The Best of Each Event

[onodian]

I mean I’m not the biggest Simone stan, but I frankly can’t see one argument against her being the best vaulter, for sure on the table, possibly of all time. She has done the hardest vaults on her two entries that she does, you could even argue she created them if you count the YDP

For floor, I would argue she’s for sure the best tumbler, best floor worker I’d say is a different thing. I don’t know who would that be. If we’re going by best routines I’d say something like Omelianchik 85 or Shusunova 88… I don’t know, I’m not the best at naming the absolute best at something, I think it’s a very artificial title

 

[MaryClare]

Because it’s artistic gymnastics and she doesn’t make vault artistic is a pretty significant issue

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Yep I think Simone has to be the best table era vaulter. While Maroney’s Amanar was better, her Mustafina isn’t in the same league as Simone’s other vaults and that tips it.

Floor is a lot harder to call and I’d argue that gymnasts competing in the 2001 and beyond area have often been hamstrung by the need for dance elements. It’s not that they can’t contribute to a routine positively, they can, but they suck up too much of the oxygen in the room.

 

[onodian]

Because it’s artistic gymnastics and she doesn’t make vault artistic is a pretty significant issue

I don’t see how Maroney does, tho. Simone does absolutely beautiful, insanely hard vaulting. I just plain don’t understand the case for Maroney showing more “artistry”, whatever is meant by that on vault. I just went and rewatched the Biles in Doha. That’s insane. It’s cleaner and prettier than 90% of the Chengs that we got.

 

[onodian]

Floor is a lot harder to call and I’d argue that gymnasts competing in the 2001 and beyond area have often been hamstrung by the need for dance elements. It’s not that they can’t contribute to a routine positively, they can, but they suck up too much of the oxygen in the room.

yeah, hard agree on that, it’s very difficult to judge different eras on that particular apparatus.

 

[onodian]

I just thought, cause of course I’m trying to make dinner and I keep thinking about how vault could be artistic, I could see a case for Andrade’s Cheng, cause it’s so hight and virtuosistic, what with the flair and everything, as an artistic vault. I just don’t particularly feel Maroney’s Amanar does the same for me.

 

[MaryClare]

I agree that Andrade is also artistic on vault

 

[Doug1233]

Oooh I forgot about Rosu on vault. She was without doubt the best on VT in that quad.

 

[tempest]

Since the rule change in 01, only Zamo, Chuso, Rosu, Williams, and ASac have vaulted from different families to win a world or olympic title(hopefully I’m not forgetting anyone!)

 

[MaryClare]

WOW.

That is a problem, imo

 

[Doug1233]

Since the rule change in 01, only Zamo, Chuso, Rosu, Williams, and ASac have vaulted from different families to win a world or olympic title(hopefully I’m not forgetting anyone!)

Are we regarding a Yurchenko and a Yurchenko–Half On from the same Family?

I would argue that a FHS and a Tsuk/Kas are much more similar than a Yurchenko + Yurchenko Half.

 

[tempest]

I am… pre 01, you could not do a Yurchenko and a Yurchenko–Half On… however in the above list, only Chuso did a FHS and a Tsuk/Kas combo

 

[JaJa]

I don’t think anyone is to blame per say, it was clear that Maroney was trying to stick her Mustafina vault and was just short.

Yes, McKayla was trying to stick the Mustafina vault to make up for her Amanar not meeting the crazy high standard she set in TF. But she was disturbed and distracted. And that was because of the abuse she was experiencing and had experienced. She could not focus. I blame that for her sitting down her vault.

 

[Sasha]

I mean, I hate to point it out this way, but she was also being abused when she stuck the vault in TF. I’m sure the horror she was experiencing ground her down in more ways than we know, but she also demonstrated an ability to maintain a high performance level in spite of everything. The fact that she was able to compete the way she did while being subjected to so much, physically and psychologically, is nuts.

 

[Seyonne]

Wasn’t McKayla also injured? Broken toe, maybe?

 

[MaryClare]

Yes. Broken toes. She also had a very scary fall, and possibly concussion in warm ups at nationals that year and had to petition to trials.

It is not a pleasant subject, but I’ve seen it alluded to many times that McKayla’s abuse by Nassar was especially bad, or that she was his main target. Why is that? Were not most of the London team abused by him?

 

[Sasha]

Yeah … acknowledging the risk of trying to label anyone’s experience as “worse” and all the baggage that comes with that - Nassar’s abuse was particularly overt with Maroney. Many of his victims believed he was actually treating them medically, albeit in a way that made them deeply uncomfortable. With Maroney, it was very clear that it was assault. This article goes into a bit more detail, if you want.

 

[JaJa]

It is not a pleasant subject, but I’ve seen it alluded to many times that McKayla’s abuse by Nassar was especially bad, or that she was his main target. Why is that? Were not most of the London team abused by him?

According to what McKayla says she was indeed his main target. She has given interviews about it. So yes, the entire London team was abused by him but her experience was especially horrid. I remember watching the London Olympics and just getting a creepy vibe from the way Artur interacted with her and I wondered if he was abusing her. When she sat down her vault in EF I immediately thought she was disturbed about the abuse and unable to focus. And some of her behavior post London reinforced my belief she had been sexually abused. Look, I could be totally wrong about it being the reason she sat down her vault – I was indeed wrong about the perpetrator. But I was not wrong about the abuse.

 

[JaJa]

He also targeted her more in terms of number of assaults and duration.

 

[L_R]

I thought she tried to stick the vault and under rotated it .