Olympics: Gymnastics

Gymnastics

The U.S. gymnastics teams are considered strong medal contendors in the Olympic games. Defending world champion Paul Hamm leads the men's gymnastics team for possible gold after the team's two decade hiatus. Following a prominent women's team, the men's vast improvement has now earned the respect from global competitors, coaches and judges.

The 2004 Olympic Games kick-off today in Athens, Greece. Post columnist Liz Clarke was online Friday, Aug. 13, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss this year's hopefuls in women's and men's gymnastics.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

_____________

Liz Clarke: hi! am sorry i'm late; very chaotic here. gymnastics starts tomorrow, so let's chat!

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: How do you feel about the new 3-up,3-down scoring method? Do you think it is better worse than previous methods, and do you think this will effect USA's chances for gold?

Liz Clarke: I think this is the key to who wins team gold, and is very fascinating, though tedious to explain. you obviously know a lot about olympic gymnasts. I think it definitely adds drama and tension to the event. In short, it means that during the team competition, each country will put 3 athletes up on each apparatus. ALL 3 scores count toward the overall, where in previous Olympics you could drop the lowest. So this puts a premium on the athletes who are calm, posied and unflappable. Coaches cant take a chance on a supremely gifted gymnasts who can get addled by nervves; theyre better off going with the gymnast who is steady, above all. I think this informed US coaches throughout the selection process, and I think it WILl favor the US. Theyve picked a seasoned team on both the mens and womens sides

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: What compelling stories should we know about with this year's gymnastics competitors?

Liz Clarke: When watching the US, keep an eye on the Courtneys: Courtney Kupets of Gaithersburg, who has a great chance at the all around medal despite a major injury one year ago (achilles). She's really personable and obviously talented. Courtney McCool comes across as extremely serious for such a youngster (16), but she is truly a cool competitor who seems to rise to major occasions. she's not a huge name, but may well could be. Also the 2 US vaulters, Annia Hatch and Mohini B, are 26 and 25--great stories. On men's side, Blaine wilson makes her 3rd & final olympics seeking a first medal. The russiam Svetlana Khorkina is a beautiful gymnast, also performing a last time. And brazil has a great floor specialist. Look for her move, called the dos Santos!

_______________________

Los Angeles, Calif.: Who are the top contenders for the women's all-around?

Liz Clarke: Sorry I am so slow today. I'd say Courtnye Kupets, Carly Patterson of the US; and Khorkina of Russia. Should be great to watch

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: When does the women's competition get going? I'm so excited to watch. I can hardly stand the wait!

Liz Clarke: women's team qualifications get underway Sunday at 10 a.m. locally; 3 a.m. back home. It shoudl be great/ The US has a wonderful shot at a team medal, if not gold, and if they get it, it shoudl set a great tone for the apparatus medals the following week.

_______________________

Lorton, Va.: Hi Liz,

I am a huge gymnastics fan. I was very disappointed that the men's tryouts were not aired like the women's. Anyway, what is the attitude of the gymnast in Athens? Are they confident, nervous, excited...etc.?

Liz Clarke: Iv'e spoken to both the US mens and womens teams and coaches directly after each finished their first training session on the equipment they'll use. And yes, they really do semms confident. Unlike past years, theyre not eyeing otehr countries' teams; theyre focused on themselves. and other countries, even the favored Chinese, have been eyeing and taping them!

_______________________

Dupont West, Washington, D.C.: I was taken back and dissapointed that Hollie Vise did not make the cut for the Olympics. I hope to see her rebound and go for the American Cup title next year.

Liz Clarke: Yes, me too! I saw Holly Vise at the Visa Cup and she was so great; i esp loved her on the beam. but Martha Karolyi, who had a big say in the final selection, has been very blunt all along that the team medal would be the most important thing. and they really had great all-arounders in the 2 courtneys and Terin Humphrey. they needed help on vault, and went to experience for that. it was a bit of a surprise to many; i'm hoping to see Holly Vise continue to progress. she's so talented

_______________________

Randolph, NJ: We seem to have such great athletes on our team. Which individuals and countries do you think will pose the strongest threats?

Norma-Jeanne

Liz Clarke: The men would be doing great to medal as a team. I know theyre shooting for gold, but China is considered the favorite; Japan is also a contender.
On the women's side Romania is still powerful after all these years. they keep churning out terrific youong gymnasts long after Bela and Martha Karolyi have left. The Chinese women shoudl also do well. But I think there would be widespread shock, or surprise at the least, if the US women dont win gold as a team

_______________________

Falls Church, Va.: Two questions
Are the qualifying rounds for team and all-around being televised -- and if so when?
Second, What have you heard from coaches, gymnastic community, etc.. regarding the inclusion of two 25 year olds on the women's team -- an age that once made you ancient? I think its fantastic -- age brings something to the sport

Liz Clarke: Im sure they are; and theyd be on tape delay because no oen woudl get up at 3 a.m. or whatever it is. Im sorry i dont know the exact time; i dont think its been set; it's during the afternoon and evenign telecast on NBC. Gymnastics is a huge draw for them, so they wont miss a chance to air it. As for the oldsters, yes, they are really being embraced and cheered, both by their younger teammates and aging journalists :-) I DO think they'll add great poise and stability to the team. Go Mohini and Annia!!

_______________________

Arlington, Va: Hi Liz,

To what do you attribute the US Womens gymnastics team's strong showing at the 2003 World Championships? Is it the team training camps? Is it Marta? Or is it just a new group of athletes who are more prepared to handle the pressure than the 2000 olympic team?

Liz Clarke: wow, what a good question. THAT was one of the bigger surpirses in years, particularly after the injuries on the eve of the meet. The team turned to two reserves and won gold! And one of those reserves didnt even make the olympic team! So yes, the US is very deep. They just have so many gifted gymnasts (were talking female gymnasts here, right?) who are all peaking at about the same time. And I DO give huge credit to Martha. (it IS pronoucned Marta; but written martha...) She has been so diplomatic and supportive, able to work with the girls' personal coaches rather than big-foot them. and she is incredibly demanding while being warm and not alienating people; would be a great asset to our State Dept, I think.:-)

_______________________

Arlington, VA: What kind of chances do the US and Greek teams have for medals on the men's side?

Liz Clarke: mmmmmmm. hate to profess ignorance, btu I am drawing a blank on greek male gymnasts.. i'm embarrassed if I'm overlooking someone key. there IS a greek rhythmic gymnast (womens sport only for now) who could medal.
as for US men, the men could get bronze or silver as a team; they want gold and could, btu it woudl be very tough. On individual events, Paul Hamm has a great shot at teh all around and on floor

_______________________

Washington D.C.: Why are Romania and Russia, the former powerhouses of gymnastics, not major threats to the United States women this year? Have their programs gone downward, or have we just improved drastically?

Liz Clarke: It's really a bit of both; Mainly the US has really improved since 2000 when they came home wihtout a single Olympic medal. Romania remains strong; Russia has suffered a bit as the country broke up and lost gymnasts and coaches to other nations. but mainly, otner countries closed the gap, including China, which has focused on upgrading all of its sports with an eye toward hosting the 2008 Games.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: So is Svetlana Chorkina (Sp?) the heavy favorite to win the women's all around? OR is she showing signs of vulnerability? And what event does Carly Peterson have and advantage over her? Thanks

Liz Clarke: You would think that Khorkina woudl be showing some signs of vulnerability. it's her third olympics; i think she is 25 (?) tho i coudl be off on that. but Im not aware that she has shown signs of vulnerablity; i havet heard of any; I think Carly patterson can match if not surpass her on floor; Khorkina ought to have the even on bars, but she had two bad glitches on her favorite event last Olympics and it coudl happen again.

_______________________

Athens, Greece: I'm an American who recently moved to Greece and will be attending various Olympic events. I was at the stadium in Atlanta when the women's gymnastics team won the team competition and I'll be there on Tuesday night to see them win again. What teams should we look out for?

Liz Clarke: How great for you to be able to be here for the Games! I'm so excited, and I bet you are too. In the teams, I'd look out for Romania and China. Russia could be extremely entertaining to watch, but I dont think theyre quite as deep and well positioned to win a team medal. that doestn mean they wont be great to watch, though

_______________________

Abbey, Washingon, DC: What are the US chances in the individual events and who would be likely to medal in them?

Liz Clarke: Wow, i wish i coudl give you a really solid answer. So take this with a grain of salt. I'd think that Courtney Kupets woudl medal on uneven bars; Annia or Mohini coudl medal in the vault, and that would be such a great story either way. Courtney McCool could really do great on the beam; i think she has a mount named after her, and if she hits it, it will carry her name in the future. Look for Carly Patterson on the floor.

_______________________

New York, NY: It's fascinating to see how much the US women's program has rebounded after being shut out of any medals in Sydney. Did they make sweeping changes after 2000?

Go USA!;

Liz Clarke: Absolutely. the main change was at the top. Bela karolyi, who had been in charge, stepped down. He is a huge personality, and so forceful that it caused lot of tension with the gymnasts; individual coaches. martha, hiw wife, ahs taken the nationl job and been far better as collaborating. Kelli Hill from DC area is the national coach here, and the girls seem to have huge confidence in her. Also, the naitonal team got togtehr monthly in TX to train, and they really do behave like a team rather than a bunch of little divas. i think this really helps in that they both push each other and cheer for each other

_______________________

Washington D.C.: I am so excited for women's gymnastics and hear that Courtney McCool is the hopeful. Who will her competition be? And when exactly does gymnastics begin?

Liz Clarke: The team competition begins Sunday with qualifying; the team final is aug 17; all aaround is aug 19; apparatus finals are Aug 22-23

_______________________

Georgetown: I have loved the story of Pamela Anderson financing Mohini B's training so she could afford to travel to the Olympic Trials. Is Pam going to be in Athens?

Liz Clarke: mohini said yesterday that she was; i havetn seen her, but then again, the comeptition hasnt staretd yet

_______________________

New York, NY: Khorkina fell off the bars in Sydney because of the vault debacle, which upset her greatly. In my opinion, they should've started over completely--no one can be expected to perform at their best when they've almost been seriously hurt on a mis-set vault. I really hope they make sure nothing like that happens again.

Liz Clarke: great point. that vault debacle was inexcusable and esp hurt the taller gymnasts like khorkina. i totally agree with you; after trainign yesterday i heard nothign btu raves about the equipment

_______________________

Liz Clarke: am out of time but So appreciate all the great questions. will look forward to future chats. many thanks again, liz

_______________________