4.Sun Luli (CHN)
14.7
5.Erika Sheludenko (RUS)
14.6
6.Audrey Lee (USA)
14.3
As we walk, I keep my eyes focused on the bright green floor, trying to drown out everything around me, especially the cameramen who are following us with steady cams, projecting our images out to the world. The crowd is still buzzing from our sticks, but I can’t let any of it get into my head.Just focus on hitting bars like in training, Audrey, and that’s all.
Irina vaulted last, so she’s up first on bars. I fiddle with my grips as the Russian superstar salutes and approaches the bars. Russian bars are an art form more than a sport, but their routines sometimes have weird built-in errors. Like a half turn that doesn’t make it even close to a handstand and incurs a really big deduction before releasing into a huge double-twisting double-back dismount. She sticks it, giving the crowd a jolt. That’s our seventh stick in a row, and they’re so into it now.
Kareva was going to try to launch herself into first place with her bars score, but now there’s an opening, the second one she’s given us in as many rotations. Her score is a 14.7, and that feels about right considering the error.
As she passes me, I offer her a grip-encased, chalky fist to bump, and she hesitates for a second—probably knowing she’d cracked open the door even further—before she lightly taps knuckles with me and moves on.
