Last year Russian WAG team won at the Stuttgart team challenge by 5 points over the German team despite somewhat shaky routines and a fall. They were a clear favorite coming into the competition this year, with a team that had Viktoria Komova, Lilia Akhaimova, Maria Kharenkova, Anastasia Ilyankova and Viktoria Gorbatova. They looked good at podium training. But you know the saying, it’s all fun and games until Russia goes to beam. This time Russia started on beam with Komova being the only one who managed to stay on the apparatus (she fell on the dismount, though) and getting 11.850 while the rest of the team got 10+ scores (Ilaynkova received the perfect 10.0. If only this was NCAA).
コモワたん平均台 pic.twitter.com/DUtxrxVJ6x
— しみ (@pipinoko18) March 16, 2018
Lilia Akhaimova delivered on floor and vault getting the highest scores of the whole competition on these events, but she finally surrendered and fell on bars where she was going in the anchor position.
At the end, they finished in fifth with 149.8 after Belgium (157.5), Japan (152.55), Germany (152.25), and Switzerland (150.85) and did not make the team final (top four teams continue to the final).
Belgium finished on top, being stable on each event and finishing 5 points ahead of the second place, Japan. And yes, they were also ahead of Russia by eight points. Nina Derwael was the star of the day earning 14.9 on bars for the highest score on the event and 13.15 on beam for the second highest, while Rune Hermans got 13.20.
The team final will take place at 17:00 local time and will be streamed online.
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