Part of my daily internet ritual involves logging on to the Gymnastics Gossip Message Board (GGMB) to see what’s new in the world of gymnastics. Recently, I was intrigued by a thread entitled “Japanese Gymnastics Robot” posted by aevera. I clicked on the video and was amazed by what I saw: a robot doing a piked Kovacs on high bar! The Kovacs, first performed by Peter Kovacs (HUN) on his way to a silver medal on high bar at the 1979 European Championships, has since become a staple on this apparatus. It is described as a double back over the high bar, but by the time the bar is released and caught again, it’s actually a 1.5 back flip.

Starting from a dead hang, the robot managed to gain enough momentum to swing some rapid giants with great tapping action. Then the moment we were waiting for: the release move! Well, it was almost a Kovacs…he released just a fraction of a second too early and didn’t quite manage to swing out of it, but I was still thoroughly impressed that he caught the bar!

There were many revisions made to the gymnastics robot before it attained the level of success that the 6th incarnation has achieved with the piked Kovacs. This one is able to do several giants (with rather strange technique). I love the tuft of hair!

Here’s an earlier attempt at the Kovacs where the robot had to be helped into the handstand position. Had this one caught the bar, he would have had a nice swing out of the release skill.

2000 Olympic All-Around Champion Alexei Nemov competed many high-flying release moves in his day. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, his high bar included both a piked Kovacs and a tucked Kovacs. You can see them at 0:15 and 0:32, respectively.

Alexei Nemov (RUS), 2004 Olympic Games, High Bar

There are so many different versions of the Kovacs being performed on the high bar today: tucked, piked, layout, a Kolman (tucked Kovacs with a full twist), a Cassina (Kolman in layout position), and even a double-twisting Kovacs, as seen here in this video of Igor Cassina.

Igor Cassina (ITA) in Training, High Bar

I recently witnessed a video of my favourite gymnast, Kohei Uchimura, training a DOUBLE KOVACS! He didn’t catch the bar, but the fact that he is even attempting this is unbelievable. Wow!

Kohei Uchimura (JPN) in Training

Let’s see if Uchimura can catch this release skill before a robot does!

Many of the floor exercise routines at the most recent World Championships were like a breath of fresh air, thanks to the updated Code of Points. In 2009, the number of required skills was reduced from 10 to 8. As such, gymnasts had more time during the 90-second routine to focus on dance elements instead of just trying to pack in as much difficulty as possible.

A case in point: the floor exercise of South Korean gymnast Park Eun Kyung. This routine comes off as a bunch of tumbling skills set to music, shockingly devoid of any meaningful artistry. Even the little motions between tumbling passes show a surprising lack of any sort of interesting movement. But who can blame Park? She simply wanted to achieve as high a score as possible within the confines of the Code of Points.

Park Eun Kyung (KOR), 2008 Swiss Cup

Brazilian Jade Barbosa’s Olympic floor routine also received a lot of criticism for its lack of artistry. Barbosa moves from one tumbling skill to another, and one leap combination to another. She does throw in a few little dance moves in between, though.

Jade Barbosa (BRA), 2007 Pan American Games

Under the revised 2009 Code of Points, gymnasts performed 8 skills and had more time to focus on the entire package. One of my favourite routines of the past decade is Lauren Mitchell’s floor exercise from the 2009 World Championships. The routine makes the most of Mitchell’s best qualities. She may not be the most naturally graceful, but her musical sense and and unique style set her apart from the rest. I wish she had won the gold medal with this routine instead of the silver.

Lauren Mitchell (AUS), 2009 World Championships

It’s been a long time coming to see such a graceful Romanian gymnast, and Ana Porgras’s performances at her first World Championships bode well for her future.

Ana Porgras (ROM), 2009 World Championships

Heading into 2010, I look forward to seeing what the new wave of senior gymnasts has to offer. Judging by the most recent World Championships, I think we can expect to see some fantastic floor finals!