Two things are happening this week in Kunshan City, China: The country's top gymnasts are competing for the national titles. But something more subtle is unfolding with the women's competition: a younger generation is pushing the older one.
In terms of the all-around competition, the younger generation won. International standouts Tan Sixin, Yao Jinnan and Zeng Siqi were the ones on the victory podium Tuesday afternoon. None of the three is older than 16, and only Tan and Yao, both first-year seniors, will even be eligible to compete at the World Championships this year. (Zeng, born in 1996, will be eligible for the 2012 Olympics.)
That none of China's 2010 World team members placed in the top three in the all-around in Kunshan is surprising given the team's good-enough-for-bronze showing in Rotterdam. But as usual in China, the depth of its national team means that it is harder for a worthy gymnast to get to a Worlds or Olympics than it would be to win a medal once there.
Other interesting revelations that can be garnered from this meet: China is not nearly as weak on vault as might have been expected. Among others, Tan, Zeng, Cheng Fei, Jiang Yuyuan and He Kexin all showed double twisting Yurchenkos.
Though nobody looks capable of an Amanar (and Cheng and Jiang are the only Chinese gymnasts ever to have thrown the skill in a meet), given Aliya Mustafina's ACL tear at the European Championships, the best countries may back off from performing the vault in order to save their athletes's legs.
The older generation will not go down without a fight. Jiang, though not in the best shape of her career, pushed through a decent bar routine that included a Ricna to immediate Pak. He did a decent bars set in the qualifying round. Cheng, back from a 2009 ACL tear, signaled that she could eventually return to optimum form. Huang Qiushuang is injured and did not compete.
But for them, the goal is not establishing themselves; they did that three years ago in Beijing. The goal is to be ready for the World Championships.
In a surprise ending to the men's competition, all-around standouts Guo Weiyang and 2004 Olympic pommel horse champion Teng Haibin tied for the all-around title, followed by 2010 World team member Lu Bo and reigning World high bar champion Zhang Chenglong. Guo and Teng scored respectable 89.25s.
Though good, those scores are unlikely to challenge the likes of European champion Philipp Boy or World Champion Kohei Uchimura, both of whom are well into the 90s in their recent all around scores.
But judging from these results, as in 2008, China's 2012 Olympic team is likely to be a group of specialists capped by a couple of men who happen to perform on all six events. The difference in 2008 was made by all-around star Yang Wei, a rare specimen who happened to do all of them very, very well.
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