Thanks to those of you who have been reminding me this week that this post was almost overdue. I needed your encouragement to get on the ball here. So with no further ado…
The following is part one of a three-part post on the 2007 World Championships. The posts will be on the good, the bad and the outrageous from Stuttgart. As usual, my commentary will focus on the women’s competition. Please feel free to comment on what you considered good, bad or outrageous from the competition. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
THE GOOD
- Li Shanshan‘s combo of backhandspring step-out, backhandspring, layout, back dive swing down on Beam. That was awesome! I think it’s the only time in recent memory that I’ve said “wow!” out loud when watching gymnastics. She was thrilling. See below for a youtube video of her performance in Event Finals.
- Jade Barbosa… where on earth did she come from? I knew she was an up and coming athlete from Brazil but certainly didn’t expect to see her on the podium this year. She is wonderful. Her difficulty on Vault is superb and she was cool and steady on the other 3 events. I was so disappointed to see her fall on Floor but what a feat for Brazil – 3rd in the All Around…well done.