British WAG (and MAG!) talk

[RAFIKI]

Gymfan93 posted the selection document in post 932, it includes the timetable.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Alice Kinsella posted on her instagram that she injured herself in training shortly after arriving in Japan, and was competing on it thereafter. Turns out she had torn ligaments in her ankle. Is now rehabbing and has ruled herself out of worlds.

Her prelims performance makes sense in this context, I thought she looked injured. The vault landing in particular must have hurt. That level of splat came as a shock from her too. She’s not Miss Consistency, so one missed routine is never a great shock from her, but that was the worst day I’ve ever seen her have, by a long way. She said it was the adrenaline that got her through TFs.

With all this in mind, BG’s fuckery over the alternates looks even more risky than it did at the time. GB still would’ve got into TFs with just the three athletes, because Alice’s prelims routines only added about 0.6 to the team total, but they’d have been nowhere in the final. Talk about riding your luck…

 

[RAFIKI]

I saw this and it made me cringe, yikes! She had such a good day in TF and I was so pleased given the disaster of prelims and how she’s dragged GB through the quint. She’s never been my favourite GB gymnasts but she’s mostly got a little bit better each time we’ve seen her. I think The Medal Count called her the most experienced non-Olympian in the field and I agree with ArnoldRimmer that her qualifications performance makes much more sense now. I’m even more amazed at her TF routines now but insanely curious as to how was training was going between quals and finals. How close were they to having the other three do AA? I hope she hasn’t destroyed her foot and can go for her targeted 2022 competitions.

 

[Doug1233]

At what point should GMF have been subbed in? Didn’t they scan her ankle?

This sounds like Maroney and Marta !

 

[MaryClare]

It doesn’t sound like Alice regrets doing it though

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

No, of course not. And that’s fine. The point is that BG are lucky she was able to, given the alternate shenanigans. We lost the ability to use an alternate because of our stupidity so we ended up one gymnast down by competition time is not a good look.

 

[Doug1233]

It doesn’t sound like Alice regrets doing it though

I don’t think Maroney does either!

 

[Gymfan93]

Even if she’d been too injured to carry on after quals, wouldn’t it have been too late to sub in anyway?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Yes. But she says she injured herself in training before the competition started.

 

[MaryClare]

Maroney was still a child though?

 

[Doug1233]

 

[Doug1233]

I think you’re confused about the thrust of my point.

I wasn’t arguing re: Alice feeling pressured into continuing. My point was regarding the coach/HPC not subbing in an alternate when a team member gets a serious injury.

 

[Jack]

I had no idea she was still doing gymnastics. Bless that iconic sheep jump.

 

[irichluck21]

I think we are forgetting that GBR submitted the two alternates as coaches so who knows if they were even eligible to sub. Alice might have been injured but GMF might have been ineligible to compete.

 

[MaryClare]

They would have been eligible. Accreditation can be switched in the same way that last minute accreditation can be obtained to bring in an alternate

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Do you have a link to anything with this policy confirmed? I saw it claimed once or twice at the time the GB alternates accreditation controversy happened, then someone else saying it was only possible to switch like that at worlds not Olympics, but nothing actually concrete. Can you shed light?

 

[MaryClare]

As I’m sure you’re aware, alternates have no official recognition from the Olympic organisers, hence why GB registered them at coaches. It is possible for countries to end accreditation for anyone at any point during the games, indeed they have to for security reasons. All they would have to do is end GMF’s coach accreditation, Kinsella’s athlete accreditation then register Fenton as an athlete, in the same way any country would if bringing in an alternate

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Mmm I know about ending, I just wondered if there was a procedure anywhere relating to adding a new alternate, particularly for Tokyo specifically? I can’t find the twitter stuff now but I’m sure someone referenced something.

 

[MaryClare]

If procedures weren’t there to add an alternate then no one would bother taking any. Technically you can even add an alternate in terms of accreditation even if prelims have already begun and they wouldn’t be able to compete. Because these rules are specific to FIG, not the IOC. In athletics for instances you can run someone in a relay final who did not compete in qualification.

 

[Gymfan93]

Interview with the Gadirovas. They aren’t sure if they will be ready for worlds. Which leaves probably GMF, Ondine, Becky in contention? Ellie I believe was injured. Frags/Simm maybe. I don’t even know what new seniors GB (or anyone) have now.