Andy's COP evaluates the 2008 Olympic Uneven Bars Final!

Our first routines under Andy’s COP: Women’s Uneven Bars

So who really won the 2008 Olympic uneven bars gold medal? Let’s see what my scoring system has to say about it!

Nastia Liukin Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

He Kexin Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

Yang Yilin Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

Steliana Nistor Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

Beth Tweddle Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

Anastasia Koval Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

Dariya Zgoba Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

Ksenia Semenova Bars 2008 Olympics Event Finals

So under my scoring system (if I had been judging at least!) the results of the 2008 Olympic Uneven Bars Final would have been:

1. He Kexin                  9.3

2. Nastia Liukin            9.2

3. Yang Yilin                9.0

4. Beth Tweddle           8.9

5. Ksenia Semenova     8.7

6. Anastasia Koval       8.5

7. Dariya Zgoba           8.3

8. Steliana Nistor          7.7

The coolest part is that I entered every single score based on my first impression and didn’t change a single one…and I completely agree with the results! Despite many U.S. fans, I did think He Kexin was a little better than Nastia Liukin. I think Yang Yilin and Beth Tweddle should have been next, followed by Semenova and Koval. Notice that Zgoba ended up ahead of Nistor, even though she fell and Nistor didn’t. I actually feel this is appropriate, considering how much more beautiful, difficult, and original Zgoba’s routine was. Amazingly, my scoring system agrees!

Let’s look at each category to give you a better idea what I was looking for:

Difficulty

Notice that all of these gymnasts had plenty of difficulty to achieve the 10 points on this event under my system, but remember that these are some of the best bar workers of all time, and not every gymnast can easily get the 10 points. Remember that D’s are worth 1 point, E’s are worth 2, F’s are worth 3, and G’s are worth 4. Also, some events will be more difficult than others to get the 10 points (women’s floor is a bit harder).

Execution

Remember this a general impression from 1-10, with increments of 0.5. All of these routines were executed very well and ranged from 8 to 9.5. I gave Yang Yilin the highest (9.5) and Zgoba the lowest (6.5), but remember that Zgoba lost 2 points for falling. The rest was beautiful. (Notice that 2 points is equivalent to 0.4 on the final score).  Liukin and He Kexin both had 9’s because of just a couple of small errors from each.

Artistry

The artistry scores were based on overall beauty of the routine, including body line and fluidity. I gave Nastia the highest with a 9 (the cowboyed dismount and feet separations took away slightly from the beauty), while I gave Tweddle and Semenova 7’s in this category – still strong but some room for improvement. Koval and Zgoba were beautiful to watch and had great lines, so I gave them both 8’s. I thought Nistor was the least “artistic” of the group (although it wasn’t bad), and thus I gave her a 6 out of 10.

Originality

I thought Tweddle’s routine was about as original as it gets with her super cool release combinations (and the first one out of an Ono) and her own skill (toe-on Tcatchev to mixed grip) and so I gave her the full 5 out of 5 in this category. You could easily argue that He Kexin should have gotten a 5 in originality (Yaeger half turn to Yaeger, laid-out Yaeger, invert combinations), but I gave her a 4.5 because I thought Tweddle’s was just slightly more original. Semenova’s originality included her in-bar combinations, the Tcatchev to immediate full pirouette, the Deltchev, and the piked double Arabian dismount (also a 4.5). Liukin and Zgoba were next with 4’s.  I thought Nistor’s was the least original, although certainly not a zero because of her multiple release moves and the 1 ½ turn at the beginning…so I gave her a 2 out of 5.

Virtuosity

Here I was looking for amplitude on releases and dismounts, incredible flexibility, and overall “risk” taken, such as with multiple release skills. He Kexin received the highest virtuosity score (4.5) because of her incredible height on the Yaeger-half turn, the big laid-out Yaeger, and the Tcatchev to Pak salto. If the dismount had been a bit bigger I would have given her a 5. Nastia scored a little lower than He Kexin here because, although her Gienger is high and she had amazing flexibility, her low Tcatchev must be reflected in this category...so I gave her a   Semenova had good height and turnover on the Tcatchev and a high Yaeger and Deltchev. Zgoba had incredible flexibility in both her stalder and invert work, but I would have liked to see another release skill, so I gave her a 3. I thought Koval and Nistor had the least “virtuosity,” but still gave both a 2.5 out of 5 – Koval for her flexibility and good toe-on piked Tcatchev, and Nistor for the risk she took doing so many release skills.

I think the system worked here! Tell me what you think.

Next, I’ll apply the system to an event on the men’s side…using the high bar routines from the recent world championships.  Will Zou Kai still be the champion?