Mai Murakami Floor 2011 Japanese Nationals

This 2009 gem dropped slightly off the radar in 2010, but it appears she is back to her extraordinary self!  What an unbelievable routine, with a completely different style than her previous floor exercise but with the same magnificent tumbling.  If this music sounds familiar, it was the same used by 2002 world floor champion Elena Gomez of Spain.  As with Mai’s previous floor routine, she shows expression and refined artistry well beyond her years.  And she may be the only female I’ve ever seen to throw a double-double for the SECOND tumbling pass, not to mention a perfect one.  I think she looks a little more powerful now than she did when she first exploded onto the scene in 2009, with higher tumbling and still that incredibly clean and crisp look.  That triple full at the end is one of the highest I’ve ever seen.  Absolutely brilliant!