As promised, here is the second installment of “Who to Watch” at the 2014 World Championships! Of course we have to start by mentioning the reigning royalty of men’s gymnastics, Kohei Uchimura (JPN), who is the favorite to win the all-around for a 5th time straight. We’ve also seen a lot of the US men lately, especially repeat US national champion Sam Mikulak, who will be looking to earn the AA medal that he missed in 2013. But there are many other fantastic gymnastics from around the globe coming to compete in Nanning, so let’s take a look at a few of them.
 

Max Whitlock (GBR): Whitlock is definitely a must-see athlete in the AA as well as the pommel horse, where he absolutely shines! After placing 4th at the 2013 World Championships AA competition and winning silver on pommels, he has been coming on like gangbusters in 2014. Highlights include the British AA title, European pommel horse title, and five medals at the Commonwealth Games (gold in team final, AA, and floor; silver on pommels; and bronze on p-bars). Barring any major surprises, we should see a lot of this athlete in Nanning!
 

Denis Abliazin (RUS): We absolutely love watching Abliazin’s powerhouse style, with some of his most impressive routines coming on vault and floor exercise (where he competed a 7.1-D score routine at the 2014 Euros!). He has been an important name in men’s elite gymnastics since the 2012 Olympics, where he won a silver medal on vault and bronze on floor. Since then, he has also racked up a gold medal on vault at the 2013 European Championships and four gold medals at the 2014 Euros (including the team competition, floor, rings, and vault). However, 2013 Worlds in Antwerp was a disappointing competition for Abliazin, who competed in qualifications for three events but failed to make any event finals. He will be looking to build on recent success and redeem himself in Nanning. Fun fact- Denis is engaged to former Russian women’s gymnast Ksenia Semenova!
 

Oleg Verniaiev (UKR): At last year’s Worlds, Verniaiev was in the hunt for an AA medal until the wheels came off on high bar, but we hope to see him perform well and contend again in Nanning! He certainly brings a laundry list of achievements to the competition floor, including bronze AA at the 2013 European Championships, 2012 & 2013 Ukrainian national AA titles, and silver at the 2013 American Cup. At the 2014 European Championships, he led the Ukrainian team to a bronze medal and took home individual gold on p-bars and bronze on vault. A fairly small athlete, he uses this to his advantage as he shows impeccable execution, especially on his best event, the parallel bars.
 

Ryohei Kato (JPN): He may live in the shadow of his teammate Uchimura, but Kato is a fantastic gymnast who deserves his own place in the international spotlight! Not only was he the silver AA medalist at the 2013 Worlds, but he also brings loads of experience as a result of his part in the Japanese team’s Olympic silver medal in 2012. Like his teammate Uchimura, his physical build is on the smaller side, but he proves his strength as an all-around gymnast and will be one of the contenders again this year in Nanning.

Nile Wilson (GBR): I’ve tried to avoid listing two athletes from one country in these previews, but I just can’t resist mentioning Nile Wilson! The British youngster just moved up to the senior division after the 2014 European Championships, where he collected a jaw-dropping 5 gold medals! He was also crowned the 2014 British junior national champion before transitioning to the senior ranks. He came out with an impressive debut at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, claiming three individual medals (gold on high bar, silver on p-bars, and bronze in the AA) as well as a part in the team gold for England. He has proven that he can handle the pressure of an international stage, and I think it would be a mistake to overlook him in his first World Championships showing next week!

 

Oliver Hegi (SUI): Who could forget the torn-grip snafu that befell Hegi on high bar in Antwerp?! He went into the AA finals ranked 9th, but after his grip tore during his high bar routine, he was unable to get back on the equipment within 30 seconds and was forced to stop there. However, the Swiss athlete comes into the 2014 Worlds with big plans, having said in a 2013 International Gymnastics interview that he hopes to qualify for the AA finals as well as event finals for pommel horse, parallel bars, and high bar. As long as the 2-time Olympian brings a solid pair of grips to Nanning, he should be on course for a good performance.

Fabian Hambuechen (GER): Like Ferrari on the women’s side, Hambuechen is a longtime mainstay on the elite scene who can never be counted out of any international competition! He is a 3-time Olympian has boasts an impressive resume including 2 Olympic medals, 9 World Championships medals, and 11 European Championships medals. Last year in Antwerp, he narrowly edged out GB’s Whitlock for the bronze medal spot on the AA podium, and he also earned a silver medal on the high bar. The German veteran will undoubtedly come to Nanning looking to add more hardware to his vast collection. He is especially impressive on high bar, which is his signature event, so be sure not to miss him there!

Epke Zonderland (NED): Nicknamed “the flying Dutchman,” Zonderland is an absolute marvel on high bar and will give Hambuechen a serious run for his money next week! He became an Olympic champion on the event in London and has also claimed the high bar title at the World Championship (2013) and European Championship (2014) levels. With impressive release combinations and a D-score as high as 7.7, he will be the heavy favorite to take the crown again this year! Another event where he shines is the parallel bars, where he earned bronze in Sofia last year.

 

So there you have it… my top picks to look for on the men’s competition floor at the 2014 World Championships. But there are plenty of other big names coming into the arena in Nanning, including Igor Radivilov (UKR), Chaopan Lin (CHN), Sergio Sasaki Junior (BRA), Andrey Likhovitskiy (BLR) (especially with his awesome, old-school Czech giants on high bar!), Tomi Tuuha (FIN), and Eleftherios Kosmidis (GRE)… to name a few. Who are you most excited to watch compete? Tell us in the comments section below!

Related:
Global Gals: Women to Watch at the 2014 World Championships