Euros 2021 - nominative rosters are out

[ArnoldRimmer]

You’d think. Russia are one of the teams who do use the substitution provisions, they did in the bars final in 2016 for example and that was only for one medal. The stakes here are higher.

 

[irichluck21]

I am wondering if she doesn’t do the AA.

 

[Gymfan93]

GB have confirmed, as per their website.
Frags out, Kinsella in. Kinsella is not eligible for a +1 either.

 

[Doug1233]

Yes I saw that. I can’t understand why they’ve done that. Unless Frags is either injured or absolutely BOMBED the last trial.

 

[Gymfan93]

Agree. Especially as they probably won’t want Alice in the AA final and if they have any sense would pull her out to give themselves a (admittedly fairly slim) chance to qualify a +1 spot.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Is it slim? The Russians look like it’s theirs to lose, but they’re Russian, and even assuming they hit that still leaves one spot. Iordache has never been averse to a well timed splat either. Do Italy have anyone? I’m not saying it’s a shoo in, but I’d have thought Jennifer Gadirova was one of the pool of leading contenders.

 

[Doug1233]

Isn’t it the top 2 AA countries from Euros prelims? If so, that could easily be RUS and GBR.

God I still don’t know all these fucked up rules!

 

[Doug1233]

Oh my God!

Looks like Frags injured her neck at Trials.

Thankfully she’s ok!

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Fuck that is scary!

Doug, it’s based on AA standings in the final rather than prelims. Only athletes who haven’t already qualified as individuals and who weren’t at the worlds when their country qualified as a team (ie 2018 for Russia, 2019 for the other qualifying European teams) are eligible. That won’t necessarily be the top 2 countries. So if eg Melnikova wins the AA, but Gadirova is 2nd and Iordache 3rd, Russia don’t get a spot even though their athlete finished higher than anyone else.

Also, if your country has already qualified then the spot is for them to use as they see fit. But if they haven’t, eg Iordache, it’s for the specific athlete. I’m not sure what happens if someone qualifies a non-nominative spot and then gets injured out.

eta- I thought it was AA finals based on this.
memo (gymnastics.sport)

However, I’ve just read elsewhere that the work plan for the championships says it’s prelims, which makes me wonder has there been a change?

 

[Doug1233]

I always thought it was Euros prelims. So someone like Alice or Melnikova shouldn’t even compete AA in prelims, right? Or, if it’s finals, they shouldn’t compete AA in the AA finals, even if they qualify.

I would LOVE gadirova to secure GBR a +1 spot. If she can go 4 for 4, without a nightmare on bars, I really think she can do it.

She won VT, BB and FX at Scam. Won!

 

[QuietColours]

Zhang won beam (14.133 vs 13.933), but the point stands–Gadriova definitely has the potential to be a top all arounder. I think she could definitely get GB one of the spots.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I did too, until I saw the document I linked to upthread on here. So I’m not sure if we both made the same mistake, or we’ve both seen something that led us to think that.

 

[irichluck21]

Bars is a really rough spot for her though.

 

[Doug1233]

My bad! I wasn’t looking that low down the results but yes! Still. 1st, 1st and 2nd and she still only came 4th. Her bars are awful. But hopefully becky can fill in for GBR on that event.

Ultimately, if GBR team is the two Downies and Gadirova, we need someone who can put up a TF worthy bars, vault and floor. Alice seems like the obvious choice, although Kelly Simm could come through:



Anyone know what’s going on with GMF? If she has a DTY she could also be in the running - although she has shown herself to be gloriously inconsistent at major champs…

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Jennifer Gadirova is your classic three eventer, but that’s probably more of an issue for her in the AA than for GB in team. If the Olympic team is, as many predicted at the start of 2020, her plus the Downies and Alice Kinsella, obviously Gadirova sits bars out in TFs. Not sure how it works with Gadirova x 2 though.

 

[QuietColours]

It will be interesting to see how Jessica Gadirova looks. It would be interesting if the team ends up being two sibling sets. Or delegation, if they get an extra spot and it goes to Becky

 

[Doug1233]

Yeah it might actually be better for the team if Becky takes the +1 (if they get it). Her 15 on bars might not give as much as a solid AAer across all 4 pieces.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Interesting. Becky has bombed bars in prelims a couple of times when she’s going up after someone else has fallen. Maybe removing that possibility would be helpful to her.

 

[Doug1233]

Given that a TF medal is remote, I wonder if Becky would be pissed if they didn’t let her work in TF.

IMO, her beam has never been constructed very well. She’s a beautifully clean gymnast but her skill selection is pretty poor.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

The flipside to my earlier point is, I suppose, do you necessarily want Becky sitting stewing for a week between prelims and EFs? That might not be helpful to someone who historically has struggled with headgame, I dunno.

I’m also not sure I see the selectors taking a never mind the team result, focus in individual medals approach either. While I don’t think GB will medal, it’s been many years since we had a TF where Russia and/or China didn’t leave 3rd place wide open. Should that happen again, and GB meanwhile not use their strongest lineup in TFs for tactical reasons, it would only take Ellie and Jennifer hitting pretty well for there to be an uncomfortable you tried to be too clever and maybe cost us the bronze conversation.

Whereas I doubt that, even if the WAGs leave with no medals, anyone is going to get criticised for putting the 2nd best bars worker in the world on the main team.