Hello, and welcome to Gymnastics Insider!
This may have been the slowest news week for gymnastics that I’ve ever seen. Euros are over, U.S. nationals are over and now we can all go back to rocking back and forth in a corner and muttering to ourselves until next month, when Worlds teams are announced and the few remaining big meets take place.
Here’s a handy guide to help you plan your fall while you’re in the corner:
Szombathely Challenge Cup, Sept. 18-20
We have a nominative roster for this one. Notably, Brazil is sending Rebeca Andrade, Flavia Saraiva, and Lorrane Oliveira. The U.S. is sending Dulcy Caylor and Tatum Drusch. Great Britain’s Emily and Abigail Roper are also slated to attend, along with Poland’s Marta Pihan-Kulesza.
Asian Games, Sept. 22-25
The Asian Games are huge; as a whole, it’s the largest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympics … so why is the website so bad?
Here’s what I was able to glean from other sources: qualifications, which will also serve as the all-around final, will be held Sept. 22. The team final will happen on Sept. 23, vault and bars on Sept. 24, and beam and floor on Sept. 25.
This means that once again, some of the women on the roster will have to compete five days in a row. The men get a day off between quals and the team final, presumably to rest their big manly muscles.
Paris Challenge Cup, Sept. 26-27
We don’t have a full roster yet. We do know Lila Richardson and Izzy Stassi of the U.S. will attend.
World Championships, Oct. 17-25
Here is the full list of WAG qualifiers for worlds, thanks to a Reddit hero.
The big Worlds news this week is that North Korea has pulled out, according to Inside Gymnastics. It’s unclear why the PRK made this choice, though Redditers suspect they’re prioritizing the Asian Games. It’s really unfortunate that we won’t get to see An Chang Ok, who just competed an Amanar and a Cheng at Asian Championships, in the worlds vault final.
As the first reserve team, Malaysia will compete at Worlds instead.
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U.S. news
Here are the 15 athletes who will vie for spots on the U.S. Worlds team on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Notably, Leanne Wong is included, along with Jayla Hang.
Sunisa Lee was spotted training a laid out jaeger:
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DcjedO1iV3i
Katelyn Ohashi is training, too! She’s working on her bhs stepout + bhs + full-twisting layout, like old times.
Five at the IX: Dominique Dawes
Dominique Dawes spoke on the podcast Sports in America. She just opened a new gym in Spring, Texas, I guess to take advantage of the huge gap in the market in that town? Anyway, good for her.
Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
