSKOV Anton Russian Fed. 17.000 9.500 16.500 27.000 9.450 16.450 16.475 4 191 DRAGULESCU Marian Romania 17.000 9.800 16.800 27.200 8.750 -0.300 15.650 16.225 5 142 CARANOBE Benoit France 17.000 9.375 -0.100 16.275 27.000 8.950 -0.100 15.850 16.062 6 106 KASPEROVICH Dmitry Belarus 17.000 9.300 16.300 27.000 8.900 -0.100 15.800 16.050 7 192 KOCZI Flavius Romania 17.000 8.800 -0.300 15.500 27.000 9.350 16.350 15.925 8 134 BOTELLA Isaac Spain 16.600 9.475 16.075 26.600 9.100 -0.300 15.400 15.737 Romania's Marian Dragulescu goes for 2 hard vaults, sticking the first one, named after him, the Dragulescu - awesome!! - but on the 2nd one he falls, so finishes in 4th. Related, Cheng Fei wins bronze with fall on her knees and hands: "[COLOR=#810081]Bondy: Cruel world of gymnastics takes toll on Sacramone (New York Daily News)[/COLOR]" - http://www.gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?t=75852