Podium training continued on day three but today the spotlight was on the men. We saw an absolutely incredible display of gymnastics in the Hydro arena, as half the countries took the podium to prepare for competition. China, Japan, Brazil, and Great Britain put on the biggest shows throughout the day, showing off some seemingly impossible skills. 

Great Britain and Brazil were both in the first session, and they started the action-packed day on a high note. Great Britain was led by 2014 World silver medalist Max Whitlock, who is looking to secure a spot in the all-around final, as well as help Team Great Britain nail down a berth to Rio.

Brazil was truly phenomenal on floor and vault. They combined tremendous difficulty with precise execution, as seen in Caio Souza's textbook Yurchenko 2 1/2. Both of these teams will not compete for another four days, so there will be time to address any mistakes, but this long training and competition schedule is where teams become battle tested.

Reigning World Champ China practiced in the afternoon and looked to be in peak form. It's astounding to see a team harness huge power, while also having such control at the same time. Japan was in the same session as China, and they had some big skills but weren't as sharp as they could be. However, the experienced team didn't look phased and will no doubt be able to pull it together for competition. 

Routine of the Day

Japan's Kenzo Shirai on floor:

Lineups and Predictions

We broke the news this morning on Twitter but it looks like the bar lineups have changed and Maggie Nichols will not be competing on bars in qualifications. The new lineup is Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian, and Brenna Dowell. This comes as very exciting news as Dowell will now have a shot at bar finals with her risky but rewarding routine. However, it also means Nichols won't have a shot at all-around finals. 

With so much talent on the team, it is impossible for everyone to be satisfied with the lineups. While it's unfortunate for Nichols to miss the chance at qualifying for all-around finals, Raisman and Douglas both deserve a shot as well. From the previous bar lineup, it seems that Martha was choosing between Raisman and Nichols. While Nichols is obviously an incredible all-around gymnast, Raisman has a better chance at placing in all-around finals because of her higher difficulty and international experience. 

This decision also gives the U.S. two great bar workers to break into bar finals. 

They Said It

For today’s edition of “They Said It” we are featuring a couple of our favorite social media posts straight from the athletes themselves:

Talent is a gift. Success is earned.

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) October 21, 2015

"Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." - Tuesday's with Morrie 📖 Life is too short to sit around and wait for what comes next, so make your dreams happen...I am! â­Âï¸Â

A photo posted by Brittany Rogers (@brittyrogers) on Oct 21, 2015 at 4:11am PDT

Related:
World Championships Central
Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap