Anyone that makes it to the Olympic Games has to start somewhere. Gymnasts typically begin at a very young age. Watching these videos puts into perspective the amount of work, dedication and sacrifice that these gymnasts go through to make it to the Olympics.
A very young Aliya Mustafina and future Olympic Champion
1/ Nastia Liukin (USA), 2002 Here is 2008 Olympic all-around champion on beam at the 2002 Woga Classic (aged 12). She already has some impressive skills, including her acro series, side-sommie and front tuck (with some form issues). The basis of her choreography is there. Think of the number of beam routines that she must have performed in her lifetime! Her Olympic beam routines were quite literally years in the making.
2002 Woga Classic, Nastia Liukin
2/ Cheng Fei (CHI), 2003
The Chinese star competed at the 2004 and the 2008 Olympics, where she lead her team to gold for the first time in Olympic history. She was an especially powerful gymnast and her strengths were floor and vault (most unusual for a Chinese gymnast). Here she is on beam at a Japanese junior meet at age 15, where she shows some pretty amazing skills!
Japanese junior international competition, Cheng Fei
3/ Aly Raisman (USA), 2007
Here is a 12 year-old Raisman competing on floor 5 years before she won gold at the Olympics. Interestingly the routine reminds me of some of her Dancing with the Stars performances! Of course the tumbling is excellent, and even at this age she was incredibly comfortable on floor and loved performing for a crowd.
Parkettes Junior Invitational, Aly Raisman
4/ Aliya Mustafina (RUS), 2006
Here is Aliya, around 11 years old on floor. As graceful and precise as ever, she showed promise back then. She went on to become the 2010 World Champion and won 3 Olympic medals in 2012, including gold on the uneven bars.
2006 Friendship Classic, Aliya Mustafina
5/ Larisa Iordache (ROM), 2009
The level of difficulty that the Romanian juniors have on beam will never cease to amaze me. Clearly Iordache was destined for great things at age 12.
Topgym 2008, Larisa Iordache
6/ Kyla Ross (USA), 2009
The youngest member of the Fierce Five has always been a strong beam worker. Here is her beam routine from the 2009 US Junior Nationals (aged 12). Three years later, she helped the US Team take gold at the Olympics.
Prelims, 2009 US Junior Nationals, Kyla Ross
7/ Viktoria Komova (RUS), 2008
Back in 2008, aged 12, Viktoria performed a very difficult acro series on beam- flic, layout step-out, arabian. She has since removed this combination from here routine. Her beam work has always been lovely to watch!
Viktoria Komova on beam at the 2008 Voronin Cup
Post by Imogen Browne (follow on Twitter @Iflip4GymBlog)
Sandra Izbasa is a Romanian gymnast who celebrated her 23rd birthday earlier this week. She is a double Olympic Champion (floor in 2008 and vault in 2012), and has been one of Romania's great leaders and stars through a difficult period in Romanian gymnastics. She made her senior debut in 2006, where she placed third in the all-around and second in the beam final at the World Championships
A very young Sandra in 2006 (credit: Tom Theobald)
In 2007, Izbasa and team mate Steliana Nistor lead the Romanian team to third place in the team competition at the World Championships, helping them to gain momentum heading into the Olympic year. She qualified to the floor final at this competition, but finished in 8th position.
Nistor and Izbasa were close team mates (credit: Tom Theobald)
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Romania relied heavily upon Sandra's performances on beam, floor and vault, where she scored over 15 on all of those events. In a tight finish, the consistent Romanians beat Russia out for 3rd place. Sandra went on to win the floor final with a fantastic performance to a great piece of music. The tumbling is absolutely excellent, and is definitely one of the best routines of the decade.
Sandra's gold medal routine in Beijing
Izbasa's beam routine from the team finals
Sandra returned to gymnastics in 2009 only to tear her achilles tendon, whilst tumbling in the second half of the year. She returned to competition a year later, and came back strong, winning floor at a World Cup Event in Ghent.
A very blonde Izbasa in 2010 (Brigid McCarthy TGC)
Izbasa became the European floor and vault champion in 2011, extremely impressive results for someone making a comeback after tearing an achilles tendon. However, an injured foot meant that she was not able to compete at the 2011 World Championships, which damaged the team's chances of earning a medal.
At the London Olympics in 2012, a healthy Izbasa suprised everyone by her amazing performance in the all-around competition. Great performances everywhere from the veteran (even on bars, by far her weakest event) meant that she finished in 5th place- an amazing achievement for a gymnast at her second Olympic Games! She and her coaches must have worked extremely hard to produce this result and should be commended. Team Romania finished in 3rd position, edging out China for a medal. Sandra qualified to both the floor and vault finals, and managed to win the vault after McKayla Maroney fell on her second vault. A mistake in the floor final meant that Izbasa could not defend her Olympic title on floor. It's a huge shame that she wasn't able to pull the same one out that she did in team finals!
Sandra in the all-around final in London
Sandra with her gold medal in London
Sandra has had a long and successful gymnastics career. She has been a great leader and anchor for the Romanian team for six years. After the Olympics she took some time off an enjoyed the benefits of being an Olympic champion and a national hero. Much to the joy of her fans around the world, she has committed to training for the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp. Her maturity and experience will greatly help the younger up-and-coming gymnasts such as Ocolisan, Jurca, Munteanu and Tudorache. I'm sure that Bulimar and Iordache will benefit from her leadership as well! We wish Sandra the best of luck with her gymnastics this year, and hope that she decides to continue on in 2014!
Sandra and Catalina lead younger gymnasts Larisa Iordache, Raluca Haidu and Diana Bulimar to victory at the 2012 European Championships
Article by Imogen Browne (Follow this blog on Twitter at @Iflip4gymblog)
One of the greatest struggles for coaches is to train their gymnasts so that they peak at the right moment. Think Nastia Liukin in the 2005-2008 cycle. She emerged onto the scene as reigning Junior US Champion and won the senior title in 2005, and went on to perform very well at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne (2nd AA and 1st UB). An ankle injury took her out of all-around contention at the 2006 World Championships, where she only competed on bars. She struggled in 2007 with this injury and with the emergence of young Shawn Johnson, who blitzed the field in 2007 and 2008. But perhaps for Nastia, the shift of the spotlight was a blessing. She was able to regain her skills quietly in the background, and focus on her strengths (beam and bars). She did manage to beat Shawn at the American Cup (largely due to Shawn's fall on her new Amanar). But I don't think anyone expected the brilliant performances that she would pull out in Beijing, which was why it was all the more thrilling.
Nastia's debut senior competition- the 2005 American Cup
Nastia's all-around performances in Beijing that won her the gold medal
Love her or hate her, you've got to admit that her performances were near flawless that day. She performed with such confidence, looking back it is no suprise that she took the title. I do believe that Shawn was the better athlete (more consistent), but in the end it's about who does the best on the day of the competition.
In 2011, we saw a young Gabby Douglas, a new senior compete for Chow's alongside Shawn Johnson, who was making her first comeback attempt. Gabby's power and athletic ability were obvious, but nervy performances meant that she finished way down in the standings. Marta obviously saw great potential in this young lady, and she made the Worlds Team to Tokyo, where with a much improved performance placed 5th in the qualifications behind team mates Jordyn Wieber and Aly Rasiman, and qualified to the bars final.
Gabby's very rookie performance on beam at the 2011 US Nationals
Gabby's World Championship experience obviously did wonders for her confidence and she came back very strong in 2012, with impressive routines on all four apparatuses (including an Amanar on vault). She ALMOST took the Nationals title over Jordyn Wieber and raised many eyebrows. The transformation was astonishing, people were starting to believe that Gabby could win the Olympic all-around competition. It seems like Coach Chow worked his magic with her as well, and Gabby sailed her way through the Olympics all-around final to take the title over Russia's top qualifier Viktoria Komova, and team-mate Aly Raisman, who faltered on beam.
Gabby's MUCH improved floor routine from the 2012 US Nationals
Gabby and Chow share a moment after the all-around final in London
Both Nastia and Gabby did not experience the same hype as Shawn and Jordyn leading up to the Games. You have got to wonder if that helped them in any way.
Article by Imogen Browne (Follow on twitter @Iflip4gymblog)
Looking through my posts I was shocked to find that I have posted nothing on the Italian gymnasts. Not sure why, I think they are excellent and have some of the best artistry out there. They are making a name for themselves by producing serveral great all-around gymnasts including 2006 World Champ Vanessa Ferrari and 2012 Junior European Champ Enus Mariani.
1/ Vanessa Ferrari '90
Any discussion of Italian gymnastics has to begin with Vanessa Ferrari. She suprised the world as a young gymnast by becoming world all-around Champion in 2006, and in my mind, put Italy on the radar. She was (and still is!) an extremely powerful (yet short) athlete. She just goes to show that size isn't everything! She competed at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, one of only a handful of gymnasts to do so. Her tenacity and fierceness is admirable, in every competition she gets her game face on, and has always performed like a seasoned competitor. She has been a great leader for the Italian team over the past few years and their most consistent all-arounder. She placed 8th at last year's London Olympic Games, a testament to her hard work over the last quad, and an improvement on her 11th place finish four years earlier in Beijing.
Vanessa on floor at the 2012 London Olympics
The most amazing thing about Vanessa is her competitive spirit and her obvious love for gymnastics. She continues to compete and (hopefully!) will shoot for Rio in 2016, where she may finally win a medal on floor. She is best to watch on floor, where she has wonderfully expressive dance, some of the best tumbling you'll ever see and she even has a unique leap named after her in the code. To be honest, she is pretty good everywhere! She has that 'get the job done' approach, and can be counted on to produce a consistent performance anywhere- a great person to have on your team! Plus, she likes to keep us entertained with her interesting choice of leotard- see below!
Vanessa Ferrari competes on floor in the EF at the 2012 Olympic Games- she was devastated to finish outside of the medals in 4th place
2/ Carlotta Ferlito '95
Another prominent name in Italian gymnastics is the charismatic Carlotta Ferlito. She first drew attention at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games, where she placed 3rd in the all-around, 3rd on vault and 2nd on floor. She, like Ferarri is a good all-arounder, but her best event is beam. It has always slightly unnerved me how confident and natural she looks up there! She consistently makes beam and floor finals, and she is great to watch on either piece. She is an incredibly clean and athletic gymnast, with many more competitive years in her yet!
Carlotta Ferlito, another of Italy's great all-arounders
Carlo's beam from the EF at the European Championships held last month
Trademark balance at the start of her routine, London 2012 (photo credit: Zimbo)
3/ Elisabetta Preziosa '93
Elisabetta (or Betta) is a beam specialist and her routines are absolutely gorgeous, thanks to her beautiful flexibility and poise. She also competes on other events, but her best marks are by far on beam. If she is to make the team in the future, she will be a beam specialist (which will be tough because it seems that all Italians are great on beam!). Nevertheless, she is certainly something special.
Betta shows off her amazing flexibilityat the 2009 World Championships
Another beautiful position- I could fill up the whole page with beautiful pictures!
One more will have to do- I do love Italy's leotards! (photo credit: televisionado)
4/ Erika Fasana '96
Erika was a member of the 2012 London Olympic team, who is a great team player and another consistent all-arounder. She finished 13th in qualifications at the Olympic Games, another victim of the 2-per country rule. Vault is probably her best piece, she is another power gymnast with a Ferarri-type build. In my opinion, she has not yet reached her full potential and I am excited to see what upgrades she will make over the next couple of years.
Fasana getting ready to compete (photo credit: La Provincia)
Fasana in the vault final at the 2012 European Championships
5/ Elisa Meneghini '97
Elisa is part of the new crop of gymnasts, she turned senior this year and just missed out on the last Olympic Games. She is again great on beam (I see a common theme here) and performed very well in the beam finals at this year's European Championships in Moscow. She is a very clean gymnast from what I have seen and I am unsure about her all-around potential. But it will be interesting to see how she develops over the next quad, and how her performances can help the team.
Elisa Meneghini, happy to be on floor at the 2012 Junior European Championships (photo credit: Federation Francaise de Gym)
Elisa representing Italy in the beam final at the 2013 Moscow European Championships
6/ Enus Mariani '98
Enus will become a senior next year. She impressed many by taking the Junior European all-around title in 2012, and helped her team to a silver medal (bearing Romania, which is HUGE). She impressed me with her wonderfully expressive floor routine. She has a rare gift for artistry and has almost taken it to the level of interpretive dance. Her style is not for everyone, but I love that she is so daring and is not afraid to be herself at such a young age.
Enus at the 2012 Junior Europeans (photo credit: Federation Francaise de Gym)
Enus with her fantastic floor routine. Love it! Do you?
I can't wait to see what the Italian squad can produce over the next quad. I would love to see them upset for a team medal. I believe that Enus potentially could challenge for all-around medals in the coming years. How great would it be to see an Italian up on the podium again??
Article by Imogen Browne (Follow I Flip For Gym Blog on Twitter @IFlip4GymBlog)
Elsa has lovely long lines and what she lacks in difficulty, she makes up for in execution. At the 2009 World Championships in London, she was awarded the Longines Prize for Elegance. At this competition she placed 12th in the all-around and qualified to the vault final.
Elsa with her prize at the 2009 World Championships in London
She is good on all events, a great blend of elegance and power. Mostly I enjoy her balance beam routines. She has quite a unique style and performs her skills very precisely. Here is her routine from the 2010 American Cup.
Elsa scored 13.7 for this routine
Her floor routines have great choreography and music. Here is one of her better ones from 2007. Gymnastics was a minor sport in Mexico at the time, and Elsa's success no doubt helped the sport gain popularity and funding. Check out the great tumbling!
This scored a 14.925 (easier scoring back then??)
Due to an injury prior to the Olympic Games in London, Elsa was only able to compete floor and beam in the qualifications. Her ultimate goal was to compete at these Olympics, and now she has achieved that, it is unsure what she will decide to do in the future. She participated in the 2012 Mexican Gala, a display event alongside many great gymnasts including; Catalina Ponor (ROM), Rebecca Bross (USA), Marian Dragilescu (ROM) and Jessica Lopez (VEN). Here is her floor routine performed to 'Pretty Woman'.
I have very much enjoyed watching Elsa's performances over the years. She is currently studying fashion design, and plans to release her own line of leotards! She also would love to compete at the Olympic Games in 2016.
Article by Imogen Browne (Follow me on Twitter @IFlip4GymBlog)
Aliya Mustafina is an extremely well-known name in the sport of gymnastics. She emerged as a senior in 2010 and had good success at both the European Championships and the World Championships in Rotterdam, where she helped Russia to win the team title for the first time in years. She has elegant lines and expresses herself beautifully in her gymnastics. She is also well known for her dramatic eye make-up and bold nail polish that she wears during competitions. American commentators love to refer to her 'diva' attitude and compare her to the likes of Svetlana Khorkina.
Mustafina competes on floor during the team final at the 2012 Olympic Games in London
She excels on all four apparatus and has good technique across the board (apart from some questionable leg form on her twisting elements). She is daring on beam and performs difficult dance and acrobatic skills with ease (double turn and standing arabian). Here is a very young Mustafina competing on beam in 2006. Even at 12 years old, she was a precise and confident performer and already has many difficult moves packed into her routine.
She was extremely confident coming into the AA final at the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam. She told her father "I cannot loose". She was one determined 16 year old! At this stage she performed an Amanar vault, which gave her an added 0.7 edge over her fellow competitors. Perhaps most impressive were her beam and floor routines which she performed with confidence and style to take the AA title in her first ever World Championships.
Aliya's beam routine during the AA final at the 2010 World Championships
Aliya's gorgeous floor routine during the AA final at the 2010 World Championships
At the 2011 European Championships, Aliya severely injured her knee performing an Amanar vault during competition. This was met with cries of outrage and many debates were fought over whether or not gymnasts should be encouraged to perform these dangerous vaults. The FIG have now lowered the start value of the Amanar vault, in the hopes of discouraging gymnasts to perform them before they are ready. In Aliya's case, the accident was extremely unfortunate.
A scary reminder of how dangerous gymnastics can be
Many thought that this potentially career-ending injury would prevent Mustafina from attending the 2012 Olympic Games. Aliya proved what a fighter she was by resuming training as early as possible and by spending extra time on bars to rest her leg. Right up until the Olympic Games, many questioned her ability to perform well in the all-around. She delighted fans around the world by pulling together a performance that won her the bronze medal in the all-around competition behind Gabby Douglas and Viktoria Komova. Despite a fall on beam, her beautifully executed double turning Yurchenko, stellar bar routine and solid floor routine secured her a place on the podium (was awarded the tie-break over Aly Raisman).
Mustafina, Douglas and Komova on the podium at the all-around final at the 2012 Olympic Games
Mustafina helped the Russian team win silver in the Team finals in London. However, her proudest moment came with winning an individual gold medal in the uneven bars final. She is a beautiful bars worker and competes many difficult connections with huge amplitude and ease. Mustafina has overcome so much adversity to become Russia's most accomplished gymnast at the 2012 London Olympic Games. She is an inspiration to many across the globe and we hope to see much more of her beautiful gymnastics in the coming years!
Mustafina finally wins her individual gold medal for Russia on the uneven bars at the 2012 London Olympics
Deng Linlin is a two-time Chinese Olympian. She has won two Olympic gold medals, first with the team at the 2008 Beijing and secondly in the beam final at the 2012 London Olympics. It is amazing that she remained competitive at such a high level for two Olympic cycles. This makes her one of China's most successful gymnasts. Her strongest event is definitely beam, where she was also World Champion in 2009.
Deng happy after she finished her gold-medal beam routine at the 2012 Olympics
Deng was selected to train with the Chinese national team in 2004, where at the ripe age of 12, she moved away from home to concentrate on making the 2008 Olympic team. She was the third best Chinese all-arounder in 2008 (at both the Chinese Nationals and Olympic Qualifications) behind Yang Yilin (who won the bronze medal in the all-around competition) and Jiang Yuang. Deng was heavily relied upon in the team final, where she contributed fantastic scores on vault, beam and floor (15.250, 15.925 and 15.150 respecitively). Twenty minutes before the competition, the coaches decided to put her in the vault line up instead of Jiang Yuang. She did a fantastic job, sticking her DTY vault beautifully.
Deng Linlin's 15.250 DTY in the Team Final during the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Although other members of China's gold medal winning team from Beijing continued to train after 2008, Deng was the most persistent (and did not undergo a large growth spurt like Yang Yilin!). She claimed the beam title at the 2009 World Championships in London. Her acrobatic skills are crazy high, she shows of her flexibility (especially in the shoulders) and she is very precise. Chinese gymnasts are notoriously inconsistent, especially on beam. Deng in one of the more consistent Chinese gymnasts, and I believe that is precisely why she took the gold at this year's Olympics over her compatriot Sui Lu. Here is one of Deng's best routines from the Team Final at the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam.
Deng Linlin performs on beam during the team final at the 2010 Rotterdam World Championships
The podium for the beam final at the 2012 London Olympics. Sui Lu (not impressed), Deng Linlin and Aly Raisman (delighted)
Deng has brought pride to her country once more, by bringing home an Olympic gold medal this summer. In honour of her achievements, the 'Deng Linlin rest and exercise centre' has been constructed in her hometown. Deng is very thankful for this and hopes that her achievements will encourage people to take care of their health and that her community will continue progressing. I am uncertain if Deng will choose to continue in gymnastics but nevertheless she has had a very successful career and should be extremely proud of what she has accomplished. It is not easy to understand just how much sacrifice and dedication it takes to remain successful in the sport of gymastics for two Olympic cycles. China should be incredibly proud of their star!
This Sunday Spotlight features British gymnast Rebecca Tunney, who was the youngest member of Great Britain's 2012 Olympic Team. Born in '96 she was just 15 when she competed in London and finished a very respectable 13th place in the all-around final. She trains at Liverpool Gymnastics and is coached by Claire Duffy (who also coached Beth Tweddle, Hannah Whelan and Jennifer Pinches).
Rebecca Tunney, now 16 years old trains at Liverpool Gymnastics (photo credit: Guardian UK)
Her gymnastics has improved rapidly over the past year. At the start of 2012 she competed in the American Cup where she had significant problems on beam. However, the youngster learned from her mistakes and came back to win the British Championships. Later in the year, she produced solid beam routines in front of a home crowd and enormous pressure at the Olympic Games. Her coach Claire Duffy is happy with how Rebecca has handled the pressure of an Olympic Games.
"She takes everything in her stride. She's used to big occasions and she will treat it as just another competition. She knows that she has to be ready to deliver the routine to the best of her ability" (from the Observer, UK).
Tunney on floor exercise during the Qualifications round at the 2012 Olympic Games (photp credit www.zimbio.com)
Rebecca has beautiful lines and executes her routines very cleanly. She is probably most well known for her bar routine where she has excellent rhythm and a variety of different skills. Her floor routine is also a delight to watch, she has such style for a gymnast so young. The tumbling is not bad either! Beth Tweddle has much praise for this young gymnast.
“Rebecca is a great gymnast, so mature and grounded considering she’s not 16 yet and she’s got a great future.” (LiverpoolEcho, UK)
Tunney's routine from the London Test Event where she qualified to the bars final
Rebecca's floor routine from the 2012 British Championships where she won the all-around competition
Rebecca describes the Olympic Games as a 'surreal experience' but she is very proud of her achievements. On the sacrifices she has made to get to London, she says
"It's been worth it. This is the best experience of my life. Not many people can say they've been to an Olympics at the age of 15 so it is an achievement"
She is absolutely correct! What an amazing achievement for Rebecca, I am sure that her coach and family are incredibly proud of what she has accomplished at her young age!
Tunney plans to shoot for Rio in 2016, although she is well aware that things do not always go to plan.
"To be honest with you, it depends on how fit I am, how many injuries I have had. See how that goes," she said. "I would like to think that I will stay on. But you never know what will happen in the future." (Guardian, UK)
Rebecca, we hope to see you continue in the sport. British gymnastics is undergoing an exciting period, with the success of Beth Tweddle and the Men's team (took home bronze in the team final, their first team medal at the Olympic Games). British gymnastics needs young talents like Tunney to continue the legacy!
Double pike dismount from Tunney in the all-around final at the Olympic Games (Photo credit: Guardian)
Sorry the third part of this has been so long coming. Where to start? We have been treated to so many artistic and expressive floor routines over the last quad, ranging from the beautiful balletic style of Ana Porgras to the powerful (and in my opinion, equally as artistic) Jordyn Wieber. A gymnast that links powerful and cleanly executed tumbling with difficult spins and leaps will get a good mark. However, the gymnasts that set themselves apart from the rest of the field do so by portraying their own unique style and flair to the audience and judges. Artistry generally ripens with age, but some young gymnasts have 'it', such as Victoria Moors (Canada) and Anastasia Grishina (RUS). I'm not even sure what kind of style I enjoy, but I have put together a list of my favourite floor routines from the last quad. 2009 Ana Porgras (ROM) The young Romanian appeared on the international stage in 2009 at the World Championships held in London (same venue as the 2012 Olympic Games). Romania is not particularly well-known for their artistry on floor, but Ana was in a class of her own. She has lovely long lines and performs well to a waltz piece. She had an extremely well-polished routine for a gymnast so young. Unfortunately Ana retired before the Olympic Games in 2012, due to ongoing injuries. She would have been a huge asset to the Romanian team on beam and bars in particular.
Ana showing off her gorgeous lines during the floor final at the 2009 World Championships in London (tied for 5th place with Rebecca Bross)
Ksenia Semenova (RUS) I've said it before and I will say it once again. Semenova's '09-'10 routine is simply divine. The choreography gels perfectly with the music and her routine is entirely her own. I have never seen a gymnast perform as she does, she captivating and tells a story with her routine. Note the interesting spins with the leg held behind the head. Love love LOVE this routine.
Semenova's routine at the 2009 Memorial Gander Competition.
Sui Lu (CHI)
This Chinese gymnast deserves to be on the list for her stellar tumbling alone. She is always so clean and has one of the best triple twists I have ever seen (except for perhaps Larisa Iordache!). Sui has since gotten a new routine, but I prefer the older one for some reason. I mean, who couldn't love her with her cute Chinese choreography and little white gym shoes? Check out her awesome, cleanly executed spins too.
Bronze medal floor routine from Sui Lu at the 2009 World Championships in London
2010
Aliya Mustafina (RUS)
The 2010 World Championships were Aliya Mustafina's and Team Russia's time to shine. She was at her peak and was the best gymnast in the world at this time, and she knew it! Her floor routine was totally captivating. She has the classic Russian lines, the sass and the tumbling to boot. She performs as though she owns the place! I especially love her close-to-the-floor dance section, it changes the tempo of the routine and builds suspense for the final tumble.
Mustafina's floor routine in the 2010 World Championships Team Final, where Russia took home gold for the first time in history
2011
Jordyn Wieber (USA)
Many people complained about the lack of artistry in Jordyn Wieber's routines, the World all-around champion from 2011. I was also sceptical, but found myself loving her new floor routine performed to 'Wild Dance'by Ruslana. Jordyn may not have the classic lines of the more elegant gymnasts, but her floor routine suits her body type and personality so well. She performs with great energy, shows beautiful control and even looks as though she is enjoying herself out on the competition floor. I love the bit before her last tumble run, where she sweeps her arms around towards the audience, this routine interprets the music extremely well. Another great thing about Jordyn is that you know that she will always land on her feet! Unfortunately the same can't be said for a lot of gymnasts out there (particularly Russia!)
Jordyn on floor at the 2011 Visa National Championships
Ksenia Afanasyeva (RUS)
This Russian veteran was the 2011 World Champion on floor. Her routines have always been beautifully artistic but this one was a step above the rest. She has beautiful choreography, great turns and powerful, clean tumbling. She pays attention to detail and always finishes dance skills on toe point. Like Mustafina, she is captivating and absolutely stunning to watch on floor. Well deserved gold medalist on this event!
Afanasyeva wins the floor at the 2011 World Championships
2012
Victoria Moors (CAN)
One of my general rules is that gymansts shouldn't reuse floor musics. However, Victoria's interpretation of Aussie Daria Joura's music is fantastic. Man this girl can dance! Her confidence is extremely impressive in someone so young! (At 15 she helped Canada to their 5th place finish at the Olympics this year). Also check out the air that she gets on her double double opening pass. Victoria is a very exciting newbie for the Canadian team and I'm sure that she will medal in World Championships on floor exercise in the coming years.
Victoria's floor routine from the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships
Aly Raisman (USA)
Aly has developed into this routine over the '11-'12 period. At first I disliked it, but it has grown on me over time. She is, without a doubt one of the most powerful and clean tumblers of all time. Her opening pass is a jaw-dropper, double-piked arabian to immediate layout punch-front, I'm not sure how this is even possible, this girl is a machine. Like Jordyn, Aly proves that you do not have to have a classical, balletic style of gymnastics to be successful. Check out the best floor routine from the 2012 Olympic Games. I was so pleased that she got her individual gold medal at these Games, she is extremely hard working and deserves to be in the spotlight and have her talent recognised. I really hope Aly continues to stick around, I'd love to see her compete again at a World Championships and see her get that all-around medal she deserves.
Golden Girl Aly performs in the floor final at the 2012 Olympic Games
