The buzz for Sunday’s NCAA event finals wasn’t Florida adding two individual titles to their national title, but that’s what UCLA’s Danusia Francis did on beam.
Francis has been a spectacular beam worker for the Bruins this season, moving up to anchor, which is phenomenal for a freshman. The event finals are a time when you can “go broke” since you are competing alone, not as a team, and “Nush” as she is affectionately known by her friends has decided to throw out her side antenna.
You won’t see this element anywhere else – no one competes for it internationally (okay, one person could do that. Not in a major competition though.) Francis said she proposed it during the summer, while she suffered from a wrist injury – and you can see why. Look at mom, no hands! (4 feet off the ground! Land on something 4 inches wide!)
If you want to watch the video, fast forward to the 1:43:25 mark (yes, the hour and 43 minutes mark. She was the last competitor on beam.)
Or check out these awesome gifs, courtesy of allyoursecrets on tumblr:
via 25.media.tumblr.com
It’s much more impressive from the side:
via 25.media.tumblr.com
Wow.
François describes it as a wheel without hands. With the hands, without the hands, all I know is that it was just spectacular. (too bad she fell on her antenna before, she could have had a legitimate shot to win the title on the beam.)
Gymnastics is fun!
