4:49 p.m.: Final team stats: 1. Germany 266.15, 2. Britain 263.025, 3. France 260.1, 4. Spain 258.8, 5. Switzerland 257.15, 6. Italy 254.975, 7. Romania 254.675, 8. Greece 253.225.
Morandi, floor: Starts with the same interesting handspring front roll thing we saw earlier. Stuck double Arabian to close. 13.775.
Rayepan, pommels: Moving well ("Allez! Allez! Allez!" cry his teammates.) Great routine for him.
Keatings, high bar: I wonder what's going through his mind...hecht, stalders and in bar work. Great lines for this event. Stuck full twisting double layout, and the crowd explodes for the first time today. 14.125.
Sabot, pommels: Hit routine.
Ottavi, floor: Nice double Arabian to end the routine. 13.875.
Kosmidis, rings: Little hesitation in an early handstand. Full twisting double layout with steps back. 13.625.
Hunter, high bar: Nice hecht. Healy, Tak half. Very nice so far. Hop full. Hop 1.5. Stuck double double layout! Claps his hands. Big applause. This is a nice routine that couldbe a great routine if he added a bigger release move. 14.575.
Principi, floor: Second past: front double full front half tucked. Stuck double full side pass. Circles to Russians. Press to planche handstand. Triple full with a step to the side. 14.025.
Tomassone, pommels: Scissor to handstand, one pommel work, Russians across the worse, then more Russians at the end of the horse. Handstand pirouette dismount. France has had an up and down meet, but this was the right way to end it. 15.525.
Lympanovnos, rings: 13.9.
Thomas, high bar: Hecht over. Layout Tkatchev. Stalder, Higgins. Straddle Tkatchev half to mixed grip. Healy. Stalder, winding up, full twisting double layout with a step. He's happy, punches the air. Team gets together in a group hug. It wasn't an ideal day for them either, particularly for Daniel Keatings, but they ended well. 14.2.
4:35 p.m.: After five: Germany up over GB. Spain in third, followed by France, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Greece.
Bacur, rings: 13.55.
Martinez, high bar: Nice work. Tak full, hecht. Stalders, healy, jam. Full twisting double layout with a small hop forward. Very pleased with that routine. 14.775.
Boy, pommels: Circles, scissor to handstand, moving very well. Small form break on travel across the horse but certainly the class of the German team on this event. A clean routine, pumps the air as he completes it. The German team gets in a circle and joins arms and does a little dance with some "oh-ey-oh-ey-oh"ing. 14.325.
Munoz, high bar: Redeems Spain with a very nice routine and double double layout with a small hop forward. 14.125.
Capelli, floor: Sticks his opening pass (didn't see it, just the stick). Sticks Arabian double pike. 2.5 to punch front full tucked. Sticks front double full punch front. Russians. Sticks double full side pass. Great triple twist dismount. Mr. Stick. 14.9.
Ramseter, floor: Running double front to end. 13.775.
Fahrig, pommels: Lots of form breaks and hits his legs on the horse more than once. Sloppy and ugly would be applicable adjectives, and he'll get nailed in the E-score, but he didn't stop and he didn't fall, so it's a victory. And at this point, it doesn't matter for Germany. Maybe if Russia were here...12.65.
Koczi, rings: A well controlled routine. Double pike front with a step forward. 14.05.
Carballo, high bar: Off on a straddle Tkatchev. Not worthy of the name Carballo. Double double with a hop.
Gisi, floor: Nice double twist to end routine. Opened with front layout, punch double front full.
Spiridonov, pommels: Hits his set. The German celebration can begin. 14.225.
4:20 p.m.: Second teams in the fifth rotation. Germany looked great on floor. All they need to do is survive on pommel horse -- they don't even have to be particularly good, just survive, and they win.
Keatings, pbars: Straddle cut mount, just lost it on a giant (well, it looked like it was going to be a giant) and fell. Chalks and remounts. Nice straddle somie. Stutz. Walked in a handstand...lack of focus? Double pike off. Still on the podium, reflecting. Yikes. It's too bad -- he has a really nice look on this event. 13.4.
Busnari, high bar: 13.95. More or less stuck full twisting double layout dismount.
Markousis, pommels: Cheers of encouragement from his teammates as he nears the end. 12.85.
Ottavi, high bar: Form break similar to Principi's on Tak full. 13.875.
Tomassone, floor: OOB on Front double full front full? first pass. Second pass also a twisting pass...flairs, press planche handstand. Tucked half Thomas. 2.5 twist. Looks deflated.
Hunter, pbars: Hit routine. 14.325.
Lympanovnos, pommels: 13.5.
Maras: Hit pommel horse routine. 13.3.
Purvis, pbars: Nice work includes a front straddle somie, pirouettes, Diamadov, stuck double pike. Really well done. He took his time and yet it was still smooth. Great start for GB. 14.7.
Principi, high bar: Stalder healy, healy..hecht, form break on Tak half, like in warmups (legs apart), full twisting double layout with a hop back. 13.075.
Sabot, floor: Half Thomas second pass. Twisting element to front full tucked. Flairs to Russians. Press planche handstand. Roundoff 2.5 with big step to the side. 14.125.
Ait Said, floor: Arabian double pike. Half Thomas second pass. Flairs to handstand and down, Russians. Press to planche handstand. Cool little front somie roll thing. Arabian double front with a step forward. 14.3.
4:05 p.m.: Standings after four: Germany, Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Romania. Interesting...this rotation, Switzerland/Italy are on high bar, Spain/Britain on pbars, Germany/France on floor and Romania/Greece on pommels.
Carballo, pbars: 14.5.
Fischer, high bar: Healy full to layout Jaeger...Def! Cool. Nothing wrong with his swing and form either. Does a double double layout with both of the twists on the second somersault, I believe, really drills that around.
Martinez, pbars: Really nice work. Martinez was European all-around champion in...2005? I think, and he really has some beautiful gymnastics that has not really been recognized. Smooth work, straddle front, Tippelt, etc. capped with double pike to really good landing.
Nguyen, floor: Layout double double hop back, front double twist full twisting front tuck, layout Thomas. Press to planche handstand. 2.5 to layout Barani. Easy looking full in with a hop back. "So much power in those little legs," notes the announcer. Nguyen does look young. Hambuchen lifts him off his feet when he hugs him coming off the podium. 14.9.
Koczi, pommels: As usual, a really nice routine from the World finalist on this event. 14.875.
Buidoso, pommels: 14.2.
Gisi, high bar: Layout Hecht, Tkatchev, fall on dismount.
Fahrig, floor: Saved his front double full to double front with a deep squat. Arabian double pike half out, nice. 2.5 to tucked front full. Didn't see third pass. Flairs sequence ending in breakdancing on elbows a la Alexei Nemov. Roundoff Arabian double with a step back. Amazingly springy man.
Boeschenstein, high bar: High hecht to begin, legs come apart on Tak half, nice lift on tucked Kovacs, double double layout with a hop. 13.95.
Gomez, pbars: Double back, Tippelt, form break on Stutz, double pike with a little hop. 14.125.
Adrian Bacur, pommels: 12.625.
Hambuchen, floor: Double double layout, but lands with his legs spread. Layout Thomas. Tucked Thomas side pass. 2.5 to front full tucked with a little hop. Flairs sequence but got a bit tired at the end -- in fact, it looked like his arms buckled a bit on that last handstand. Double pike with a step back, again looked like he was trying not to buckle. Comes slowly and a bit gingerly off the podium, big hug with a teammate -- Boy? 14.6.
3:50 p.m.: Cucherat, high bar: Kolman, caught too close to the bar and couldn't swing a giant out of it, improvises...misses Tak full but hangs on, just more improv. Full twisting double layout with a step forward. That was not the routine he was looking for either, though there was some good covering up done. End fourth rotation.
Morandi, pbars: His strength, so prevalent on rings, is also apparent here. Form break in handstand out of a pirouette. Very nice double pike off. 14.175.
Kosmidis, floor: Here's the best Greek tumbler...layout double double with a step back. Layout Thomas. Front double floated front layout half. Press to planche handstand. Stuck 2.5 to front full side pass. Half in half out to end. Nice routine. 14.9.
Hunter, vault: Great stuck DTY. 15.7.
Sabot, high bar: Tak full, hecht, stalder 1.5 to mixed grip, lots of pirouetting work. Healy, inward healy, full twisting double layout with a step forward. A well performed but not terribly exciting routine. His release with a hecht out of a Tak full. 14.5.
Ottavi, pbars: Front straddle somie, Tippelt hit his legs on bars, falls on a very simple half turn. It was a concentration thing -- he just missed his hand. 11.95.
Markousis, floor: Front full, immediate double front. Tucked Thomas. 2.5 to front half tucked. Planche handstand. 1.5 to front double, bit of a stumble out of it. Nice full in with a step to the side. Good routine. 14.725.
Purvis, vault: DTY with a step forward. High but not a lot of distance from the horse. 15.575.
Tomassone, high bar: Tak full out of handstand, hecht, jam, stalders in Endo, hands down on double double layout. 13.075.
Busnari, pbars: 14.175.
Lympovnos, floor: I didn't really watch it, but he ended with a 2.5, didn't have a ton of difficulty and didn't make any large mistakes. 13.875.
Keatings, vault: Very clean Tsuk double full, small hop back.
This crowd is very somber -- a complete 180 from the way they were in Paris two weeks ago. Unless a Brit is performing, they are completely silent, not even chatting much among themselves.
3:31 p.m.: Halfway through, Germany looks in command of this meet, while Britain and France have come apart a bit. That's the thing about three-up, three-count though -- Germany can still be caught if they make some errors.
Hambuchen, high bar: Clear hip, piked Kovacs, Kolman, nice, layout Tkatchev, a little arm bend on the Tak full (to hecht), hop full, stuck full twisting double layout. Another punch in the air. Germany is rocking this competition. 8.475 E-score. 15.175.
Lucas Fischer, pbars: Gorgeous routine with two double backs between the rails and a nice double pike dismount. 14.95.
Koczi, floor: Front double full, tuck front full. 3.5 to Barani. Full twisting "windmill" flip from roundoff. 2.5 to Rudi, sloppy legs on the Rudi. Roundoff triple to end.
Botella, vault: Tsuk 2.5 with a step forward. Nice. 16.0.
Fourth rotation: Spain and Britain on vault, Switzerland and Italy on pbars, Romania and Greece on floor, Germany and France on high bar.
Boy, high bar: Tak half, layout Taktchev, Kolman, great, One armed giant, Tak full to hecht, stalder 1.5, hop full, stuck full twisting double layout. Claps his hands, producing a cloud of chalk. Great routine. 15.375.
Boeschenstein, pbars: Nice combo of front straddle somie to straddle cut and catch. Double pike. 14.575.
Jivan, floor: Arabian double pike. 1.5 to front layout full to layout Brani. Press planche handstand. 1/2 twisting Thomas. 2.5 to front layout. Arabian double front, almost stuck. 14.375.
Nguyen, high bar: Hecht, Kolman, piked Kovacs, Tak half, tucked Kovacs, double double layout with a hop back. Very very nice. 14.625.
Munoz, vault: Tsuk 2.5. Gets into his twist very late but makes it around. 15.95.
Bacur, floor: Front double twist front full...didn't see second pass. Circles and Russians. 1.5 to tucked front full. Double full. roundoff 2.5. Not a lot of finesse, but decent. 14.35.
Capelli, pbars: Clear hip half to open, half pirouette to one bar, high double pike with a hop forward. 14.425.
Gomez, vault: Underrotated Tsuk 2.5 and stepped off the podium to save it.
3:16 p.m.: After three: Germany 135.15, Italy 132.1., France 131.675, Britain 130.825, Switzerland 128.45, Romania 128.125, Spain 127.7, Greece 113.25.
Maras, high bar: Nice Pegan! Tak full, hecht, stalder 1.5. Double double layout with a step forward. Great routine. 15.175.
Cucherat, pbars: Giant double back, Tippelt, double back between rails, over to one bar, beautiful stuck double pike. The reigining European pbars champ gets it done. 15.3.
Thomas, rings: Cross, inverted cross (arched), straddle press to handstand, forward swinging elements, giant to full twisting double layout with a step back. 14.175.
Morandi, vault: Handspring double front, a little underrotated with steps back. 15.2.
Lympanovnos, high bar: A nice routine including layout Tkatchev and straddle Tkatchev, but big step forward on his double twisting double layout. Not a ton of difficulty here. 13.575.
Sabot, pbars: Hits his feet on the ground on a Tippelt and sits on the bars. Good double pike. He had a very nice routine going until then! This is not good for France. 13.45.
Hunter, rings: Good routine. 14.275.
Principi, vault: Stuck Rudi. 15.55.
Markousis, high bar: Tak full, Tak half, stalder to Higgins, stalder half, stuck full twisting double "layout" that he piked down at the end.
Tomassone, pbars: Diamadov...teammates are cheering him on loudly, clapping and yelling "Allez!" Oh, but he's off on a transition to one bar. Then stuck double pike. Zut for the French. This is good for the Germans, who have yet to make a large mistake.
Purvis, rings: Roll to cross, bounce cross, front giant to the usual forward swinging elements, double double tucked. The thing about this routine is that Purvis rarely stayed in handstand long enough to show control. It was smooth, but...14.1.
Ottavi, vault: Tsuk 1.5. 15.025.
3:15 p.m.: The second group in this rotation is warming up. Italy will vault, France will be on parallel bars, Greece on high bar and Britain on rings.
3:01 p.m.: Marcel Nguyen, pbars: Front flip, giant, giant half, Belle, giant, double back, full twisting double back with a step forward! Gutsy dismount. His teammates cheered him through this routine. 14.975.
Buidoso, high bar: Nice Kovacs, hecht, stalder 1.5, stalder Endos, hop full, tucked double double with a hop forward. All the Romanians have very nice form on high bar, but they kind of lack the really high-flying skills. It was a good Kovacs though. 13.95.
Munoz, rings: Front double tuck to inverted cross, a little high. Ends routine with a full twisting double layout with a hop. 14.4.
Boeschenstein, vault: Fall on handspring double front. 14.825.
Adrian Bacur, high bar: Nice double double layout dismount. 13.7.
Hambuchen, pbars: Off to the side on one of his transitions to one bar. Double back. Nice double pike, again almost stuck. Announcer notes that Hambuchen chooses not to wear supports on his upper arms -- "I guess he's just made of tough stuff." 14.775.
Carballo, rings: 14.4.
Capelli, vault: Another stick for Switzerland (or almost -- I think he moved only one foot) on this Tsuk double. 15.6.
Gisi, vault: Stuck DTY. Good for him! 15.7.
Gomez, rings: Little control problems in the handstand and he flexes his feet on some of his swing elements. Full twisting double layout with a hop forward. 14.075.
Evgeni Spiridonov, pbars: Giant double back, Belle, double back, Stutz. Double pike with the smallest of hops. 14.4.
Iancu, high bar: Decent if unspectacular routine with a piked down full twisting double layout dismount. 13.8.
3:00 p.m.: Greece and Romania move to high bar, Germany and France go to pbars, Spain and Britain move to rings and the Swiss and Italians will be on vault.
So after two: Germany (91.0), France, Britain, Romania, Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland.
2:45 p.m.: Vaselios Tsolakdis, pbars: Nice front double pike bwtween the rails! Moving with confidence. Double pike off, just a small hop. 31 years old. End rotation.
Matteo Morandi, rings: A ringmaster in the style of the great Yuri Chechi. Mmm...beautiful positions. 29 years old...Stuck full twisting double layout. Best routine of the day on rings so far by a lot. 8.775 E-score. 15.475.
Yann Rayepin, vault: Tsuk double pike but I believe he landed it on his knees. At any rate, takes a giant step forward. Not quite enough height off the horse to get the push he really needed. 15.55.
Louis Smith, pommels: Looks like he's almost not got enough room at the end of the horse, but keeps going like nothing happened. Same dismount as Keatings. Very nice. He hit under pressure -- GB needed that routine after Keatings's fall. 15.525.
Markousis, pbars: Walked a little on a giant and came off on a Diamadov. Form break. 11.325.
Ottavi, rings: Wonderful toepoint. 1.5 twisting double tuck off.
Ait Said, vault: STUCK handspring double front. Amazing. Awesome. Pumped his arms -- that was a keeper.
Daniel Keatings, pommels: It's his moment. Overrotates scissors to handstand and has to correct it by taking his arm off the pommel. Russians between the pommels -- hard -- and traveling well, but then form break, loses it and comes off. Has to be a disappointment for him. Hugely difficult dismount, does two full pirouettes, but there's no getting away from the fact that GB will count a fall. 7.7 E-score. 13.7.
Christos Lympanovnos, pbars: 14.125.
Principi, rings: This should be a good event for Italy, who has Matteo Morandi to anchor. Principi has a little form break in a handstand but sticks the double layout dismount. Only a C-rated dismount, apparently.
Tomassone, vault: Tsuk double full with small hop back. 15.425.
Hunter, pommels: Scissor to handstand, circles, circles on one pommel, Russians across the horse, legs apart, handstand pirouette off. Well, he didn't fall...
2:43 p.m.: Second teams are warming up for the second rotation. That means France on vault, Greece on p-bars and Britain on pommels.
2:27 p.m.: Ovidiu Buidoso, parallel bars: Makes the audience go "ohhhh..." for something I didn't see early in his routine. Apparently it wasn't good. Double back with a step forward. Not sticking the dismounts on this event, is Romania. 12.8.
Marc Ramseier, rings: Decent routine with a double layout dismount, hop back. 14.2.
Martinez, pommels: Good routine with a few tiny form breaks. But well done overall. 14.325.
Flavius Koczi, p-bars: Good routine, double pike with a step forward. 14.55.
Matthias Fahrig, vault: Explosive handspring double front -- awesome height and power. Great landing too, just the smallest of hops. 9.575 E-score! 16.175.
Niki Boeschenstein, rings: Far better than Gisi here. L-sit to Maltese Kind of misses a handstand and does an extra giant to cover it up. Double front pike with a half turn -- "tidy" says the announcer.
Marcel Nguyen, vault: Tsuk 2.5 with a step to the side.
Sergio Munoz, pommel: Hit routine.
Cosmin Iancu, parallel bars: Falls on a forward Diamadov? Misses his hand, armpit came down on the bar and he was off. Too bad -- he has very nice lines for this event.
Hambuchen, vault: Nearly stuck DTY. What's interesting is that this looks like all he's capable of at the moment. He used to do an Amanar. 15.675.
Gisi, rings: Not the strongest guy, not the strongest routine. Some arch in his handstands. Double front pike with a hop back. 13.625.
Manuel Carballo, Spain, pommels: Moving quite well. Great routine with pirouette dismount.
Germany and France on vault, Greece and Romania on parallel bars, Spain and Italy on rings.
Wow! Matthias Fahrig just stuck the most effortless handspring double front in warmups. He's all over the place, flipping on the runway, etc.
2:26 p.m.: After one: Romania, Greece, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland.
2:07 p.m.: Rotation one:
Samir Ait Said, France: PIcks up swing on a kip, but his positions and elements are the strongest of the French team by far. "His strength is his strength," the British announcer said. Full twisting double layout.
Third Greek vaulter does a Tsuk double full. OK, nothing amazing, a little close to the horse.
Alberto Busnari, pommels: Nice flairwork. Great control from Greece's best on horse.
Kristian Thomas, floor: Arabian double pike. Front double full to punch front full. 2.5 to tuck front full? Russian travels. Layout Thomas. Roundoff, Arabian double front, stuck. Punctuation mark for the 21 year old! 14.925.
Cryil Tomassone, rings: Decent routine capped by full twisting double back. Rings is not France's best event, I feel, except of course for Samir Ait Said. 13.275.
Dmitrios Markousis, vault: Layout Podkopayeva, well performed.
Another hit horse routine from Italy's Ottavi. 13.65.
Sam Hunter, floor: Newcomer to the British team...Nice triple full to start, stuck. Layout Thomas. 2.5 front half tucked. He's a taller gymnast, not a lot of power to do flips, I'd guess, but he can twist well. Double full. Front double full, punch front full.
Hamilton Sabot, rings: Decent routine capped with full twisting double layout, small hops back. 14.275.
Vlasios Maras, vault: Nice open out of the DTY. Hop back. 15.575.
Daniel Purvis, floor: Big applause. Arabian double pike immediate deer jump. 1.5 to front double full. 2.5 to layout Barani. Tucked Thomas. Layout Thomas. Arabian double front, just a small hop. Nice start for team GB.
Paolo Principi, pommels: Moving well...nice routine.
Now Great Britain will be on floor, Greece on vault, France on rings and Italy on pommel horse.
Javier Gomez, floor: Tucked double double. Stuck Arabian double pike. Full twisting front 1.5. 1.5 to front full layout. Russians. Stuck 2.5. 14.675.
Roman Gisi, pommels: Fall. Russians into dismount. 12.35.
Fabian Hambuchen, rings: Cross, decent positions, nice control. Interesting they're putting him up first. Stuck cold double front pike half twist. Beautiful. 14.4.
Yurchenko double full with step back for Romania from Iucu?
Rafael Martinez, floor: Didn't see mount. Layout Thomas. 2.5 to front tuck full, stuc. Nice flairs to handstand and back down, Russians. Tucked Thomas. Front double full. 14.65.
Switzerland's no. 2 on horse hits. 14.025.
Philippe Boy, rings: Cross, press to L sit, Maltese. Requesite front swinging elements to cross. Double front pike, stuck. Nice.
Alin Jivan, vault: Tsuk 2.5. Well done.
Isaac Botella, floor: Double double layout. Front double full to layout front full. OOB on 2.5 to Rudi. Tucked Thomas. Russians. Tape on his right shin below the knee. Kind of falls forward on his full twisting double but saves it. 13.775.
Claudio Capelli, pommels: Hit routine. 13.725.
Marcel Nguyen, rings: Little bit of swing and struggling to control some of his handstands, but nearly sticks the full twisting double layout dismount. 14.6.
Flavius Koczi, vault: Tsuk triple, looked almost stuck. Awesome. 16.425.
1:59 p.m.: Senior team finals work like this -- two teams on each event, three up, three count. Spain will go first on floor, Romania on vault, and Switzerland on pommel horse during the first part of this first rotation.
1:57 p.m.: The judges are marching in. Here we go!
1:41 p.m.: More than 130 dancers are marching into the arena to perform an opening number. Their costumes are reminiscent of the glow in the dark vests construction works wear. The dance celebrates the work that was done to build Birmingham's famous "Spaghetti Junction" M-6 motorway. The dancers are all over the podium, moving in unison to pulsating electro music.
BIRMINGHAM, 1:24 p.m. -- The National Indoor Arena is currently celebrating the all-around victory of native son Sam Oldham, followed by other native son Max Whitlock in the just-concluded junior men's competition. (For notes on that, please see here. I promise to go back later and fix the many, many misspellings made while liveblogging that meet.) Switzerland's Pablo Braegger was third.
As could be expected, the NIA venue is quite a bit more intimate than that of the 02 in London, or the Palais Omnisports de Bercy in Paris. However, it also makes one feel closer to the action. Fewer fans have turned out to support the home and away gymnasts today than at the World Championships or French International, but one country that does seem to have a bit of a cheering section is Switzerland, which finished a surprising second during Thursday's junior team final.
Welcome to Examiner.com's live coverage of the 2010 European Gymnastics Championships. In about half an hour, the senior men's team finals will get under way. Please check back often for updates, and enjoy the show!
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