This is the event that worries Team Zmeskal the most. Coach Karolyi says that it is Kim’s “key performance… if she performs solid and consistently, then her [gold medal in the] All-Around is guaranteed.” It’s not that Kim is bad on the bars; it’s simply that the event is designed to make the gymnast look long and extended. Thus it favors long, lithe bodies. That body type generates more centrifugal force on swings. Zmeskal has tried to compensate by increasing her upper-body strength through handstands and push-ups, enabling her to make her “releases” higher. Karolyi has opted to give her a relatively uncomplicated routine and let her perform it “solid as a rock.” Still, Mary Lou Retton cautions that even if Zmeskal performs perfectly on the bars, she won’t look as elegant–and probably won’t score as well-as some of her rivals.
