1. Ksenia Semenova (RUS)
Not only is she cute as a button, but she’s just an exciting gymnast to watch. I hope we didn’t see the last of her in Beijing. She’s spectacular on bars and beam (it’s one of my favorite routines from this quad, actually). She might be a little weaker on floor (her choreography this year was superb, though) and vault, but there’s clear room for improvement (even though her Yurchenko 1.5 is not the best, there’s hope. Carly Patterson had a so-so 1.5 but developed a solid DTY within a year). Even her coach said that they didn’t upgrade as much as they could’ve before Beijing because she had a growth spurt. She also needs to work on her form a little bit, but that all comes with time. Nevertheless, she’s extremely consistent (a novelty for a Russian gymnast). I love me some Semy!
2. Viktoria Komova (RUS)
I think she’s so lovely to watch, and I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I would love to see her excel as a senior. Not only is she very elegant (Kramarenko-style, I think), but she throws some pretty big skills, like a 1.5 through to an arabian double front and an arabian on the balance beam (she’s also trained a back handspring-back layout stepout-arabian series and an arabian double front dismount!). I’d hate for her to burn out, since she’s so young. Anyway, she’s a joy to watch. Her floor routine even reminds me of Omelianchik’s “Birdie” routine in the ’80s.
3. Mattie Larson (USA)
I think Mattie is great. I really like her style. She’s got very nice lines and you can feel the passion out on the floor, especially during her floor routine. She’s also a fairly good tumbler, and I’m excited to see how she can upgrade in the future. She might not have been ready for Beijing, but I really think she should stick it out for the next for years, because she could be spectacular!
4. Nailya Mustafina (RUS)
She’s the younger Mustafina sister, and she’s just adorable. Does anyone know if she’ll be eligible for London 2012 (I’ve heard that she will be but I’ve also heard the opposite, so I’m not sure)? If she’s not, I can definitely see some major burnout occurring, since she’s already training some pretty big skills! Anyway, she’s very graceful (her floor routine is really nice) and can throw some huge tricks (like a back full on beam). I can definitely see that she’ll grow up to be the powerful Mustafina, while her sister will probably be the more elegant one.
5. Samantha Shapiro (USA)
Oh, if Sammy could just get rid of her floor music, I would love her forever (I don’t understand what the big deal about Blues for Klook is. In fact, the only deal I see there is that my ears BLEED whenever I hear it, even if it is the great Silvia Mitova that’s dancing to it). Anyway, she’s not very powerful, but she does have some very nice lines and some nice choreography (which I would appreciate if she did it to better music!). I really like her beam routine, especially the Eremia-style mount. I definitely see room for improvement in this gymnast, and I’m excited to see what she can come up with in the future.
6. Rebecca Bross (USA)
I know I’ll be rooting for her this quad (how funny would it be if she won the 2012 all around? Three in a row for WOGA! Although that’s gotta be a lot of pressure for her…). She’s powerful, so I know she’ll be able to come up with a few exciting skills in the future (she already does a Patterson dismount on beam!). She’s also got good form, which I appreciate, and though she isn’t the most gifted dancer, she tries and can make it work, unlike many others.
7. Jiang Yuyuan (CHN)
Does anyone not think that she’s just a joy to watch? Maybe it’s her smile. Before she even starts dancing, you know you’ll love what she does (which is a lot – she’s got some pretty cool tricks up her sleeve!). Although I’m not glad she was injured in Beijing, at least I’m happy that that is probably the reason behind her less-than-stellar performance and not the fact that she is a headcase (I hate it when gymnasts crumble under pressure! It’s so frustrating). I hope we haven’t seen the last of her and that she can get her Amanar back, because it was beautiful!
8. Aliya Mustafina (RUS)
So far, I like her sister better, but Aliya’s got some very, very elegant lines. She’s not much of a trickster, but she’s a fabulous dancer, even at this age. Hopefully she’ll be able to upgrade some more so that she can really challenge in the future.
9. Tatiana Nabieva (RUS)
What I really like about her is that she is a pretty solid all around gymnast. However, one must not forget the dreaded “Junior European Champ Curse,” which has plagued many former greats (or coulda-been-greats) in the past (really, it seems to strike from out of nowhere. Remember Sabina Cojocar? As I recall, she was on her way to a very successful senior career, and then…BOOM! The Curse shall conquer all!). Anyway, one of my favorite things about Tatiana’s gymnastics is her barani on beam. Usually, I hate that skill, but she makes it look sick (as in, cool sick). Also, she’s pretty elegant, like a good Russian girl.
10. He Kexin (CHN)
The girl was not at her best at Beijing. She’s capable of so much more. What a shame! Did the pressure finally get to her? I hope not, because when she’s 100 percent on (on bars), she’s unstoppable (and probably unbeatable, too). Anyway, since I’ve heard the Chinese coaches are hoping to make her an all around gymnast by 2012 (yay! Long live the all around!), I can’t help but do my happy dance (it mainly consists of hopping up and down, alternating legs, and waving my hands in little circles). She’s already got a DTY and nice floor choreography. Her weakness is beam, but she’s Chinese…I’m sure they can work with that.
So that’s it. Does the list smell of too much Russia? Who cares? What does Russia smell like, anyway? Vodka?
Davai, Rossiya!
double salto 