Women’s gymnastics: First rotation, ups and downs

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PHILADELPHIA -- Leotard colors of the night -- Shawn Johnson, Samantha Peszek and Chellsie Memmel all chose a deep pink. Nastia Liukin stands out in white. Bridget Sloan and Ivana Hong chose purple. Mattie Larson wore red.

Unofficial winner of most pre-meet applause went to Liukin. Local girl Darling Hill was second. Memmel had a whole rooting section from her hometown of West Allis, Wis. They were wearing aqua T-shirts.

UP: Memmel closed her eyes and pumped her fist before she climbed up on the uneven bars. Her eyes were wide open at the end. Memmel confidently completed five release moves and made her landing. She scored 16.150. At nationals, Memmel received 16.000 and 16.300 and is showing consistency on an event where the U.S. doesn’t have depth.

Larson from Los Angeles, in her first season of senior-level competition, ‘rocked those bars,’ according to former Olympic champion Shannon Miller, who is doing in-house radio commentary. Larson pointed every toe and swung strongly through her uneven bars routine. Johnson’s coach, Liang Chow, gave Larson a big hug. Larson received a 15.100.

DOWN: Just a little down, but Johnson, starting on her weakest event, needed a big extra step on her uneven bars landing. Her score was still 15.700, and it took nitpicking in this first round to find much wrong with anything from the top competitors. Jana Bieger didn’t cleanly land her one-and-a-half twist vault and scored only 14.600, behind Hong (14.800) and 15-year-old Chelsea Davis (14.700).

-- Diane Pucin

Photos, left to right: Ivana Hong by Rob Carr/Associated Press; Shayla Worley by Rob Carr/Associated Press; Chelsea Davis by Julie Jacobson/Associated Press