Cottbus World Cup Beam Final

Vasiliki Millousi

It was an interesting beam final, with new faces showing exciting beam skills and other not so new faces redeeming themselves ;)

First up was Jinnan Yao - how should I put this... she did her job, there were no major wobbles but the whole routine didn't exactly flow. She looks too much like Sui Lu on beam (which, compared to her lovely uneven bars flow and lightness -although there are two different things- it's disheartening !)... 6.1 D score and 14.75 total. 

The French Sophia Serseri, who was up next, had a fall on the mount and a second one at the acrobatic pass, which threw her out of the medal contention. I loved her style though, she has beautiful skills and is lovely to watch!

I tell you one thing about Natsumi Sasada: her mount is a killer, breathtaking. She had the same difficulty as the Chinese, but her routine looks more like a whole, seems more connected at this stage...I didn't understand the low execution score though (I am sure there is a reason for it,  I will need to watch it again to understand what hapended)(14.425/6.1)

The next competitor was Aagje Wanwallegem, i think (this is how I remember at least :P)- good routine for her-  5.5 D score,  fairly good executed: no major wobbles, overall confident. Not very exciting though.

Valeria Maksiuta - her routine that started on a high note and ended up not so great... she seemed to be owning the beam in the beginning but lost her confidence; bit by bit, little wobbles started to add up deductions, then as she probably realized it was not her best day, the gravity of the wobbles started to climb too... 

Celine Van Gerner - had a great routine, very well executed, few small wobbles, lovely round-off to layout on two feet.. nice, steady double pike on dismount. 

Vasiliki Millousi was my favorite. I mean I knew she may not have the same difficulty as others but her choreo and presentation were marvelou; her routine flows, she shows artistry. Today she managed to convey confidence and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. I am pretty sure she was not smiling during the routine but she looked so serene that she may as well have. (14.45/6.0)

Last up Christina Kruglikova. The Russian looked, well, not ready for a beam final. I mean, she IS elegant and she has the skills, but her routine was maybe not rehearsed enough... she fell on a standing Arabian, in the second half of the routine. I am sure we will see much more of her in the future, she is just not ready yet.

1. Yao (CHN) 14.750 

2. Van Gerner (NED) 14.625 

3. Millousi (GRE) 14.450 

4. Sasada (JNP) 14.425 

5. Van Walleghem (BEL) 13.475 

6. Maksiuta (ISR) 13.325 

7. Kruglikova (RUS 12.250 

8. Serseri (FRA) 11.275