REPORT - DAY1

This year's Japan Cup was represented by 8 teams for men and 4 teams for women. The competition is a test event for the coming World Championships in Tokyo next year, so the gymnasium was in a good mood to have a great meet.

MEN'S TEAM ALL-AROUND

Japan and the USA started on floor. Japan's Yamamuro mounted and dismounted with arabian double variations (piked and double, respectively) but had a big hop forward. Uchimura also had a big hop backward on his piked arabian double with a half turn, but stuck his triple twist dismount perfectly. USA had a big mistake: Horton put his hands down on his tucked full-in dismount. Ruggeri hit his routine with a gorgeous Tamayo (layout arabian double) mount. Germany started from pommel horse: Hambuchen fell on his Ross and Spirdonov had a big leg separation on his flop to dismount. Great Britain and France started with some strong vaults.

In the second rotation, on pommel horse, USA's Brooks fell on his Mogilny after Tong Fei, and Cameron had a wobble on his dismount, but Naddour hit his routine with 360 degree kehre and beautiful circles. Japan's Tanaka showed a flawless routine, and Uchimura struggled on his flop and D combined elements. The last performer, Kobayashi, performed his routine perfectly with a good rhythm and speed. On rings, Germany's Boy took a few steps on his double-double dismount. Hambuchen stuck his piked double front with a half turn. Nguyen showed power in pull up to Maltese mount, but had a wobble on his back uprise to handstand. On vault, Dragulescu of Romania showed his "Dragulescu" with a large step backward.

On rings, in the third rotation, Japan had a big mistake from Tanaka: he fell forward on his shoot to handstand after Guczhogy series. However, Kobayashi had no major mistake and Yamamuro mounted with back roll to Maltese and stuck layout full-in dismount. Brooks had weak expression in his strength elements and Horton bent his elbows in his shoot to handstand.On vault, Hambuchen did a double twisting Yurchenko, Nguyen did Driggs, and Fahrig did a high Roche but had a large step backward.

In the fourth rotation, the USA and Japan went to vault. USA's Ruggeri showed a Shewfelt but stepped to his right side and stepped over the line. Brooks did Roche with a large step forward. Horton also did a Roche a but sat down on his landing. Japan's Kobayashi did Driggs but took a few large steps. Uchimura almost perfectly stuck his landing with beautiful execution as usual. Yamamuro did a very strong Lopez with a step backward. Germany went to parallel bars, and Nguyen did not do his trade mark, full-in dismount, but showed a flawless routine. Hambuchen had a small mistake on his peach, and had a big wobble on his Peters. The silver medalist at Beijing Olympics, Yoo Won Chul, had a high start value on parallel bars but made a little adjustment in his peach series.

On parallel bars, in the fifth rotation, Kobayashi and Uematsu hit their routines, and the bronze medalist at the London world championships, Tanaka, had a big wobble on his Dmitrienko, but recovered well from that mistake. USA had no major mistakes; Brooks stuck his double front dismount impressively. Germany was on high bar; Nguyen fell twice on his Kolman. Boy hit his routine with a good Kolman and Yamawaki and stuck his layout full-in dismount. Hambuchen had four flight elements (piked Kovacs, Kolman, layout Tkachev to Rybalko, Yamawaki), but could not connect his Yamawaki directly after his Adler-full.

In the last rotation, USA and Japan went to horizontal bar. USA's Ruggeri hit Adler-half to layout Tkachev, but had a big step on his layout full-in dismount. Brooks showed impressive combinations: Adler-full to Yamawaki to Gienger; Adler-half to Tkachev. Horton missed his Adler-full and could not connect to Yamawaki, but hit three flight elements (layout Kovacs, Kolman, Kovacs). He did not do his triple twisting double layout dismount but did layout full-in. Germany on floor recovered from the disaster on horizontal bar: Hambuchen stuck his layout double-double mount and tucked full-in dismount. Nguyen hit his tucked djouble back with triple twist (Ri Jongsong) amazingly, and had a great performance. Fahrig unveiled a piked arabian double with rudi out (a new skill in the world, credited as G element). Having three arabian double elements, he brought Germany a silver medal over the USA. Japan's Tanaka had an Adler-half to layout Tkchev, Adler-full to Yamawaki, and stuck his layout full-in dismount. Uchimura also hit his routine and stuck his dismount as well. Uematsu did a layout Kolman, Adler-half to Kovacs, Kolman and Adler-full to Yamawaki. It was a somewhat nervous routine but he also stuck his layout full-in dismount. His D score was 7.3! After his routine, Japan celebrated its two consecutive victories in the team all -around.

WOMEN'S TEAM ALL-AROUND

All three of Russian women did double twisting Yurchenko and All three of the Japanese did a one and a half twisting Yurchenko on vault in the first rotation. Russia performed with a great height but showed weak execution with leg separation and bent knees. Japan had a good execution but lacked the height.

On uneven bars, Russia had some great stunts: Demencheva hit her routine with Jaeger and Tkachev. Mustafina showed Maloney-half, piked Jaeger, and Tkachev. Navieva unveiled layout Tkchev from sole circle (Piatti) but could not connect to a kip cast handstand. She did also Maloney-half, and stuck her tucked full-in dismount. Japan's Shintake hit her routine. Oshima could not connect edirectly to a piked Jaeger after Ono turn, Tsurumi did her new routine with Ono-turn with another half turn to Tkachev, and ono turn to Jaeger. The execution was just amazing but she took a little hop on her double layout dismount.

On beam, Yamagishi hit her routine with Rulfova, but her dismount was a little shaky. Shintake had a few large steps backward in her dismount. Tsurumi had a very big balance check after her Onodi. Russia's Demencheva hit her routine and stuck her triple twist dismount. Mustafina also hit her routine and also dismounted with a triple twist with a step forward. Afanasyeva performed her routine solildly with good acrobat elements.

On floor, Tanaka had very impressive expression with two double somersaults (tucked and piked). Oshima had trouble in her second pass: she could not connect her layout front full after her one and a half twist. Tsurumi mounted with tucked full-in, and she almost stuck each landing. Navieva went out of bounds after her tucked arabian double (too high). She had another wobble in her tucked double dismount. Demencheva mounted with piked full-in, and continued to two whips, ff to two and a half twist; later dhe did a triple twist and finished with piked double. Her choreography was classical in the traditional Russian way. Afanasyeva mounted with layout double and continued to two whips, ff, triple twist. A gorgeous routine and it deserved Russia's two consecutive victories over the host country.

by Toshiaki Fujii