It is in through Blythe at The Gymblog that Shawn Johnson will not be doing floor. Sloan will be in the all around, and this leaves the door open for another American to challenge for the medals. Check out my earlier post about the USA to see who is who in the US Pan Ams team.
Also news from Guadalajara: the gymnasts in podium training have been complaining that the floor is very hard and slippery. Please God let there be no injuries. Many of these girls, particularly in teams that have competed in Worlds and now come to Pan Ams, have been going hard for about two months and I hope they stay in one piece until the end of the competition.
After having talked about the US and Brazil, I feel Canada, Mexico and Venezuela can also be challenging for medals as teams.
The Canadian Team:
11th place in the World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo this month, Canada has delivered.
Kristina Vaculik
Dominique Pegg
Peng-Peng Lee
Coralie Leblond-Chartrand
Madeleine Gardiner
Thalia Chiarelli
Now they come to Pan Ams, and I believe they will challenge here too. Having qualified ahead of Brazil with Barbosa, I feel sans Barbosa Brazil just does not have the juice to keep Canada from getting the silver, unless the Canadians make mistakes.
Vaculik can be great. She has artistry and good difficulty, she is an all arounder and can definitely be in the run if she goes clean. After all her unfortunate injuries I do hope she can pull through here in Guadalajara and leave happy with her results. Also, that would give her a big encouragement in her hope for an Olympic berth. I specially like her floor, it is different and stylish.
Christine Lee is also great. Her floor is interesting, her bars are clean, and her beam, although at times inconsistent, is really stylish. She will probably be in the top two canadians in the AA, and should put a solid performance out there. Let's also hope she makes the beam finals so we can see some of her big skills again.
Dominique Pegg might only be in the AA if Vaculik or Lee falter (to per country rule), but she is good and will be right there. Also, I really like her floor, she is energetic, dynamic, and her double layout is sky high. Hopefully she can get into a final, it would be great experience for her.
The Mexican team is good and has a lot of style in gymnasts like their veteran Elsa Garcia, but also power in the likes of Alexa Moreno. In Tokyo they got a historical 17th place in the team qualifications, qualifying two individuals for London 2012.
The Mexican team is:
Elsa Garcia
Marisela Cantu
Yessenia Estrada
Alexa Moreno
Karla Salazar
Ana Lago
Elsa Garcia is just a pleasure to watch, her gymnastics is sooo beautiful. I hope she can be in the AA and a couple of finals. Her toe point, extension and dance is just super... and the crowd will be right behind her. If she gives all she has on floor, beam and bars, I think she can be in all three finals plus the all around. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Ana Lago was the top AA qualifier in Tokyo for team Mexico. Hopefully she can repeat the good performance and land a spot in the AA at Pan Ams. It would be a great accomplishment and I am sure the Mexican fans would love to see her. She is great on beam, and we hope to see her in the final with her standing arabian and double turn. It would also help her in the quest for a spot in London 2012.
Alexa Moreno is a great power gymnast. Her vaults are clean and high, she can be vault champion here in Guadalajara if she delivers like she did in Tokyo. With Barbosa off the competition floor her biggest rival will be Pena Abreu from the Dominican Republic that has just the hardest vault being competed by a woman, yet in the finals in Tokyo she missed it so whether she will go for it again, or compete it successfully is up in the air. Moreno is clean and consistent in her two vaults, giving her a better chance at this medal. She scored very well in her handspring 1.5 and her Tsuk vault is clean, if she puts it to her feet everyone else knows she is the one to catch. With only to spots for Mexico in London, this performance could be key for Moreno... Best of luck to her!
Yessenia Estrada is no slacker either, she has a lot of experience and is the current national champ. She has been to the Pan Ams before. She is a good power gymnast, with vault, floor and beam being good events for her. If she goes clean with the crowd behind her we might see her in a final in Guadalajara this week.
Venezuela gave us quite a scare at last year's Worlds. In qualifying they were taking them out with injuries by the dozen it seemed. This year they came back strong and finished in 21th, a great achievement in itself. Hopefully Jessica Lopez can lead them to a good finish here in Guadalajara too.
Jessica Lopez is outstanding, she has increased her difficulty this season in order to be more competitive. Her top 10 finish in AA in last year's worlds left her waiting more. Unfortunately a couple of falls on the UB at this year's AA in Tokyo took her down to 24th. However she is great, her bars included, and this Pan American Games can be an opportunity for her to medal in the All around. It will not be easy, but she has the routines, and the will. I admire her work a lot and I am really keeping my fingers crossed for her.
Her lines are beautiful, her toe point, knees, she is just a true blooded artistic gymnast, and she deserves a good run at this championships. I think she, like Garcia, can grace the floor in three event finals: bars, beam, and floor. Her exquisite lines will carry her if she hits. She needs to put the disaster that was her bars rotation in Tokyo out of her mind and come with fire in her belly. Go Jessica!!! I for one would like to see her good work as many times as possible in Guadalajara.
More soon!
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