Morgan Hurd and 2019

[ArnoldRimmer]

The final itself was a ridiculous series of events that nobody could’ve predicted, but it was always quite plausible that Skinner would qualify ahead of Carey to the final. Especially given that Jade was somewhat injured when the team were selected. If the pair of them had repeated their podium training vaults in prelims and Skinner had come out ahead, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.

 

[Doug1233]

but it was always quite plausible that Skinner would qualify ahead of Carey to the final

Only if Jade didn’t perform her Amanar.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Hmm, she’d staggered some Amanars on the big stage by that point so not necessarily. It was never the most reliable landing for her.

Basically, Jade’s best vaults were better than Skinner’s and she was the one more likely to make the final if all went well, but there was less of a what if with Skinner, particularly at the point when the Olympians were chosen. Though I think she was probably picked over the other options for the 5th spot because of her AA totals rather than that.

 

[RedBirdie]

Jade did look suspect at nats and trials. Being locked into an Olympic spot no matter what she did was a luxury no one else had, but Brian Carey superbly paced her to peak in Tokyo. And even without the same locked-in spot in 2022, I thought she was very well paced to be at her best at worlds.

Although I think you could very well argue that Simone was also a lock in 2021 and could have–and should have–been paced much better than she was.

 

[Hatsumomo]

Although I think you could very well argue that Simone was also a lock in 2021 and could have–and should have–been paced much better than she was.

I’d argue this. The Tokyo team was always going to be Simone + 3. The other three members were chosen around Simone. And I’d further argue that the team was going to be Simone + Sunisa + 2. Obviously, nobody predicted the mental breakdown causing her to have the twisties, although we did see signs at Nationals. She absolutely should have been paced better because nothing but a complete degradation of her gymnastics was going to keep her off the team. Part of that can be blamed on Foster because he shouldn’t have even needed her to place top 2 at Trials for the spot lock knowing full damn well he wasn’t going to leave her off. That’s the sort of thing we’d expect from Marta, not this supposed new era of USA WAG. Simone competing at Nationals and Trials should have been nothing more than a formality and to get her back in the swing of things after the pandemic.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

With Simone, I wonder whether it was partially because it was seen as being in the interests of The Simone Show for her to look dominant in front of a domestic audience before going into Tokyo. For branding and commercial reasons.

 

[MaryClare]

Yes. She might have all sort of commercial obligations

 

[Doug1233]

She absolutely should have been paced better

Her podium training meet in Tokyo says different.

WWGym panel (six of us) had her at a 60.25 AA (not even including the YDP which would have given her 5 ish more tenths than the Cheng).

She was paced fine. She had a bad meet in Prelims, she didn’t even win floor and barely won vault. The nerves and the pressure, coupled with the realisation that she might not win golds on her best events (even though she was in the best shape of her life and was absolutely the best gymnast there by almost 3 points) freaked her out and made her brain do something silly.

She only started getting Twisties the morning after prelims. To me, that tells you everything you need to know.

 

[Hatsumomo]

With Simone, I wonder whether it was partially because it was seen as being in the interests of The Simone Show for her to look dominant in front of a domestic audience before going into Tokyo. For branding and commercial reasons.

With the Gold Over America Tour happening post-Olympics, I suppose she would have needed to drum up interest to drive ticket sales. Outside of major events, gymnastics is not a huge sell in the USA. I still say that had she found a way to get with Cirque Du Soleil (or similar) choreographers and organizers and not lock out women’s T&T and rhythmic, she could have had something really cool.

The nerves and the pressure, coupled with the realisation that she might not win golds on her best events (even though she was in the best shape of her life and was absolutely the best gymnast there by almost 3 points) freaked her out and made her brain do something silly.

Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder in the lead-up to Rio and post-Rio what Simone would look like if/when she had competition nipping at her heels as opposed to being at least a field goal ahead of the silver medalist. I wouldn’t have thought she’d end up incapable of competing at all, save for one of her weaker events.

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

Yeah I don’t see an argument for Biles being poorly paced. Biles and the Landis implemented her UB/FX upgrades with plenty of time to spare before Tokyo

 

[irichluck21]

IIRC, Biles also found out her aunt passed away while in Tokyo. That didn’t do anything to help her mental health issues.

 

[makam]

She also seems like a very family-centric person–as in her family is what helps balance her. She isn’t a loner (Gabby always seemed like a loner who found the rah-rah team atmosphere exhausting while Simone seemed energized by it). So with them not being allowed to be there, she might not have anyone to talk her down to a better headspace.

 

[Yarotska]

Simone was physically okay, but mentally drained. And I do wonder if taking some time off would have had her less run down at the Olympics. She looked completely out of sorts at trials. Wasn’t she actually crying at one point?

Competing at classics was also a mistake. She had just tweaked an old injury a week or two before the competition, which we didn’t find out about until just before the Olympics. She went out there and did a Yurchenko double pike. But she fell on floor and she was pretty disappointed about that. We say this stuff all the time about how just toughing it out every time is a toxic mindset, but now we don’t think that’s the case? She was doing the hardest gymnastics in the world meet after meet after meet. That takes a huge mental toll.

Even Andrade wasn’t going full out every time.

I thought even before the Olympics that it wasn’t going to happen because it was just too much. My friend and I were going back and forth on facebook about it a couple of weeks before the games. Something felt off.

 

[rlayt]

Simone was so crazy good and had so many people in her corner that it’s unthinkable that things would happen the way they did. But all that came with big expectations and her teammates seemed to lean on her a lot. At Trials on the NBC broadcast IIRC she said she hurt so much. I’m sad that it probably ends that way.

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

There’s still time to come back for two events. But perhaps she’ll be back for LA '28.

 

[MaryClare]

Judging by her social media, she has very much moved on with her life. She doesn’t appear to socialise with anyone from the gymnastics world

 

[Doug1233]

Can you imagine if a Double Pike beam dismount is the last piece of gymnastics we will ever see from her!

 

[MaryClare]

So? Like she has to retire at some point

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I think there are worse ways to go out than that beam routine.

 

[Hatsumomo]

It would have more or less been that as her last piece of gymnastics either way since beam was the last final of the Games and she was nursing a foot injury, IIRC. It’s unlikely she would have done the double-double dismount.