Carlos Yulo
The first day of this year’s Asian Championships – the first continental meet for Asia held in three years after the cancellation 2020 and 2021 editions due to the COVID-19 pandemic – wrapped up this evening in Doha, Qatar, where 2020 Olympian Carlos Yulo of the Philippines has the top all-around score while the Chinese men have a one-tenth lead over Taiwan in the team competition.
This year, the meet serves as a qualifier to world championships, with four teams and eight all-arounders (two per country) earning berths on the women’s side, while five teams and six all-arounders will qualify on the men’s side. Today’s competition included vault and uneven bars for the women, while the men contested floor, pommel horse, and rings, and the meet will conclude tomorrow with the remaining apparatuses to determine the all-around and team rankings, as well as acting as qualifiers for event finals.
At the halfway point, China leads the men’s competition with a 126.000, ahead of Taiwan with 124.900, Japan with 123.533, and South Korea with 123.300, while Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and the Philippines round out the top eight. While there won’t be any upsets for the first four teams on the list, the battle for the fifth spot could be an exciting one, as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are currently less than two points apart, while Uzbekistan and Iran have just two tenths between them…though with Iran getting its best events out of the way today, I think it’ll end up being one of the former two, unless something goes wildly wrong.
China’s biggest performance of the day came on rings, where Lan Xingyu has the top score of 14.900, and the rest of his teammates all landed in the top eight, including Yang Jiaxing with a 14.233, Shi Cong with a 14.2, and Yin Dehang with a 14.067. Though floor and pommels were a little lackluster compared to what we’re used to seeing from this team, there were still some finals-worthy performances, including Yang putting up a 14.167 on floor to qualify fifth, while Yin is fourth on pommels with a 14.233.
Yin and Yang are also the top all-arounders for China, with scores of 41.800 and 41.700 putting them second and third, respectively, and then Shi is sixth with a 41.300. In addition to these and Lan on rings, the team also had Lin Chaopan competing floor and pommels, earning scores of 12.867 and 13.567.
Taiwan had the best score of the day on pommels, and the second-best on floor, beating China on both. Tang Chia-Hung was the team’s best floor worker with a 14.0, and he’ll also qualify to pommels in seventh with a 13.767 as well as to rings in eighth with a 13.833, and he’s currently fourth in the all-around with a 41.600. His 2020 Olympic teammate Lee Chih-Kai will go into the pommels final in first place with a 15.1, and is seventh in the all-around with a 41.233.
Lin Guan-Yi is right behind Lee in eighth with a 41.100, and he qualified second for rings with a 14.367, while Olympian Hung Yuan-Hsi is 14th with a 38.467, with his top score of the day coming on pommels, where he earned a 13.3.
Despite not bringing a top team to Doha, the Japanese men still performed admirably, led by all-arounders Maeda Koki in ninth with a 40.933 and Tachibana Shiga in 10th with a 40.900. Maeda earned the second spot into the floor final with a 14.433, Tachibana is sixth on that event with a 14.033, and Hidaka Daiki, who competed on floor and on pommels, is sixth going into the pommels final with a 14.0.
The team also saw performances from Hasegawa Tsuyoshi, who is 12th with a 40.300 after going 13+ on all three events, and from Yuasa Kenya, who earned a 13.667 on rings, but missed out on making the final.
South Korea had a fantastic time on floor today, leading the apparatus by nearly a point thanks to excellent performances from 2020 Olympians Ryu Sunghyun (third with a 14.433) and Kim Hansol (fourth with a 14.200), though the real breakout star of the day was Lee Junghyo, who is currently fifth in the all-around with a 41.333 after a pretty consistent performance, which included a 13.7 to qualify eighth in a deep pommel horse field.
Ryu is 11th in the all-around with a 40.900, and the team also saw performances from Yun Jinseong on floor and rings, and from Jeon Yoseop on pommels and rings.
2020 Olympian Milad Karimi was at the helm for Kazakhstan, though he unfortunately didn’t have a very strong day, coming up short on floor and also falling on pommels, though he had a clean go on rings, typically a weaker event for him. He ended up shockingly down in 16th with a 37.967 in the all-around, a few tenths behind teammate Ilyas Azizov, while Farukh Nabiyev was 28th with a 34.400.
The biggest performances instead came from the specialists, as Nariman Kurbanov finished second on pommels with a 15.067, less than a tenth away from the top spot, while Dmitriy Patanin ended up in ninth on floor with a 13.967, missing the final on a tie-breaker.
For the other bubble teams, Uzbekistan saw top all-around work from Abdulla Azimov in 17th with a 37.900 and Khabibullo Ergashev in 18th with a 37.500, while Iran was the big surprise of the day, led by Mahdi Ahmad Kohani, who qualified third on rings with a 14.367 and is currently 13th all-around with a 38.767, and by Saeedreza Keikha, who qualified fifth on pommels with a 14.133.
Outside of the top teams, Yulo is clearly the one to watch, leading the all-around competition with a 41.833 after qualifying first on floor with a 14.8 and also getting in on rings with a 14.1. With two of his strongest apparatuses coming up tomorrow, I think he has the potential to increase his lead ahead of the Chinese men who are currently very close behind him, and he should be the top of six all-around gymnasts to qualify to worlds individually.
The next-best all-arounders who aren’t part of the top teams and bubble teams include Yogeshwar Singh of India in 19th with a 36.733, Enkhtuvshin Damdindorj of Mongolia in 20th with a 36.633, Gaurav Kumar of India in 21st with a 36.533, Lais Najjar of Syria in 22nd with a 35.800, and Robin Sim of Singapore in 24th with a 34.800, though how many of these men get in will depend on which team seals that fifth spot. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have two all-arounders who should come in ahead of most of this group, while Iran has one, so it’s really only Yulos, Singh, Damdindorj, and maybe Kumar who are safe based on today’s standings – though of course, these are likely to change tomorrow.
Also notable among the apparatus finalists is reigning Asian pommel horse champion Ahmad Abu Al Soud of Jordan finishing third on this event with a 14.8. A specialist here, Abu Al Soud is already qualified to world championships thanks to his apparatus world cup ranking, so the goal for him here is more about reaching the podium and defending his gold.
The complete rankings at the halfway point, as well as the apparatus rankings for vault and bars, are below. The competition resumes tomorrow, though unfortunately there aren’t any live streams or scores.
All-Around Standings
1. Carlos Yulo PHI 41.833
2. Yin Dehang CHN 41.800
3. Yang Jiaxing CHN 41.700
4. Tang Chia-Hung TWN 41.600
5. Lee Junghyo KOR 41.333
6. Shi Cong CHN 41.300
7. Lee Chih-Kai TWN 41.233
8. Lin Guan-Yi TWN 41.100
9. Maeda Koki JPN 40.933
10. Tachibana Shiga JPN 40.900
11. Ryu Sunghyun KOR 40.900
12. Hasegawa Tsuyoshi JPN 40.300
13. Mahdi Ahmad Kohani IRI 38.767
14. Hung Yuan-Hsi TWN 38.467
15. Ilyas Azizov KAZ 38.433
16. Milad Karimi KAZ 37.967
17. Abdulla Azimov UZB 37.900
18. Khabibullo Ergashev UZB 37.500
19. Yogeshwar Singh IND 36.733
20. Enkhtuvshin Damdindorj MGL 36.633
21. Gaurav Kumar IND 36.533
22. Lais Najjar SYR 35.800
23. Rasuljon Abdurakhimov UZB 35.733
24. Robin Sim SGP 34.800
25. Seyedmohammad Shafiei IRI 34.767
26. Saleem Naghouj JOR 34.633
27. Jan Gwynn Timbang PHI 34.533
28. Farukh Nabiyev KAZ 34.400
29. Usukhbayar Erkhembayar MGL 34.067
30. Dip Roy Chowdhury IND 33.833
31. Zac Liew SGP 33.467
32. Mohammadreza Khosronezhad IRI 33.400
33. Juancho Miguel Besana PHI 33.067
34. Yazan Al Souliman SYR 32.433
35. Weerapat Chuaisom THA 32.267
36. Nasser Al Samiri SAU 32.100
37. Abdulaziz Al Johani SAU 30.967
38. Atipat Suwaserm THA 30.900
39. Ali Al Mobireek SAU 29.067
40. Battur Batbaatar MGL 28.200
41. Ittirit Kumsiriratn THA 27.767
Team Standings
1. China 126.000
2. Taiwan 124.900
3. Japan 123.533
4. South Korea 123.300
5. Kazakhstan 118.233
6. Uzbekistan 116.499
7. Iran 116.267
8. Philippines 111.966
9. India 109.500
10. Singapore 103.933
11. Mongolia 98.899
12. Saudi Arabia 97.767
13. Thailand 96.366
14. Syria 80.300
Floor Qualification Standings
1. Carlos Yulo PHI 14.800 Q
2. Maeda Koki JPN 14.433 Q
3. Ryu Sunghyun KOR 14.433 Q
4. Kim Hansol KOR 14.200 Q
5. Yang Jiaxing CHN 14.167 Q
6. Tachibana Shiga JPN 14.033 Q
7. Tang Chia-Hung TWN 14.000 Q
8. Lee Chih-Kai TWN 13.967 Q
9. Dmitriy Patanin KAZ 13.967 R1
10. Lee Junghyo KOR 13.933
11. Shi Cong CHN 13.900 R2
12. Utkirbek Juraev UZB 13.900 R3
13. Lin Guan-Yi TWN 13.667
14. Yin Dehang CHN 13.500
15. Milad Karimi KAZ 13.467
16. John Ivan Cruz PHI 13.366
17. Enkhtuvshin Damdindorj MGL 13.366
18. Yun Jinseong KOR 13.267
19. Hasegawa Tsuyoshi JPN 13.167
20. Mahdi Olfati IRI 13.133
21. Hidaka Daiki JPN 13.000
22. Lais Najjar SYR 12.933
23. Lin Chaopan CHN 12.867
24. Mohammadreza Khosronezhad IRI 12.767
25. Ilyas Azizov KAZ 12.767
26. Rasuljon Abdurakhimov UZB 12.667
27. Robin Sim SGP 12.633
28. Khabibullo Ergashev UZB 12.567
29. Farukh Nabiyev KAZ 12.533
30. Juancho Miguel Besana PHI 12.433
31. Zac Liew SGP 12.433
32. Gaurav Kumar IND 12.333
33. Jan Gwynn Timbang PHI 12.300
34. Abdulla Azimov UZB 12.300
35. Hung Yuan-Hsi TWN 12.267
36. Chong Jer Rong SGP 12.233
37. Satyajit Mondal IND 12.167
38. Mohamad Khalil SYR 12.067
39. Mahdi Ahmad Kohani IRI 12.000
40. Yogeshwar Singh IND 11.967
41. Usukhbayar Erkhembayar MGL 11.933
42. Rakan Al Harithi QAT 11.833
43. Weerapat Chuaisom THA 11.633
44. Abdulaziz Al Johani SAU 11.600
45. Nasser Al Samiri SAU 11.467
46. Tikumporn Surintornta THA 11.467
47. Seyedmohammad Shafiei IRI 11.400
48. Ali Al Mobireek SAU 11.233
49. Jaffar Al Sayigh SAU 11.233
50. Atipat Suwaserm THA 11.100
51. Dip Roy Chowdhury IND 11.100
52. Yazan Al Souliman SYR 10.833
53. Battur Batbaatar MGL 10.333
54. Saleem Naghouj JPN 10.267
55. Frankie Lee Man Hin HKG 9.567
56. Ittirit Kumsiriratn THA 8.533
Pommel Horse Qualification Standings
1. Lee Chih-Kai TWN 15.100 Q
2. Nariman Kurbanov KAZ 15.067 Q
3. Ahmad Abu Al Soud JOR 14.800 Q
4. Yin Dehang CHN 14.233 Q
5. Saeedreza Keikha IRI 14.133 Q
6. Hidaka Daiki JPN 14.000 Q
7. Tang Chia-Hung TWN 13.767 Q
8. Lee Junghyo KOR 13.700 Q
9. Abdulla Azimov UZB 13.667 R1
10. Hasegawa Tsuyoshi JPN 13.667 R2
11. Tachibana Shiga JPN 13.600
12. Lin Chaopan CHN 13.567 R3
13. Jeon Yoseop KOR 13.333
14. Hung Yuan-Hsi TWN 13.300
15. Yang Jiaxing CHN 13.300
16. Shi Cong CHN 13.200
17. Lin Guan-Yi TWN 13.067
18. Ilyas Azizov KAZ 13.067
19. Maeda Koki JPN 13.000
20. Carlos Yulo PHI 12.933
21. Rakan Al Harithi QAT 12.900
22. Ryu Sunghyun KOR 12.700
23. Seyedmohammad Shafiei IRI 12.667
24. Utkirbek Juraev UZB 12.533
25. Mahdi Ahmad Kohani IRI 12.400
26. Yogeshwar Singh IND 12.300
27. Khabibullo Ergashev UZB 12.267
28. Kim Hansol KOR 11.900
29. Abhijeet Kumar IND 11.833
30. Dip Roy Chowdhury IND 11.600
31. Lim Kaeson SGP 11.533
32. Gaurav Kumar IND 11.500
33. Milad Karimi KAZ 11.400
34. Enkhtuvshin Damdindorj MGL 11.367
35. Jan Gwynn Timbang PHI 11.267
36. Saleem Naghouj JOR 11.267
37. Habeb Aswailah SAU 11.100
38. Juancho Miguel Besana PHI 10.833
39. Mohammad Mikhail Haziq SGP 10.767
40. Lais Najjar SYR 10.767
41. Yazan Al Souliman SYR 10.600
42. Weerapat Chuaisom THA 10.500
43. Rasuljon Abdurakhimov UZB 10.500
44. Robin Sim SGP 10.400
45. Zac Liew SGP 10.100
46. Usukhbayar Erkhembayar MGL 9.933
47. Farukh Nabiyev KAZ 9.900
48. Nasser Al Samiri SAU 9.800
49. Atipat Suwaserm THA 9.733
50. Abdulaziz Al Johani SAU 9.100
51. Matthew Kapp KGZ 8.967
52. Battur Batbaatar MGL 8.933
53. Mohammadreza Khosronezhad IRI 8.000
54. Ittirit Kumsiriratn THA 7.367
55. Ali Al Mobireek SAU 6.633
56. Justine Ace De Leon PHI 6.233
Still Rings Qualification Standings
1. Lan Xingyu CHN 14.900 Q
2. Lin Guan-Yi TWN 14.367 Q
3. Mahdi Ahmad Kohani IRI 14.367 Q
4. Yang Jiaxing CHN 14.233 Q
5. Shi Cong CHN 14.200
6. Carlos Yulo PHI 14.100 Q
7. Yin Dehang CHN 14.067
8. Tang Chia-Hung TWN 13.833 Q
9. Ryu Sunghyun KOR 13.767 Q
10. Lee Junghyo KOR 13.700 Q
11. Abdulaziz Mirvaliev UZB 13.667 R1
12. Yuasa Kenya JPN 13.667 R2
13. Yun Jinseong KOR 13.533
14. Maeda Koki JPN 13.500 R3
15. Hasegawa Tsuyoshi JPN 13.467
16. Tachibana Shiga JPN 13.267
17. Jeon Yoseop KOR 13.167
18. Milad Karimi KAZ 13.100
19. Saleem Naghouj JOR 13.100
20. Hung Yuan-Hsi TWN 12.900
21. Dmitriy Patanin KAZ 12.800
22. Gaurav Kumar IND 12.700
23. Khabibullo Ergashev UZB 12.667
24. Mohammadreza Khosronezhad IRI 12.633
25. Ilyas Azizov KAZ 12.600
26. Rasuljon Abdurakhimov UZB 12.566
27. Tikumporn Surintornta THA 12.566
28. Yogeshwar Singh IND 12.467
29. Usukhbayar Erkhembayar MGL 12.200
30. Mahdi Olfati IRI 12.167
31. Lee Chih-Kai TWN 12.167
32. Satyajit Mondal IND 12.133
33. Lais Najjar SYR 12.100
34. Farukh Nabiyev KAZ 11.967
35. Abdulla Azimov UZB 11.933
36. Enkhtuvshin Damdindorj MGL 11.900
37. Ittirit Kumsiriratn THA 11.867
38. Robin Sim SGP 11.767
39. Matthew Kapp KGZ 11.567
40. Jaffar Al Sayigh SAU 11.433
41. Justine Ace De Leon PHI 11.267
42. Lim Kaeson SGP 11.233
43. Ali Al Mobireek SAU 11.200
44. Dip Roy Chowdhury IND 11.133
45. Yazan Al Souliman SYR 11.000
46. Jan Gwynn Timbang PHI 10.967
47. Zac Liew SGP 10.933
48. Nasser Al Samiri SAU 10.833
49. Seyedmohammad Shafiei IRI 10.700
50. Abdulaziz Al Johani SAU 10.267
51. Weerapat Chuaisom THA 10.133
52. Atipat Suwaserm THA 10.067
53. Juancho Miguel Besana PHI 9.800
54. Battur Batbaatar MGL 8.933
Article by Lauren Hopkins