With the World Championships coming up, it is important to not only look at the men’s teams that have a chance at medaling, but also which teams placed top eight at last year’s World Championships to see if they can hold their placing and advance to the 2012 London Olympics. For this segment we'll preview the men's teams we expect to make the Team Finals (top 8) and advance to the Olympics, but miss out on a medal this year. Coming up next we'll preview the 2011 medal favorites. 

France

At this time, France has named Thomas Bouhail, Mira Boumejmajen, Yann Cucherat, Gael Da Silva, Hamilton Sabot, Cyril Tommasone with Arnaud Willig as their alternate. Every team member was on last year’s team except Mira Boumejmajen and Yann Cucherat.

France finished 5th last year and looks to be just as strong this year.

Vault is their best apparatus. Thomas Bouhail can score as high as 16.100 and Gael Da Silva as high as 15.100. Bouhail can perform a Tsukahara triple pike and a front handspring double front with a half with very clean form and landings. Other scores range from the low to mid 15s which will definitely help them stay in the top eight.

Parallel bars is their second best apparatus. Cyril Tommasone can score as high as 15.400. But after that, scores drop into the high to mid 14s. If they are able to score in the low 15s or at least score in the 14s, they can capitalize on other teams.

High bar, pommel horse and still rings are all about the same which is why they are grouped together in third. On all three apparatuses, their scores range from the mid 13s to the high 14s and they could even get a mid 15 from Cyril Tommasone on pommel horse.

Floor exercise is their weakest apparatus. They can score in the mid to high 14s, but they have been inconsistent and have had to count high 12s and 13s. If they can improve and stay in the 14s, that would help them dramatically.

Facts:

Thomas Bouhail, Yann Cucherat and Hamilton Sabot were members of the French team that finished 8th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bouhail placed 21st in the all around and won silver on vault. Cucherat placed 8^th on high bar.

Cyril Tommasone placed 13^th in the all around and 4^th on pommel horse at last year’s Worlds. Thomas Bouhail won gold on vault and placed 5^th on floor exercise.

 

Thomas Bouhail

Cyril Tommasone (he is at 2:23)

Russia

Russia named their men’s team as Denis Ablyazin, David Belyavskiy, Emin Garibov, Anton Golotsutskov, Nikita Ignatyev, Sergey Khorokhordin and Konstantin Pluzhnikov as their alternate.

The Russian team placed 6^th last year.

Their best apparatus is vault. Anton Golotsutskov can score as high as 16.400 and won the silver at last year’s Worlds and the bronze at this year’s European Championships. They can also put up scores from the low to high 15s. If they stay consistent here, they may be able to move up this year as long as they also work on their weaker apparatuses.

Parallel bars and still rings tie for second. Their scores range from the low to high 14s on both with one or two 15s possible. Sergey Khorokhordin can score 14.800 on rings and 14.900 on parallel bars. Konstantin Pluzhnikov won gold on still rings at this years European Championships with a 15.850. If they can turn their 14s into 15s for both, they could possibly place higher.

Pommel horse comes in third. Their scores range in the 14s. If they want to medal, they will need to get out of the low 14s and get as close to 15s as they can. They have been inconsistent and posted scores in the 13s at the European Championships. That might have been a fluke, but it is something that cannot happen in Tokyo.

Floor is fourth. They have been inconsistent here as well, only scoring in the low 13s to mid 14s. However, if he hits, Anton Golotsutskov can score as high as 14.900. Once again, they need to avoid falls and major mistakes to stay out of the 13s and the low 14s. This could be an apparatus that makes or breaks them.

High bar is their weakest apparatus. They have made some improvements here, but they need to avoid major mistakes and falls in order to stay ahead. High bar can also make or break them. Anton Golotsutskov can score as high as 15.400. Those are the scores they will need to break into the medals. Right now, they are only in the 13 and 14 range.

Facts:

Sergey Khorokhordin, Anton Golotsutskov and Konstantin Pluzhnikov were on the Russian team that placed 6^th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Anton Golotsutskov



Konstantin Pluzhnikov

Great Britain

Great Britain has named Daniel Keatings, Sam Oldham, Ruslan Panteleymonov, Daniel Purvis, Louis Smith, Kristian Thomas with Max Whitlock as their alternate.

The British team placed 7^th last year and they look to have much more depth heading into Tokyo. They have been making a push to be better than ever over the last couple of years so they can be more competitive come London 2012. They have an automatic berth to the Olympics next year because they are the host country. However, they are not just riding on that.

Vault is their best apparatus. Ruslan Panteleymonov can score as high as 16.100. Their other scores range from the mid to high 15s. If they can score all 16s, it will give them some breathing room and could help them move up.

Unlike other teams, pommel horse is their second best apparatus. Louis Smith can score as high as 15.800. However, scores do drop into the 14s and the mid to high 13s. They need to avoid poor form and major mistakes to get into the high 14s and 15s. If they can, this would give them a huge advantage over other teams who are much weaker here.

Parallel bars and high bar tie for third. Daniel Purvis can score as high as 14.800 on parallel bars and Kristian Thomas as high as 14.400 on high bar. But for both, scores drop to the mid to low 14s and the mid to high 13a on parallel bars and the low 14s on high bar.

Still rings and floor exercise are their weakest apparatuses. Kristian Thomas and Ruslan Panteleymonov can score as high as 14.500 on still rings. Daniel Purvis can score as high as 14.900 on floor. But for both, scores them drop in the low to mid 14s and the high to mid 13s. They need to avoid falls and have cleaner landings. If they do, they can move up this year.

Facts:

Great Britain did not qualify a men’s team to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, Daniel Keatings and Louis Smith competed individually but did not place in the all around, but Smith went on to win bronze on the pommel horse.  

Daniel Keatings

Louis Smith


More World Championships Previews:
- Men's Teams on the Bubble of Top 8 
- Women's Teams on the Bubble of Top 8
Coming up next - a preview the Medal Favorites