Nastia Liukin, 2008 Olympic Games Event Finals, Balance Beam:
Now that Nastia Liukin has told Inside Gymnastics Magazine that she’s likely to compete new skills on bars and beam in the coming year, I’ve been wondering what they could be.
On bars, Nastia might look good doing a Markelov, the same release move bars queen Svetlana Khorkina used for many years. Or perhaps a new entry to her Tkatchev, from a stalder. Maybe even a toe-on Hindorff!
Most likely is that she’s changed her dismount, though. The double front didn’t work when she competed it at the 2007 Pan-American Games and the double front half out often didn’t go so well, either. A “more mature” Nastia — slightly heavier or slightly taller or both — might have even more trouble with this skill.
IG editor Dwight Normile suggeted awhile back that Nastia should learn a full-twisting double back dismount, something the tall Khorkina always did with relative ease. If the double layout is no longer an option either, Nastia isn’t left that much choice.
What about beam? I have fewer ideas about what Nastia might select there. Side aerial? Front-aerial, side aerial combo?
What do you think Nastia’s new skills will be?
Nastia Liukin, 2008 Olympic Games Event Finals, Uneven Bars:
The Gymblog 
May 8, 2009 at 2:51 am |
not sure about how the new code works; i know they give you bonus points based on the 10 most difficult skills only, but will you get bonus for connections as well? if not, then nastia (and everyone else) could be building on mega-difficult skills w/o connections anymore (like how her tkatchev could have connected to the pak for bonus). maybe a stalder entry to a tkatkev like khorkina! on beam, maybe she could be trying to solve the global financial crisis in laidout position!
May 8, 2009 at 4:55 am |
I had a dream last night that I saw Nastia doing a shap. I dont have a history of prophetic dreams or anything, but I thought I’d leave the comment anyway.
On a side note, I dont know if I should feel lame or proud that even in my dreams I’m watching gymnastics, but …yea…go Nast!
May 8, 2009 at 5:16 am |
also shane – you get pts for only the top 8 skills now but connections DO yeild bonuses. The problem for nastia is they aren’t going to accept bonuses for pirouetting skills in combination anymore, which is where she got a lot of her advantage. For example: inbar stalder to stalder full = D + D = no bonus. With HKX and YYL out on injury, and Nastia having to relearn her routein, I’m predicting a gold for Beth 2009. At the same time I wouldn’t rule Kexin or Liukin out quite yet. They are both amazing ; )
May 8, 2009 at 5:26 am |
Nastia’s geinger on bars is so high and laid out that I don’t think she’d have any problem adding a full twist to it, and doing a def. I doubt she is doing that, but it would be awesome. Maybe she’s added a half twist to a tkatchev?? And, I agree that she’s definitely got to change her dismount. Maybe she’s trying to put the half twist in the first flip of the double front, to maker the landing easier for her? Most likely she’ll make it a back half-in half-out or possibly bring back her double lay.
Beam…I don’t know much about beam. Maybe she’ll do a gainer, landing in a scale…kind of the reverse of her front flip to scale thing.
Anyway, I’m excited Nationals is in Dallas this year. I’m gonna try to make a trip to see her new stuff in person. August isn’t too far away!
May 14, 2009 at 12:39 am |
Or maybe a bhs into a layout scale ala Corey Hartung at 0:45 in this video
…. this is one of the most gorgeous skills ive seen on beam.
May 8, 2009 at 10:36 am |
Beam: Aerial Cartwheel
Bars: Full in dismount
May 8, 2009 at 11:38 am |
ok with you on the aerial. But with a shorter bar routein – she can probably take on the old dismount. I’m not sure but i always thought it was more of an endurance issue than the actual dismount itself
May 8, 2009 at 1:28 pm |
Jason, you made me dream
it would be sooo awesome to see Nastia perform a def!!!
May 8, 2009 at 3:10 pm |
Onodi to scale?!?!? She wants to get something named after her, right?
And my ultimate dream full-twisting bhs-Onodi combo. It has to be possible, right?
May 14, 2009 at 12:30 am |
yeah, i like the onodi-scale skill. Shayla Worley competed it in 2008. it looks nice.
May 8, 2009 at 3:10 pm |
What if she threw in a full on beam? Not a standing full, but a full to her flight series? I’d love to see her throw a bhs-bhs-full like the Chinese. With a lot of height- she’d rock that.
May 8, 2009 at 3:28 pm |
I’d like too see her throw a full twisting korbut flip on beam and i think she will keep her 2.5 twist dismount on beam also i’d like to see her bring back her bhs 2 layout step outs again i missed all of them in beijing, bars not sure what she would throw but i know she will throw something exiting she has to keep her geinger and ber pack salto she does them beutifully but the double front half twist has to go oh just thought of one how about the transition from the low bar to the high bar that svetlana khorkina performed that move called shipasnokobra (can’t spell it) but with a half twist that would be cool to see her do that:)
May 8, 2009 at 10:26 pm |
I think on BB, she’ll do a full twisting split leap (tour jete 1/2)
May 9, 2009 at 3:28 am |
Bars: I don’t think she has enough power to try a Ricna but it would be so cool if she did! I’m thinking a Markelov/Khorkina is an option, I’d love to see her connect her Tchachev to the Pak salto for a change and I’m quite certain she’ll change her dismount. She’s either gonna throw a full-in (or a full-out), an arabian double in a tucked position or (my personal favourite) a 2.5 twist. They’re all Ds, just like the DLO and the double front (½off) she used to do.
Beam: Aerial cartwheel, Kotchetkova (or its Gainer counterpart, AKA the Khorkina). I’m quite sure she’s gonna throw a Ruflova (actually connected to her free walkover-BHS-LOSO). Let’s wait…
May 9, 2009 at 5:13 am |
Another one which I know is SELDOM done, but what about a Hristikieva on bars? I don’t think I spelled that right… Isabelle Severino does it?
With the air she gets on that first release move (I get the geinger and jaeger confused)… I think it would be interesting to see her whip it around with a turn.
May 9, 2009 at 3:42 pm |
As lovely as it is to think of her throwing a def or some super difficult release move on bars, its more likely that she’s gonna do an endo-full or some other pirouette move like that. As for the dismount, if she’s still trying to avoid backwards landings (because of her ankle) then a double arabian dismount would be cool, just NO COWBOY.
On beam, I feel like she’s trying to come up with an original skill, since she did not get the piked front to scale thingy named after her. Maybe an original leap? Something like a tour jete ring possibly, although that would be crazy hard.
November 14, 2011 at 5:05 am |
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