The Melbourne meet opened the 2018 World Cup circuit with countries like Australia, China and New Zealand represented front and center in the WAG competition. It is a little bit early in the season so many of the top scores will not hold for the next year but it was still an interesting, fun meet. There were also plenty of memorable routines and performances:
Slovenia’s Tjasa Kysslef was the first gold medalist, producing one of the biggest surprises: she qualified with the 8th score but in the finals she landed very well her vaults (front handspring tuck full and Yurchenko 1 1/2) and won with a 13.8 average. Tjasa was overcome by emotions at the top of the vault podium as her medal was handed by Aly Raisman. She also won the bronze medal on floor with a routine that opened with a sky-high double back tuck (she looked like she can easily pull a full in) for a 12.366.
Aruna Budda Reddy wrote history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the World Cup after securing the bronze medal in the vault final (13.649 average).
Du Siyu from China won the gold medal on bars with a 13.766/6.2. She impressed with her Tkachev to inbar Geinger, pirouettes in L grip and a float-y double layout dismount. Siyu also won the bronze medal on beam despite completely missing her foot on a flick-layout step out; her score on beam was 11.333.4.7.
The beam gold medalist was Chen Yile. She was masterful in her execution of her extremely difficult routine. She mounted with a back flip to chest press, her acro series was round-off layout to two feet; all of her combinations and connections were difficult: switch ring leap to Korbut aerial to split jump to ring jump, side aerial, switch leap to ring jump, switch ring leap (14.466/6.3) . Chen also won the silver medal in the bars final (13.133/6.0).
Alexandra Eade from Australia won gold on floor with a 13.333/5.1. Her routine started with an impressive double layout (small hop back) and continued with three well controlled passes: 1 1/2 to double back tuck, front tuck to double full,double back pike.
Isabel Barbosa is a first year senior from Brazil that impressed in Melbourne by winning two silver medals, on balance beam and floor. On beam her routine did not excel in difficulty (5.0) but it was well executed, Isabel showing good control of both her acro and artistic elements (flick -loso, split jump to side aerial, switch leap – switch 1/1-back tuck and a sky high double back tuck to dismount). On floor she was lovely to watch with a mount of Arabian double front, followed by a double back pike (with pointed toes!) but then started to struggle a bit and almost crashed a front full. Still she produced a great impression at her first World Cup as a senior.
Here are all the event finals results:
<td>
Tjasa
</td>
<td>
Kysslef
</td>
<td>
SLO
</td>
<td>
13.8
</td>
<td>
(4.8,5.0)
</td>
<td>
Emily
</td>
<td>
Whitehead
</td>
<td>
AUS
</td>
<td>
13.699
</td>
<td>
(5.0,4.8)
</td>
<td>
Aruna Budda
</td>
<td>
Reddy
</td>
<td>
IND
</td>
<td>
13.649
</td>
<td>
(4.6,4.8)
</td>
<td>
Georgia
</td>
<td>
Godwin
</td>
<td>
AUS
</td>
<td>
13.583
</td>
<td>
(4.8,4.6)
</td>
<td>
Jinru
</td>
<td>
Liu
</td>
<td>
CHN
</td>
<td>
13.499
</td>
<td>
(4.8,4.6)
</td>
<td>
Pranati
</td>
<td>
Nayak
</td>
<td>
IND
</td>
<td>
13.416
</td>
<td>
(4.8,4.6)
</td>
<td>
Charlotte
</td>
<td>
Ryan
</td>
<td>
NZL
</td>
<td>
12.85
</td>
<td>
(4.6,4.0)
</td>
<td>
Nadine Joy
</td>
<td>
Nathan
</td>
<td>
SGP
</td>
<td>
11.966
</td>
<td>
(4.6,4.0)
</td>
<td>
Siyu
</td>
<td>
Du
</td>
<td>
CHN
</td>
<td>
13.766/6.2
</td>
<td>
Yile
</td>
<td>
Chen
</td>
<td>
CHN
</td>
<td>
13.133/6.0
</td>
<td>
Georgia-Rose
</td>
<td>
Brown
</td>
<td>
AUS
</td>
<td>
12.100/5.4
</td>
<td>
Maia
</td>
<td>
Fishwick
</td>
<td>
NZL
</td>
<td>
11.900/4.3
</td>
<td>
Nadine Joy
</td>
<td>
Nathan
</td>
<td>
SGP
</td>
<td>
11.633/4.3
</td>
<td>
Qiyan
</td>
<td>
Zeng
</td>
<td>
SGP
</td>
<td>
11.600/4.2
</td>
<td>
Farah Ann
</td>
<td>
Abdul Hadi
</td>
<td>
MAS
</td>
<td>
11.233/5.0
</td>
<td>
Rianna
</td>
<td>
Mizzen
</td>
<td>
AUS
</td>
<td>
10.600/4.5
</td>
<td width="64">
</td>
<td>
Yile
</td>
<td>
Chen
</td>
<td>
CHN
</td>
<td colspan="2">
14.466/6.3
</td>
<td>
Isabel
</td>
<td>
Barbosa
</td>
<td>
BRA
</td>
<td colspan="2">
12.666/5.0
</td>
<td>
Siyu
</td>
<td>
Du
</td>
<td>
CHN
</td>
<td colspan="2">
11.333/4.7
</td>
<td>
Tjasa
</td>
<td>
Kysslef
</td>
<td>
SLO
</td>
<td colspan="2">
11.166/4.9
</td>
<td>
Farah Ann
</td>
<td>
Abdul Hadi
</td>
<td>
MAS
</td>
<td colspan="2">
11.100/4.8
</td>
<td>
Nadine Joy
</td>
<td>
Nathan
</td>
<td>
SGP
</td>
<td colspan="2">
10.800/4.1
</td>
<td>
Stella
</td>
<td>
Ashcroft
</td>
<td>
NZL
</td>
<td colspan="2">
10.633/5.0
</td>
<td>
Alexandra
</td>
<td>
Eade
</td>
<td>
AUS
</td>
<td>
9.800/5.1
</td>
<td>
</td>
<td>
Alexandra
</td>
<td>
Eade
</td>
<td>
AUS
</td>
<td>
13.333/5.1
</td>
<td>
Isabel
</td>
<td>
Barbosa
</td>
<td>
BRA
</td>
<td>
12.600/5.0
</td>
<td>
Tjasa
</td>
<td>
Kysslef
</td>
<td>
SLO
</td>
<td>
12.366/4.3
</td>
<td>
Estella
</td>
<td>
Matthewson
</td>
<td>
NZL
</td>
<td>
12.033/4.6
</td>
<td>
Isabella
</td>
<td>
Brett
</td>
<td>
NZL
</td>
<td>
12.00/4.7
</td>
<td>
FarahAnn
</td>
<td>
AbdulHadi
</td>
<td>
MAS
</td>
<td>
11.900/4.6
</td>
<td>
Aruna
</td>
<td>
Reddy-Budda
</td>
<td>
IND
</td>
<td>
10.833/4.2
</td>
<td>
Qiyan
</td>
<td>
Zeng
</td>
<td>
SGP
</td>
<td>
10.466/3.9
</td>
Article: Bea Gheorghisor
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