2025 - 2028 WAG COP - A Deeper Dive

[Concorde]

(Cross posting from Reddit)

Zhang - Clear Hip to Layout Tkatchev Technical Analysis

The subject of whether or not Zhang Yihan received layout credit for her clear hip to layout Tkatchev during qualifications at Cottbus in 2025 came up in the Yang Fanyuwei / Full Twisting Layout Jaeger thread, and I wanted to provide an analysis of why the competition D panel, and subsequently the WTC would consider the body shape shown to be stretched.

The key principle here is the hollow body shape(also sometimes referred to as dish shape). A hollow is the opposite of having the body arched, with the body forming a concave shape. The head and shoulders are also rounded and held slightly in front of the rest of the body.

- Photo 1: Zhang shows a slight hollow, with the body almost completely straight from head to toe.

- Photo 2: Zhang shows a deeper hollow with the head now in front of her torso, but there is still no pike in her hips.

- Photo 3: Zhang maintains the hollow shape as her feet pass directly over the bar. Her hips do show some pike, but not severe enough to warrant a downgrade. Notice how her hips are only slightly away from the red arrow in the bottom photo.

- Photo 4: Zhang has now traveled completely over the high bar. Notice how rounded her body is, but there is fairly minimal piking in her hips.

Per the 2024 edition of the Help Desk and the 2025 - 2028 judging materials in STS, "A gymnast must maintain stretched (hollow) position passing over the bar, with the feet moving under the hips. As you can see from the images above, Zhang satisfies the criteria and accordingly is awarded layout credit.

 

[onodian]

Good in Body Expression, Incorrect Facial Expression

• Maellyse Brassart, 2022 World Championships

I'm sorry, I fully missed this thread, which would have admittedly been better for my mental health. I'd just like us all to watch this video and go: WROOOONG! that's a WROOOOOOONG FACE, Maellyse!



WTF do they even mean?

 

[Passion]

Lmao, I guess because she smiled twice without having a smiley theme?

I actually have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at WROOOOOOONG FACE lol

 

[Matilda23]

Was an example of Correct Facial Expression given?

 

[JaJa]

How is "Sometimes Missing Facial Expression" different from "No Facial Expression" ?

 

[Ms Motts]

I really hate that they want gymnastics to be viewed as a serious sport but have also codified ways in which athletes are required to emote. It’s a bridge too far for me.

And even if you do somehow think facial expressions should play a role in sport, right and wrong matching of emotion to music are culturally specific and subjective. There’s a trend in current western tv/movies to have violent rampages to a background of something like upbeat Motown, with the juxtaposition being part of the artistry of the thing. So mismatched that actually it has come full circle and matches again. There’s almost certainly a mismatch between the ways people of technical committee age view appropriate emoting, and the way a typically aged elite gymnast does.

 

[JaJa]

I really hate that they want gymnastics to be viewed as a serious sport but have also codified ways in which athletes are required to emote. It’s a bridge too far for me.

It’s completely ridiculous. What’s next? .3 deduction for poorly applied eye makeup?

 

[Aeris]

What’s next? .3 deduction for poorly applied eye makeup?

Deduction for overly theatrical makeup already exists.

 

[rlayt]

 

[onodian]

It just tells me the people writing this shit just don't even understand how this works. You cannot tag something as "right" or "wrong" when you're discussing impressions, unless you give a super clear base of what the expectation is (i.e., what is "right"), which would be damn hard. You could write "unfitting" or "unclear" or "unrelated" facial expressions; I still would argue against these but at least that would be slightly better phrased.

As someone pointed up thread, it could be that the point of the matter is to emote something else with your face and body than the music is doing at that point. I do however think, for example someone like Kalinina 1990 who's jazzily dancing around while being stone cold in her face is a bit weird, but you can address that as general impression or not presenting a character. But this is all moot shit until the gymnasts have actual goddamn time to do something that's not running from element to element. Why not address that instead of this micromanaging shit. Be sure not to have a WRONG FACE while you drop to the floor for your third turn of the exercise!

oh and yes to prod probably being the rightful winner for that final, at least judging in the way we look at the sport today.