Quick hits: Women's team finals at the Stuttgart World Cup

The Aussies are in black and pink that they also wore at the World Championships. (Thank goodness their pink and orange leo -- you know the one -- has not made a reappearance!) The Russians are in the purple and silver look they've been favoring recently, while the Dutch gymnasts are in the blue and orange national team leotard they often wear. 

 

Anja Rheinbay, bars: Straddle hecht mount, clear hip blind to Jaeger. Toe blind to straddle back. Clear full on low bar and clear hip hecht to high. Toe stalder to toe front half with a step back. Interesting routine. 12.75/4.8.

 

All-around silver medalist Kim Bui is doing commentary today. 

 

Yulia Inshina, beam: We see her double pike dismount, done with a small hop. Inshina, as is usual, has no reaction to her routine. 13.3/5.9.

 

Pia Tolle, bars: Toe stalder to Maloney to Pak, toe full, stalder half to Ray to high, toe blind to Jaeger and falls. Just tried to air it out too much. This is a good event for her. Double front dismount, small steps. 

 

Alyona Polyan, beam: Back tuck. Jumps. Side somie. Very nice hands. Dismount is roundoff, double tuck with a small step. 11.15/4.3.

 

Tolle and Rheinbay are giggling about something in the kiss and cry. When Tolle came over, she gesticulated angrily about something probably to do with her fall on bars, but she got over it very quickly. 

 

Lisa Katharina Hill, bars: Maloney to clear half to full turn to Geinger, well done. Toe full to bail to Ray, blind to Jaeger, giants to full in tuck, nearly stuck, big smile. It sounded like her foot might have hit the floor as she swung through the bottom on the giant before her dismount, but it didn't break her swing if she did...14.6/6.1.

 

Yulia Belokobylskaya, beam: Showed side somie (good). Roundoff, triple full dismount, took awhile to set up for it, slightly underrotated but decent control on the dismount. 14.0/5.8.

 

Rotation two: Netherlands on vault, Aussies on bars, Germans on beam, Russians on floor

 

As the Aussies warm up bars, Alexander Alexandrov wanders into the shot. He has no idea the camera is there, and the German commentators say, "there's the Russian trainer."

 

Lisa Katherina Hill, beam: Bhs, layout. Switch half, small wobble. Side somie. 2.5 twist with a rather large step forward, looked a trifle underrotated too. 12.3/5.2. Is getting her ankle taped by a trainer in the kiss and cry. 

 

Emily Little, bars: Hecht mount, toe stalder to toe blind to Jaeger. Bail to Ray, toe full to giants to stuck double layout. A lot better than in the all-around yesterday. She reminds me a bit of Carly Patterson, both in looks and the way she swings. 13.35/5.3.

 

Anja Rheinbay, beam: Switch, scissone. Side somie. Stuck roundoff, double tuck dismount. Cowboyed, but very well timed. 12.3/5.2. Like Hill, she must have fallen somewhere along the line and they didn't show it. 

 

Larrissa Miller, bars: Inbar full to Geinger, bail to Ray, inbar blind to Jaeger. stalder full with hesitation, full twisting double tuck with a step back. Two definite hesitations on her stalder elements, but no question, she's the best in Australia on bars. 14.05/6.1.

 

Pia Tolle, beam: Switch half. Very nice double tuck dismount, small hop. 13.8/5.4. High fives with her teammates.

 

Yulia Belokobylskaya, floor: 1.5 to 2.5, small hop back. Double full, same thing. Nice Memmel turn. Tourjete half. Viktoria Komova could take a lesson from this routine in terms of finishing her dance moves, those were great. Front double full third pass. Switch ring to split leap. Double tuck to end, again a small hop back. She looks rather happy as she jogs off the mat. 14.0/5.4.

 

Wow -- Aliya Mustafina has gone from being no. 1 on the Russian team to being assistant coach. She's pretty much ignored when she tries to pat Belokobylskaya on the shoulder in a small gesture of congrats when Belo's floor score comes up. Belo, Inshina and Polyan move to vault, leaving Mustafina in her warmup suit to pick up Belo's Russian team jacket.

Rotation three: Russia on vault, Netherlands on bars, Aussies on beam, Germans on floor

 

Alyona Polyan, vault: Handspring front pike half, small hop. Nice in the air. 

 

Anja Rheinbay, floor: A tango! A true tango! 1.5 to front layout full. Double pike, heavy landing, steps back and OOB. Switch to Tourjete half. Full turn with leg up. Kind of posing her way through her choreo, not extending through her hands at all. Strug. Double tuck to end. Roundoff, half twisting single stag jump is really cool before her ending pose. Needs to work on her hands. 12.35/4.9.

 

Yulia Inshina, vault: Clean FTY, stuck. My only complaint is she pikes just a little at the end, but that was good. 

 

Lisa Katharina Hill, floor: "Hernando's Hideaway." Double pike, small hop back. 1.5 to front layout, step forward. Triple full. Switch half. Front layout full. Switch to Tourjete half. Double tuck to end, hangs on for what seemed like a stick. Good routine for Hill. 

 

Nicola Cheung, beam: Getting some last minute in-your-face intensity from Peggy Liddick before her mount...and apparently that's all were going to see of that. 

 

Pia Tolle, floor: "Vogue." Handspring to double front, noticable step forward, low landing. Roundoff, double pike. Posing it up in her choreo. Switch ring to Tourjete half. Interesting third pass: front handspring, front layout walkout, roundoff, double full. Hands down on roundoff, double tuck last pass -- that was too bad! She looks deflated, and understandably so. Rheinbay is trying to cheer her up in the kiss and cry, and it looks like she's succeeding. 11.95/5.1.

 

Rotation four: Germans on vault, Russians on bars, Netherlands on beam, Aussies on floor

 

Given how she's stretching over a Spieth block, it definitely appears that Chusovitina will vault...

 

With one rotation left, Russia has a slight lead over the Aussies. But Australia is on floor, while Russia moves to bars, which is probably more dangerous for the Russians than for the Aussies. Lauren Mitchell nailed a full in pike to scissone on floor in the warmup.

 

Anja Rheinbay, vault: Very nice FTY, stuck. 13.85/5.0.

 

Emily Little, floor: 2.5 turn. Tourjete half. 1.5 to double full. Switch to switch side half. Double pike to end with good landing. 

 

Lisa Katharina Hill, vault: FTY, hop back. 13.7/5.0.

 

Oksana Chusovitina, vault: Has the funniest look on her face as she holds her salute for about 30 seconds before being acknowledged by the judges. Tsuk 1.5, basically stuck, tiny tiny movement of her feet. Great job from the injured Chuso. 14.55/5.5. Blows a kiss and looks very happy. 

 

Nikki Cheung, floor: "2046," the same music used by Nadine Jarosch from Germany. Double pike, step forward. Switch half. Punch front to double full. Switch ring to Tourjete half, could be a little more split. Double tuck, hands down, didn't have the energy or rotation to stand that one up. 

 

Yvette Moshage, beam: Side somie. Roundoff, double full dismount, catches her knee and goes down grabbing it. That's an injury. That looked like it hurt. hope she's OK. 

 

Yulia Belokobylskaya, bars: Hit routine. Affectionate hug from her coach after her double front dismount. 13.9/5.6.

 

Lauren Mitchell, floor: "Besame Mucho." Whip to Arabian double to single stag and barely -- barely! -- keeps from going OOB. I don't think she did. Full in pike to scissone. 2.5 to front layout to beat jump. Double pike to end, well done. Great routine from Mitchell. She gratefully accepts some water in the kiss and cry, waves and smiles at the camera. She looks animated and much happier than she did yesterday after floor. 

 

Chusovitina is chatting with Mustafina and Denis Ablyazin. 

 

Final results: 1. Russia 2. Australia 3. Germany 4. Netherlands.