Hello everyone, and Happy Gymnastics Saturday!
If you missed our announcement in January, we’re mixing things up this month, bringing you Olympics coverage on top of your weekly gymnastics news brief.
We’re going to start with figure skater Ilia Malinin. I know, I know, he’s a boy. But his very public flop in the men’s free skate highlights a problem we see over and over again at the Olympics, usually with women: breaking down under the extreme pressure.
The Olympics are unlike any other sporting event. An athlete can spend their life in relative obscurity even as they compete at the highest levels of their sport. There’s an incredible buildup to one moment in one event that happens only once every four years, because that’s the only time the world is going to care.
Then, suddenly, NBC calls an athlete “one to watch.” And watch we do, with cameras positioned inches in front of people’s faces. If you’re favored to win gold, a silver medal is a loss. Finally, you go from superstar to Dancing with the Stars basically overnight. I simply cannot imagine the emotional toll this has.
Naturally, in this context, people screw up. We’ve seen these huge, public flops happen with some of the best female athletes of all time. Simone Biles (who attended the free skate and offered Malinin support afterward), McKayla Maroney, Mikaela Shiffrin, and elite figure skaters like Kamila Valieva have all done it. They get support from people who matter (those who have been there and get it) and vitriol from those who don’t (anonymous couch judges).
The pressure is higher, and the letdown greater, for women. I have no evidence to support this other than that everything else is worse for women, so why not this, too?
I don’t think the solution here is less attention and less coverage. Actually, I think the solution is just the opposite. The Olympic brand is strong, and it draws in viewers, for better or worse. But what if NBC covered these sports in prime time all the time? Would people watch, or do they really need to see those interlocking rings to care?
I don’t think so. I think that if the Olympic brand draws people in, it’s the athletes who keep them watching. More coverage would dilute the Olympic brand and, therefore, let up on the pressure these athletes face. We can dream.
Quick hits
- First off, Alysa friggin’ Liu. She killed it in the women’s singles skate, easily winning the event with two near-flawless programs. If you haven’t already, stop what you’re doing to watch her incredible free skate.
- Amber Glenn had a disappointing short program and broke down crying afterwards; that was hard to watch. But she came back with a nearly flawless free skate and was there to support her teammate, so she’s a winner in my heart.
- Russian coach Eteri Tutberidze was at the free skate, and that made people uncomfortable. But there was none of the Russian drama we’ve gotten used to, probably because Tutberidze wasn’t able to bring a 15-year-old this time. I know I’m biased because, well, go USA, but to see Liu, a woman who looks relaxed and happy to be there, succeed, is so refreshing and honestly a slap in the face to everything Tutberidze stands for.
- While we’re here, I think I speak for all millennials when I say you need to warn me before you skate to the soundtrack from The Lion King. I saw Mufasa die on the big screen and I still carry that.
- The Dutch killed it in speed skating — in fact, every one of the Netherlands’ medals has been in speed skating or short track. Sidenote: You can always count on NED to stand out.
- Eileen Gu laughed at a reporter who asked her if she considered her silver medals a loss. She wins the gold in the race to laugh at unremarkable men.
- Elena Meyers Taylor won the monobob event and celebrated with her two adorable kids. It’s her first gold, in her fifth and likely final Olympics.
- Mikaela Shiffrin won slalom, her first medal since the 2018 Olympics, and she is tired.
- Lindsey Vonn went home after her fourth surgery on that shattered left tibia, and she had the scaffolding removed by someone named Dr. Hackett. Meanwhile, her dog died, which is just rude of the cosmos at this point.
- This dog won the Olympics, at least in our hearts.
NCAA standings and schedule
After week 7 (NQS):
- Oklahoma 197.900
- LSU 197.688
- Alabama 197.475
- Florida 197.456
- UCLA 197.405
Oklahoma truly has no chill with these 198s, earning its third in a Week Seven meet at Florida (197.575). They really are unbeatable. Alabama got its first (198.3250) in a home meet against Auburn, and Utah killed it in a home meet against BYU, earning an incredible — and surprising — 198.0250 after a rough start to the season.
Speaking of unbeatable, Jordan Chiles’ lowest all-around score this season is a 39.5750, and she earned her fourth consecutive floor 10 on Saturday.
In less good news, Auburn’s Sophia Bell ruptured her Achilles and is out for the rest of the season.
Iowa State administration says it will appeal to the Big 12 Conference for its gymnasts to retain a year of eligibility following the season’s cancellation. It’s unclear if the program, which was operating at a financial loss, has a future at this point.
Yesterday featured Air Force, Ball State, Illinois at Missouri; Florida at Georgia; Kentucky at Arkansas; Alabama at Auburn; LSU at Oklahoma; Southern Utah at Utah; and Minnesota at Washington. Tonight we’ll see Rutgers at Michigan, and Sunday is UCLA at Illinois.
Full standings and schedule at Road to Nationals, and CollegeGymNews has a recap here.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
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Elite gym news
The elite gym season kicks off this weekend! Here’s what to look out for at this weekend’s meets, and how to follow them.
Feb 19-22 Cottbus World Cup (roster | live scores)
Qualifications for the Cottbus Apparatus World Cup wrapped up yesterday. Kaylia Nemour was the highlight on Day One, earning an incredible 15.200 on bars.
Finals will happen tonight at 14:15 – 17:20 and Sunday at 14:15 – 17:20, German time. Eurovision Sport is streaming both days for free. You have to create a free account, but it looks like you can watch without a VPN.
The Cottbus Apparatus World Cup is the first world championships qualifier of the year. Teams and individual all-arounders will qualify for the 2026 World Championships based on their rankings at continental championships. This leaves event specialists, who will qualify for worlds through the apparatus World Cup series.
The series consists of six events starting in Cottbus, Germany and ending in Doha in mid-April. At the end of the series, the top-eight ranked athletes in each apparatus will earn a nominative spot at worlds (with some exceptions I won’t get into here). Athletes will be ranked by their highest four results.
You can see why this is appealing for athletes like Oksana Chusovitina, who may not have any other means of qualifying to worlds. Kaylia Nemour will also be at Cottbus and will do bars and beam.
Others will attend to gain valuable experience on the international stage. This will be one of the rare moments we’ll see Russian athletes outside of domestic competitions since the Russian ban. All members of the worlds team, aside from Angelina Melnikova, are slated to attend, including Lyudmila Roshchina, who was 11th in the all-around at worlds, Anna Kalmykova, who was sixth on vault, and Leila Vasilieva, who was sixth on bars.
February 20-22 Winter Cup (start lists | live scores | live stream)
Fifteen senior elite women are slated to compete at this year’s Winter Cup.
Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera leads the field. She’s the reigning national champion who sadly injured her ankle shortly before world team selection. Claire Pease is in a similar boat, coming back for a fresh season after doing very well domestically in her first year as a senior but getting injured at exactly the wrong time.
Simone Rose is on the roster; she’s gotten close to making worlds or Olympic teams but hasn’t quite cut it, so we’ll see if she can make a splash here. Izzy Stassi returns for her third year as a senior after strong showings at domestic meets last year.
Then, there are the promising first-year seniors. Reigning Junior Pan Ams all-around champion Charleigh Bullock will make her senior debut here, alongside junior national champion Caroline Moreau and silver medalist Isabella Anzola. Annalisa Milton of GAGE will be there as well, though her coaching situation isn’t entirely clear.
The top eight juniors and top eight seniors in the all-around will make the national team, with a minimum score of 51.50 for seniors. They’ll also use this competition to decide who will compete at the American Cup. 2025 World Championship athletes and replacement athletes automatically qualify to nationals.
Five at the IX: Simone Biles
Simone Biles is teasing a comeback. Honestly, I’m surprised; I thought she was done. Whatever she decides, good for her.