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| Image credit: Gregory Bull/AP |
On Sunday night, Jordyn Wieber of the U.S. failed to qualify for the All Around finals, despite finishing fourth overall. How is this possible, you ask? Because two of Wieber's teammates - Gabby Douglas and Ali Raisman - finished ahead of her, and the idiotic rule is that only two athletes from each country can go on to compete in the All Around Final.
Here's what I have to say about that - only
two athletes advancing from each country is a joke. The rule is intended to
keep a single nation (or a few select nations) from single-handedly
dominating the medal podium, but what it's really doing is keeping
deserving gymnasts who legitimately earn high scores from taking part in
competitions they've earned the right to dominate. The "top 24" advance to the All Around, but the best 24 aren't competing - the 3rd-place athletes from the U.S., Russia and Romania, though having top -24 scores, won't be there.
I know this has been a rule for awhile, but it still infuriates me; it's like the Olympic Committee is saying, "I know
you've worked out 7 hours a day every day of your life, but let's give
someone from (insert gymnastics non-powerhouse country here) a chance -
even though they will never medal and you may have had a chance."
Case in point: in 1992, Tatiana Gutsu (of the then
"Unified Team") had a rough qualification and finished fourth on her team
(then, each country could send three to the All Around). But her coaches knew
she had a chance to win, so the 3rd place finisher on that team, poor Roza
Galieva, was forced (in her words) to say she had an injury and couldn't compete so
Gutsu could - and Gutsu won the gold medal. If not for being on a powerhouse team, Gutsu would have made it to the All Around without a teammate having to fall on the proverbial sword.
Top 24 should mean TOP 24, no matter what country they are from.
