Quishuang wins Tokyo World Cup and the 2011 World Cup Series

Photo by Hannah Johnston/Getty Images AsiaPac at 2011 Asian Games

Huang Qiushuang put an exclamation mark on her World Cup season winning the two last events: Stuttgart and Tokyo Cups. With 185 points Qiushuang finishes the season with the win in the World Cup series. This really helps Qiushuang's case after her inconsistent and erratic performance at the Tokyo World Championships this year. In a deep Chinese team, Qiushuang cannot afford to make mistakes if she hopes to be on the 5 member team for next year.

Qiushuang was very consistent in Tokyo besting Japan's Yu Minobe and Germany's Kim Bui. Bui also finishes the season with a nice standing in second on the World Cup series.

Here are the official results.

It is unfortunate that FIG has announced it will not own up to the prize money it promised the winners of the World Cup series in the beginning of the year as this might have built a solid precedent for next year's series and might have attracted the bigger names. Although the first tear of gymnasts did not appear much in the World Cup series this season I believe the system does work. Aliya Mustafina for instance seemed to be prepared to make a consistent appearance in the series before her injury at the European Championships and Qiushuang herself is one of the top gymnasts in the world. I think FIG should have been prepared to invest in this new format to solidify it in order to make in viable for next year's edition.
Without the promised prize and with the overthrowing of the system that already took place in this year's American Cup, I do not know if the World Cup series will attract much participation next year. It is really a pity since gymnastics is one of few sports that does not have consistent events throughout the season in preparation for the world championship or Olympics which I believe really hampers the younger gymnasts that do not have the possibility of gaining more experience.
Many bloggers have argued for the need of a junior season in gymnastics that would add to the already existing European Championships, Pac Rims (that allows junior participation and has prizes for the best juniors), and Youth Olympics an Junior World series and a Junior World Championships. I feel this is a great idea. With FIG increasing the age limit for participation on the senior level, a junior season would allow up coming talents to get more experience and their time in the sun.

We need to keep publicizing and asking for these changes. If this year's championships has shown anything is that the globalized, wide web world of today allows for fans to express their opinions and be heard by the authorities in the sport.

More soon!

New addition: some videos have surfaced particularly of Huang.

I have to say I think Huang has a problem in her kip technique. If she is slightly under the bar, she just cannot muscle it out like some of the other tiny Chinese. This has happened to her in several routines, like at worlds on the low bar. She needs to figure this out!