So much has changed for US gymnast Morgan Hurd since she won the world all-around title last year that she considers the 48th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships as an entirely new reality.
“I have different expectations for myself because I’m a different person and a different gymnast than I was a year ago,” said the 17-year-old. 
Hurd’s updated perspective should help her cope with two game-changing dynamics that were not part of the programme at last year’s Worlds in Montreal, Canada. They are the team competition and the presence of Hurd’s teammate, three-time world all-around champion Simone Biles.
Biles is making her return to international competition here after her quadruple gold medal-winning performance at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Hurd is eager to compete to her full potential, regardless of these aspects that were not part of her 2017 conquest. 
“It’s a completely different energy because you’re competing not only for yourself but for five other girls,” she said. “It’s going to be so much more exciting. I just want to focus on doing my absolute best.”
Turkey’s Onder looks to realise hefty medal tally
Turkey’s Ahmet Onder has declared a zealous potential medal tally for himself at the 48th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships that starts here at the Aspire Dome on Thursday. 
“I want to win medals in the all-around and event finals,” the 22-year-old said after the podium training. “Not on one apparatus, but two, three, four, as many as possible.”
Onder, who placed ninth all-around at the 2017 Worlds in Montreal, Canada, insisted that his ambition for medals is based on hard work, not fanciful thoughts. “It’s not like a dream,” he said. “It’s like imagination, so it can become real. I’ve improved a lot since last year. That’s why I can say I can win medals here.”
Even with such an aggressive agenda, Onder is not demanding more of himself than usual in Doha. “I want to do better because I am in the best shape now,” he added. “I improved all of my skills on all of my events. I expect a lot but I am not putting much pressure on myself. I want to be relaxed and do what I have always done in training.”
Consistency and confidence will be key to US success: Moldauer
US gymnast Yul Moldauer knows the feeling of standing on an individual medal podium at the World Championships, but he hopes he and his teammates can ascend the award stand together when the competition starts at the Aspire Dome. 
“I have goals to make it to the all-around and event finals, but my main focus right now is about the team,” Moldauer said. “We really want to get on the podium and prove we’re a strong team.”
Moldauer, one of the more experienced members in the squad, came third on floor exercise and seventh all-around at the 2017 Worlds in Montreal, Canada, where no team competition took place.
The 22-year-old has faith in his squad’s ability to cooperate and concentrate during the competition. “It’s a very young team,” Moldauer said. “So for us it’s about consistency, confidence and trusting each other. We just need to do our own routines and stay in our own little huddle. We need to avoid looking around, and just stay with each other and be a team.”