Performance by host countries at Olympic Women Artistic Gymnastics this century

[Iminhanoi]

Barcelona 1992 - Spain:

Women team : 5th
Women individual all around: 9th (Sonia Fraguas)
Vault: 7th (Eva Rueda)
Uneven bars: 7th (Cristina Fraguas)
Balance beam: did not qualify for the final
Floor: did not qualify for the final

 

[Bob]

Cairns only had a 1.5, Downie was left at home with a DTY. Nush was also the best beamer in the country but was also left home. IIRC they based the team selection off of one competition without taking prior record into account at all.

now I was always happy with Cairns going as she was usuable and reliable on everything but bars and she looked good and solid at selection time. Pinches is the one who didn't need to be there. Just knew she would fall on beam. I didn't feel she added anything. Would have taken Becky over her every time. Danusia looked amazing up to the year or so before. By the time selection came around she wasn't on top form and wasn't in the running at all if I remember correctly from quite far out. And although I am a fan of her gymnastics (def not her awful commentary lol) I was Ok with her not going to London. That is how I remember it anyway. Will always fume for Becky over it.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

now I was always happy with Cairns going as she was usuable and reliable on everything but bars and she looked good and solid at selection time. Pinches is the one who didn't need to be there. Just knew she would fall on beam. I didn't feel she added anything. Would have taken Becky over her every time. Danusia looked amazing up to the year or so before. By the time selection came around she wasn't on top form and wasn't in the running at all if I remember correctly from quite far out. And although I am a fan of her gymnastics (def not her awful commentary lol) I was Ok with her not going to London. That is how I remember it anyway. Will always fume for Becky over it.

Danusia was getting broadly the same scores in 2011 as 2012, and had a good Euros. It was just that fall at the British championships in June. I strongly doubt she'd have been picked anyway, but that killed off the argument even theoretically. And when she did hit, the other less consistent gymnasts all happened to be having a 14 day rather than an 11 day.

Agree Cairns over Pinches with Downie as the 5th would've been a legit choice too. But they really wanted Jenni on that team.

 

[irichluck21]

Pinches provided a reliable DTY which is why she probably got the nod for. She was decent at beam when she hit. Overall she was just a strong table setter and all arounder. You could use her on any event in team finals. Danusia was really only good for beam.
Becky was injured in 2012 IIRC and was not competing floor at all. Which wouldn't have really mattered for this team considering Beth would be doing bars and floor. But with Whelan, Tunney, and Tweddle as locks for the team, bars was pretty much covered.

They needed a vaulter, but also one more routine for beam and floor. Danusia would have fit the bill for beam, but Pinches really made the most sense over both Danusia and Becky. With Beth not vaulting someone needed to be taken for that at the very least. Beam was potentially covered by Tunney, Pinches, and Whelan in team finals. Cairns made the most sense, plus she was really consistent that year IIRC. Historically Cairns was consistent on several events. She had a stellar 2010 Commonwealth Games for the team, with a better bars would have won an AA medal, and of course took gold on both vault and floor. 2011 Worlds was also strong doing 3 events in TQ and then VT/FX in team finals. Cairns had painted herself as consistent and reliable to hit, especially under pressure.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

They were all good for a 14 on beam if they hit. It was the if that was the complicating factor.

Cairns and Pinches had similar strengths and weaknesses. They both fit better in conjunction with someone else as the 5th than they did with each other. Imogen wasn't needed for VT/FX with Pinches on the team, she was the 4th best on vault in London and didn't do floor at all. It was more about her level of experience.

Pinches wasn't really usable on bars. You wouldn't have wanted her mid 13 in TFs if it could possibly be avoided. She didn't do bars at all at Euros and only got 13.4 at the British championships, nothing about that said TF bars. Whelan wasn't that brilliant either, not her best event, but they didn't have much choice.