21st DTB-Cup: 2nd final day

It could be seen that even at this late stage during the year a lot of World- class performances were presented. The entry field has been mixed with well-known stars like Svetlana Khorkina or Marius Urzica and new faces like Li Di or Emilie Lepennec. Svetlana Khorkina has reached all 4 finals in Stuttgart but shortly missed the winner’s final in three of them. Finally she ended up three times on the 3rd rank and won the silver medal on floor. Self-consiously she then commented that if this had been an even more important competition like e.g. World Championships, she certainly would have won.
No athlete this year managed to win 2 finals. The 10 different winners came from 8 different countries. Only Romania and Russia will be able to take home 2 gold medals.

The GYMmedia-Team for DTB-Cup:
Lisa Worthmann, Rainer Weishaar, Sven Karg. Photos: Volker Minkus; Translation: Lisa Worthmann
Editor: Sonja Schmeißer

Floor men
This final took place on a vey high level and the audience got to see a fireworks of acrobatics.
Marian Dragulescu from Romania presented a brilliant routine with double layout – salto fw. – salto fw. 1 1/2 twists - forward role; whip - layout bw. 1 1/2 twists – layout fw. 1/1 twist – layout fw. 1 1/2 twists - salto fw. tucked to front support; a Super-E element at the end with his tucked double-double. With slight insecurities in his routine he missed the winner’s final (9.650).
Kyle Shefwelt started tremendously with whip – layout bw. 1 1/2 twists – layout fw. 1 1/2 twists; layout bw. 2 1/2 twists – layout fw. 1 1/2 twists –forward role; and he also ended tremendously with a tucked double-double (9.775).
Another brilliant routine followed from Ioan Silviu Sucia with layout bw. 1 1/2 twists – salto fw. 1/1 twist – salto fw. 1 1/2 twist; layout bw. 2 1/2 twists – salto fw. – 1 1/2 salto fw. - forward role; in the end a tucked Tsukahara, a clean and good presentation (9.662).
Isao Yoneda with layout bw. 2 1/2 twists – layout fw. 1/1 twists – layout fw. 1 1/2 twists; layout bw. 2 1/2 twists – tucked salto fw. – 1 1/2 salto fw.; in the end tucked Tsukahara – a very nice composed routine which he also presented brilliantly! (9.687)

In the winner’s final the presentation from Shefwelt got even better. He presented a brilliant routine (9.862)! Yoneda with major mistakes in the first series and a large step on the landing at the end of the routine (9.162). So this final has been decided and the victory went to Kyle Shefwelt.

Vault women
After having won this event in Stuttgart during the last 4 years, Oksana Chusovitina once again reached the winner’s final this year but in the she narrowly missed the gold medal.
Oksana Chusovitina: 1st Handspring- salto fw. 1 1/2 turn (9.200) ; 2nd layout Tsukahara 1 1/2 turn, with a stuck landing (9.350).
Svetlana Khorkina: 1st Yurchenko 1 1/2 twists, well presented but with a small step on the landing (9.100); 2nd Khorkina with slight technical mistakes but a safe landing (9.437).
Elena Zamolodchikova: 1st Yurchenko double twist, very high, only a small step on the landing (9.350); 2nd Tsukahara double twist with a stuck landing (9.362).

In the winner’s final both competitors, Chusovitina and Zamolodchikova, started again with good presentations. In the end Zamolodchikova narrowly won this final.

Bars men
Another very high-level final in the men’s field.
Mitja Petkovsek opened this final with a World-class routine. Well-presented basket-combinations; high straddled salto fw. to support and a stuck landing of his double salto dismount (SV 10.000; final score 9.687).
Philippe Rizzo with a good combination Healy from one bar – Healy; basket – Belle; double salto dismount with only a slight step on the landing (SV10.000, final score 9.637).
Valeri Goncharov with basket – piked Belle ; slight problems with his combination Healy from one bar – Healy; in the end a very well presented double piked dismount (SV 10.000, final score 9.600).
Petkovsek presented another great routine in the winner’s final while Rizzo had a fall from the apparatus at his Healy from one bar. So the decision in this final was clear and the victory went to Mitja Petkovsek.

Beam women
The audience got to see a nice beam finale with interesting routines and only few major errors.
Catalina Ponor from Romania showed a beautiful routine with only very slight insecurities; ff 1/2 turn – Menichelli – split layout fw.; layout fw. – Menichelli – Menichelli one-armed; double piked dismount (SV 10.000/ final score 9.437).
Oana Ban with a speedy routine; Menichelli – ff – layout bw. 1/1 turn; slight insecurities at her tucked front, double salto tucked sicmount with a stuck landing (SV 9.900/ final score 9.287).
Svetlana Chorkina started off with a good and safely presented split layout fw. followed by Menichelli – split layout bw. – Rulfova; Menichelli 1/1 turn; nice and clean gymnastics jumps; Gainer 3/1 twists dismount of which she slightly missed to finish the last rotation (SV 9.900/ final score 9.225).
The audience has not been happy at all with the score of 8.925 for Oksana Chusovitina who presented a nice routine. However, with her SV of 9.500 she didn’t have the chance to reach the winner’s final.

In the winner’s final the two Romanian gymnasts Ponor and Ban even managed to improve their performance from before; two very well and speedy presented routines. In the end probably the one tenth higher SV made the difference and the victory went to Catalina Ponor.

>>Special GYMmedia Service:
>> WOMEN's SUPERS SCORE
>> GYMmedia World Ranking List, Women

High bar men In contrast to the two previous men’s final on this Sunday, the high bar final did’t take place on the same high level. Nonetheless the audience has been thrilled.
Ryota Suzuki started with secure El-grip combinations, eagle swing 1/1 turn combined with layout Markelov; layout double-double dismount with a stuck landing (SV 10.000/ final score 9.650).
Philippe Rizzo at the beginning of the routine with eagle swing 1/1 turn combined with clean El-grip combinations; eagle swing 1/2 - Deff; again a stuck layout double-double dismount (SV 10.000/ final score 9.687).
Aljaz Pegan with a perfect presented Pegan; Tkatchev piked – Tkatchev straddled – Gienger; dismount triple salto tucked which was landed a little bit low (SV 10.000/ final score 9.650).
At the end of this final two 2nd places could be seen for Suzuki and Rizzo. In the World Cup regulations it is stated that in these cases the SV’s of the routines as well as the deductions of the B- judging panel are considered. The gymnasts which received less deductions by the B- judges in the end is the one who reaches the higher rank. In this case it has been Philippe Rizzo. In the winner’s final again two World- class routines were shown. Both participants, Suzuki (9.7000) and Rizzo (9.662) finished their routines without mistakes. In the end the victory narrowly went to the Japanese gymnast.

>>Special GYMmedia Service:
>> MEN's SUPERS SCORE
>> GYMmedia World Ranking List, Men

>> Report, first Final Day (Saturday)
>> Report: Qualification (Friday)