5:49 p.m.: Demy is struggling with her DTY. Komova is sitting her Amanars. Sigh. I'm convinced that the Russians are somewhat prepared (we'll see) and that they're all safe from broken knees for today. Back to the arena for more men's podium!
5:43 p.m.: Komova falls on a DTY, then sadly gets up and does the extra half turn, clutching her wrists to her chest in the twisting position. Gymnastics can be so hard.
5:37 p.m.: Nabieva vault: DTY, bent knees. She must be thinking about her Amanars. Komova is doing Amanar timers as well.
Meanwhile, in the other gym the Aussies looked very good on floor. Lauren Mitchell seems to be growing into her new "Besame Mucho" music (with lots of lyrics that sound like "ha!" as well, which to me just make the whole seem thing very Australian).
5:30 p.m.: On to vault. Afanasyeva's DTY is a little messy in the air here in the training gym, but she's landing them well.
On bars, Belgium's very tall gymnast has a toe Khorkina II transition and a Pak. Nice. The Belgians as a whole look much improved since ex-French coach Yves Kieffer took over a couple years ago, and they have a passle of very good juniors. With both next year's Euros and the 2013 Worlds in Belgium, they're a team to watch.
5:22 p.m.: However, the more I see Dementyeva's new floor routine (and she just did a full one without incident, finally), the more I like it. It's not the music I would have chosen for her. But all the same, she is working hard to sell it.
5:19 p.m.: This has not been Anna Dementyeva's finest hour. On the other hand, Afanasyeva just stuck her double layout on floor during a full routine. Great two whips to triple too. She has been extremely impressive all day. 1.5 to front layout full to beat jump, excellent.
5:16 p.m.: The Russian tumbling started out poor, but has gotten significantly better. Komova is doing her 1.5 to double Arabian fairly well. Ditto the triple twist. She also does a dance through on floor.
5:12 p.m.: Nice floor routine from Alyona Polyan, with double layout opener. Well done. Inshina, second up apparently, does a dance through.
5:08 p.m.: In a somewhat uncharacteristic display of love and affection in training among the Russians, Nabieva just got a warm hug and a kiss from one of the female beam coaches.
4:59 p.m.: Hey, a stuck dismount for Komova! Good for her -- especially after she's balked on the double back at least twice during this session.
14:54 p.m.: 10 minutes later, the falls have given way to wobbles. Afanasyeva, however, looks sharp, sharp. Good for her!
4:45 p.m.: A happy Nabieva is being worked over by the team physio and chatting and smiling with her.
Komova misses her standing Arabian on beam and slumps against the apparatus in exasperation once her feet hit the ground. She looks a little tired.
4:42 p.m.: The Russians don't look so good on beam today. Aside from Ksenia Afanasyeva, there is just a lot of missing going on. Hopefully it will get better...
4:33 p.m.: Dementyeva is doing her bar beginning again and again, and keeps going over in handstand. Sigh. Demy's no Nabieva, but she does look frustrated and discouraged.
4:27 p.m.: At last -- a complete full routine from Belokobylskaya. One awkward moment where she swings a bit strangely following a transition to high, but other than that, it was OK. Double front dismount.
4:22 p.m.: It's all good for Dementyeva until she misses her inbar blind and jumps off. Komova next makes a little mistake too. Still, we should probably all remember that this is training. The Russians for the most part (Belokobylskaya excepted, perhaps) don't look incapable of doing these routines. Though Demy now seems to be struggling with her handstands out of stalder elements. For this hour, anyway. The Russians don't seem too perturbed.
4:18 p.m.: Komova sticks her dismount on her second full routine. Over on the other bars, Afanasyeva is grinning about something in between doing cast handstands. Inshina: Another full routine without dismount. Looking better and better.
4:14 p.m.: Yulia Belokobylskaya misses a low bar element on her first routine. She's great on beam and floor, but terribly inconsistent on bars. Was at Jesolo, was at Euros, is here too.
Inshina's teammates talk her through her second routine, and this one she makes to her double front dismount, where a coach steps in for a light spot.
4:10 p.m.: Viktoria Komova on bars: Does what she's capable of. Hops the dismount as well.
Nabieva on bars: Strong routine. Does an intermediate giant between her toe full and dismount this time. I kinda miss the Nabieva.
4:06 p.m.: Alexander Alexandrov watches closely as Inshina begins her full routine on bars. It looks good -- considerably better than three days ago -- but she doesn't get enough swing on an invert late in the routine on high bar and has to jump off. Alexandrov looks disgusted.
Anna Dementyeva salutes to begin her routine and misses a low bar stalder that's about her second skill. That can't please them much either. She gets down, rechalks and does the routine again, this time completing it. Double layout with a hop forward.
4:00 p.m.: Maybe it's just my angle of vision, but Yulia Inshina looks thinner than she did three days ago. Today Russia is all business on bars. There's very little talking to each other, just working basic skills and doing them well. Full routines will come later.
3:54 p.m.: While the Russians condition (handstand pushups, etc. with the help of the coaches), I'm looking at Greece on bars. It was a relief to see Vasiliki Millousi, her right knee taped, swinging well and saving her dismount. She reminds me a bit of Nastia Liukin on bars -- very fluid swing, well extended, open shoulder angle.
Greece has a very promising youngster as well -- a first year senior named Elisavet Tsakou, who looks very capable and also has great swing on bars. Watch for her in the next few years.
3:47 p.m.: It's striking how in the space of a year Nabieva has gone from the impish kid to one of the leaders of the Russian team. Sure, Ksenia Afansyeva's the oldest (and the mama bear) but Nabieva has been a bit in her own world in training here in Tokyo. Still moody, but a mature moody. And without Aliya Mustafina to hang out with, she looks a little lonely, over there chalking the bars, away from the rest of the team.
TOKYO (Yoyogi Training Hall), 3:30 p.m.: The Russian women, in the pink and silver leotards they wore to practice a couple days ago, are completing their general stretch on the floor while their coaches prep the bars. Tatiana Nabieva is the first done with her stretching/light tumbling and goes over to prep the bars as well.
The Gymnastics Examiner will be in Tokyo for the duration of the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships, which are the first round of qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games. Please check back often for quick hits from training sessions and competition, interviews, videos and photogrpahs. Like The Gymnastics Examiner on Facebook, follow on Twitter, or click the "Subscribe" button above to receive the latest gymnastics news and results via e-mail.
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