Yesterday the U.S. women—Simone Biles, Brenna Dowell, Laurie Hernandez, Ashton Locklear, Aly Raisman and Ragan Smith (replacing the injured Maggie Nichols)—took to the floor for podium training before the Pacific Rim Championships. Didn’t catch the live stream? GymCastic crew member Stefane Victor put together this list of what you should know:
Floor
Dowell: Upgraded first pass to front layout + double front for a .2 connection with legs glued together, but with lackluster choreography
Smith: Fell on a whippy double layout, but sells routine exceptionally well
Hernandez: Same magically choreographed routine as last year, but with a whippy double layout
Raisman: Great double L turn—one of the best in the world, but switch-full leaves something to be desired
Biles: Debuts new routine with amazing first few passes, but looks tired heading into her last passes
Vault
Dowell: Double-twisting Yurchenko (DTY) with great dynamics, but has a noticeable pike-down
Smith: DTY close to the table, a bit of pre-twisting but with a great landing
Hernandez: DTY stuck, but missing amplitude
Raisman: Great Amanar…for her
Biles: Amanar is amazing, Cheng is well-executed
Uneven Bars
Dowell: Altered routine, still with a high D-score but much easier for her to execute; missed release to belly flop, still superb form throughout
Locklear: Not perfect for competition, but still showing exceptional ease and fluidity
Smith: Not her event, but could step up in an Olympic emergency
Hernandez: Maybe the worst constructed routine for the US—a shame because her bar work is very solid
Raisman: Altered routine; she has noticeably improved
Biles: Glorious Pak, may be the best in the field
Balance Beam
Locklear: Soft knees take away form acrobatic series, but usable routine in a pinch
Smith: Sissone is very underextended
Hernandez: Great beam; extension of her limbs and deliberate motions are reminiscent of Kyla Ross
Raisman: Clearly spent a lot of time working on her execution, but still struggles with her switch-half
Biles: Consistent and amazing—trademark Simone
What are you most excited to see during Pac Rims?
