Men’s Vault

1. Yang Hak Seon (KOR) claimed the world title with a booming handspring triple-twisting front now named the Yang, and a Tsukahara triple-twist. I don’t know how he manages to twist so quickly!

2. Steven Legendre (USA) vaulted a superb Dragulescu with just a bit of a low landing that required a small hop to the side. He looked happy with his second vault, a high Tsukahara double pike with a step back.

3. Kristian Thomas (GBR) stuck his first vault, a Yurchenko double pike, and showed the fantastic form he is known for on this event (E=9.500, the highest of the final). Next he vaulted a tucked double front with just a hop backward.

Rounding out the Top 8: Kenzo Shirai (JPN), Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA), Diego Hypolito (BRA), Marius Berbecar (ROU) and Oleg Verniaiev (UKR).

Balance Beam

1. Aliya Mustafina (RUS) pulled it all together when it counted most, earning the gold medal on beam with a beautiful routine that included a switch split half to immediate Onodi. It was nice to see her supporting her younger teammate, Anna Rodionova, who is so elegant on the beam but unfortunately fell on her ff, Arabian.

2. Kyla Ross (USA) was spot on, and displayed beautiful lines on all elements. I enjoyed seeing her aerial front-sheep jump combination. After filing an inquiry, her score was raised to 14.833, just short of Mustafina.

3. Simone Biles (USA) also filed an inquiry following her beam routine and saw her score increase just enough to surpass Vanessa Ferrari (ITA). Love her full-in dismount. It reminds me of the old days. This is her routine from podium training:

Rounding out the Top 8: Vanessa Ferrari (ITA), Carlotta Ferlito (ITA), Shang Chunsong (CHN), Larisa Iordache (ROU) and Rodionova. Unfortunately many of the best beam workers ended up at the bottom of the pile, but that’s often the way the cookie crumbles on beam.

Parallel Bars

1. Lin Chaopan (CHN) & Kohei Uchimura (JPN) competed early on in the 9-man final, and boy did they impress! Lin was first up, and he and teammate You scrambled to chalk the rails after presenting themselves to the judges. His routine included the exciting Bhavsar and a nailed double pike dismount. Uchimura, not to be outdone, swung a nice giant to double pike and also stuck the same dismount (with a little arm swing!). The two gymnasts ended up atop the medal podium, each with 15.666 (D=6.700, E=8.966).

3. John Orozco (USA), returning from a knee injury, did a great set complete with tucked and piked double backs and a large Tippelt for the bronze medal. A door opened for Orozco, as his performance came on the heels of some disappointing routines by Vasileios Tsolakidis (GRE), Anton Fokin (UZB) and Brandon Wynn (USA).

Rounding out the Top 9: You Hao (CHN) with his smooth movements and fabulous double front-half out dismount, Epke Zonderland (NED), Marius Berbecar (ROU), Wynn, Tsolakidis and Fokin.

Women’s Floor Exercise

1. Simone Biles (USA) shone on floor as she executed her energetic choreography and trademark tumbling: tucked double-double followed by the Biles. Despite some hops on landings, she won in convincing fashion: 0.367 over the nearest competitor!

2. Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) flipped her way to silver with a tucked double double, a full-in to back tuck, a double tuck and a double pike. All landings were stuck except for a little hop forward on the first pass.

3. Larisa Iordache (ROU) commanded everyone’s attention and delivered such a spunky routine with tricky elements. I think everyone in the arena was disappointed when a 14.600 was flashed on the scoreboard. It did hold up, however, and Iordache found herself wearing the bronze medal around her neck. I was hoping she would win, because we haven’t seen this kind of artistry and enthusiasm in a long time. She is quickly becoming one of my favourites!

Rounding out the Top 8: Mai Murakami (JPN), Giulia Steingruber (SUI), Kyla Ross (USA), Sandra Izbasa (ROU), Ellie Black (CAN). I hardly recognized Izbasa with all that makeup(!), but I’ll really miss her once she retires. It’s too bad she fell at the end of her routine, but she got up with a smile. Her attitude is second to none, and she always shows such great sportsmanship. Murakami (quadruple turn) and Black (2.5-twist through to triple twist!) showed amazing tumbling and will hopefully finish on the podium in the near future.

High Bar

1. Epke Zonderland (NED) repeated his Olympic win in Antwerp with his usual amazing combinations. His 7.7 D score had him starting 1.3 ahead of Ryohei Kato (JPN), who of course had the misfortune of having to perform directly after the Flying Dutchman. While I do love seeing his extraordinary release moves, I do think his E score is a tad too high compared to gymnasts like Jossimar Calvo Moreno (COL) and Andreas Bretschneider (GER), who each scored lower.

2. Fabian Hambüchen (GER) seems like such a nice guy. I always see him in the background congratulating Uchimura on his All Around wins, and at the London Olympics and today in Antwerp he took the time to congratulate Zonderland on his win. Hambüchen looked thrilled after nailing his laidout double double dismount.

3. Kohei Uchimura (JPN) was flawless except for a hesitation in handstand following his Takamoto full. Through his 15 routines of these Championships he made nary a mistake and he came away with 4 medals, just like Simone Biles.

Rounding out the Top 8: Sam Mikulak (USA), Calvo Moreno, Bretschneider, Kato, Lin Chaopan (CHN). What a way to end High Holy Week!

Today Kohei Uchimura (JPN) was crowned king of the Worlds for the fourth consecutive time (fifth including last year’s Olympic Games). He won in typical fashion, 1.958 points over teammate Ryohei Kato for a fantastic 1-2 Japanese finish. Fabian Hambüchen (GER) climbed his way up to the bronze medal after finding himself at the bottom of the standings in the first rotation!

Kohei Uchimura (JPN), AA Floor Exercise, 2013 World Championships

Ryohei Kato (JPN), AA Vault, 2013 World Championships

Fabian Hambüchen (GER), AA High Bar, 2013 World Championships

Floor exercise scores seemed to be the biggest indicator of things to come:

1. Kohei Uchimura, 15.558

2. Ryohei Kato, 15.500

3. Samuel Mikulak (USA), 15.366

4. Max Whitlock (GBR), 15.266

5. Fabian Hambüchen, Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA), Daniel Purvis (GBR), 15.133

These seven gymnasts all finished in the top seven All Around.

Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA), AA Floor Exercise, 2013 World Championships

Many of the other scores were all over the place; Jossimar Orlando Calvo Moreno (COL) recorded the highest score on parallel bars with a 15.400 tied with Zhou Shixiong (CHN), but unfortunately ended up in last place after a horrific crash from the high bar. Let’s hope he’s not too seriously injured and can compete in the high bar finals on Sunday. Zhou may have been the class of the field on parallel bars, but he ended up in 10th overall after receiving scores on pommels and rings that were only 19th best. Bart Deurloo (NED), 14th all around, managed the 3rd highest score on high bar with a 15.466, but also rounded up the 24-man field on rings with a 13.366.

Oliver Hegi (SUI), was so unlucky when his grip broke in the middle his high bar routine and was given a score of 7.100. How disappointing for a gymnast who qualified to the All Around in 9th place and was certainly looking to make his mark here.

David Belyavskiy (RUS) and Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) were expected to challenge for medals in Antwerp, but faded to 12th and 15th, respectively. Verniaiev was off to a very good start on rings and vault, but plummeted in the rankings after an 11.833 on high bar. Fortunately he’ll have another shot at a medal in the vault final this weekend, having qualified in second place behind Olympic Champion Yang Hak Seon (KOR).

Oleg Verniaiev (UKR), AA Vault, 2013 World Championships

Top 8 All Around, 2013 World Championships

Onwards to the Apparatus Finals, where the specialists come out to play!