Isao Yoneda, tops the Olympic Secondary Trials

Men's Competition
The competition took place at Yoyogi Gymnasium #1 on Saturday, April 3, and Sunday, April 4. The same 36 gymnasts competed both days, so it was possible to see the same routines performed wice.... and get a sense of what the gymnasts were like.

Floor exercise contained some relatively stock combinations: lots of bounder somersaults with multiple twists. The most interesting part of the competition tended to be the area where the gymnast had to perform a side sault or arabian somersault. In that area, there were a number of one and a half somersaults to forward roll. The one and a half somersault
to forward roll has not been seen for many years in Japanese competition.... but was done cleanly by those who did it. There may even have been a tucked Thomas (one and a half twisting back somersault to forward roll.) As most of the gymnasts did doubles or flairs on the floor, there were few interesting strength moves.... Yamada did a forward roll with straddled legs through a wide armed straddle press (straight armed, bent body) to an inverted cross.

The winner of pommel horse was obviously Kashima. He did not do anything particularly spectacular or different, but was simply more extended and beautiful to watch than any of the others. Daisuke Nakano did a back scissor to a handstand, and a straddled twisting dismount to a handstand and then straddled pirouettes in handstand to all the parts of the horse before dismounting. The straddle was pronounced, and so Nakano's dismount was much more memorable than others who did the same sort of dismount. Most routines, however, consisted of the same elements... Magyar travel from one end to the other, and various twisting travels and Russian spins. I do not remember seeing a single spindle (counter twist) other than the one Kashima did. The stock routine on pommel horse is fairly interesting, but none varied from it very much.

The stock routine on rings is extremely difficult, but allows for little variation in order to gain the bonus points. It starts off with a kip (or back uprise) to Maltese cross, lower to back lever and pull to "L" cross (Nakayama), press to Maltese cross, then roll backward through a back lever to pull to cross (Azarian). Then dislocate, locked arm felge to "L." Press straight body to handstand, locked arm giant to handstand, high dislocate to a double layout back or 1/2-in 1/2-out. Nakano was weak, and so was unable to show these combinations.... and had to settle for a Pineda (front lever to straight armed pull to cross.) Japanese judges are hard on this combination.... if it is not done just so, the difficulty will not be recognized. Nakano also did a piked Guzhoghy to a high dislocate and triple back off. Another interesting routine was done by Osada, who pressed straight armed-straight body from Iron cross to inverted cross, and did a beautiful Li Ning (German Giant) to "L" cross. Yamada and Tsukahara both pressed from Maltese cross to planche, but Tsukahara also did a back toss to front uprise to "L." (Some might describe that as a "Li Ning 2," but Tsukahara was not inlocated at any point. Tsukahara's stunt is not listed in the FIG Code of Points...) Yoshihiro Saito did a very high and pretty barani out dismount.

Vault contained "Roche" from Ogawa which had a good landing. Most did some sort of variation on a full or one and a half twisting Kasamatsu. Kagami and Yoneda did a 2 1/2 twisting Kasamatsu, and had a very solid landing on it. Nakano, Nakase, and Kuwabara etc. did a round off onto the board to a back handspring to a double twisting back sommie. Nakase kept 2 1/2 Yurchenko in reseve, which he hit at the last national championships.

Parallel bars had the best performers doing underbar somersault to near handstand and/or underbar with half twist to near handstand. The judges did not seem to deduct for missing handstands on these stunts when adding combination for bonus points. Thus the best performances were often done by gymnasts who were unable to even attempt the stunts the "big boys" were doing! Nakano, for example, had a Tippelt which he almost caught in a handstand, instead of pressing from a straddle "L"! Nakano also finished
with a 1/2-in 1/2-out on the first day.... a bad landing that day made him eliminate it on the second day.... but it was beautiful in warm ups. The most interesting overall  combination was done by Osada, who started off with cast to overarm hang, back uprise to handstand to hop pirouette.... which ended up on the end of the bars facing in.... piked
giant swing to tippelt to front sommie to overarm hang. Toshiyuki Adachi did a double back sommie from an arm support (morisue from arm support.)


Kashima did the same routine he used to win the world Championships on the second day, even though he could do some elements in the first part of routine on the first day. His big release was a Kovacs, and the most interesting part of his routine was an Endo in el-grip giants to immediate hop to reverse grip giants when he hit the handstand. He did a clean, perfect routine.... but others are using more difficulty, and may catch him soon. Nakano, for example, did the best Kolmann (Kovacs with full twist) I have ever seen. It was extremely high over the bar, and the twist was completed long before regrasp. Hidetoshi Mizutori, the Pan Pacific Alliance champion on this event in 2002, did a double twisting hop from regular grip giant to regular grip giant, which was rated E difficulty. Kasamatsu did a Gaylord 2....

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