Good Luck Invitational 2007: Pre-Olympics closed with nine of 12 Gold medals for Chinese hosts

LU, Bin (CHN)
most successful, winning four gold medals!

Apparatus Finals - Monday, Part III
The Chinese host of this year's pre-Olympic competitions celebrates from the beginning of the Pre-Olympic Competions a golden series of successes:
Threefold world champion on vault, CHENG, Fei, was the best again on her favorite apparatus and also won on floor and the last decision on beam, on Monday. Daria ZGOBA (UKR) blocked the sixth Chinese gold medal by winning at the uneven bars.
In absence of the world champion XIAO, Qin his teammate LU, Bin won on pommel horse, rings and vault, too! >> On Monday's finals LIANG, Mingsheng won on parallel bars. Non-Chinese victories went to the Japanese Makato OKIGUCHI on floor and the Korean KIM, Jihoon on high bar; the German world champion on high bar, Hambuechen, failed and came in on 7th place only in the end...

MEN's T E A M S

WOMEN's All-A R O U N D

FINALS, Teil I - II - III

- Medal Standings

After Saturday, Sunday AND now on Monday, December 3, the third of the three final days of artistic gymnastics are held at these pre-Olympic events in the Olympic Beijing Indoor Hall :

- Men's parallel bars and high bar
- Women's balance beam.

* The Chinese host offers a special
>> LIVE WEBCASTING of these finals
- recommended for high speed connections, only!
* GYMmedia will summarize the finals after the end of the competitions.

* F.I.G. Press release:
Beijing (CHN), December 01, 2007:

Artistic Gymnastics Finals SOLD OUT!
The first final in Artistic Gymnastics will be run in a sold out arena. Indeed, the wonderful and new International Indoor Stadium of Beijing has sold until the very last of its 16.000 seats, for the first of the three sessions of these men’s and women’s FIG apparatus finals.
* Source:fig press release

Cheng, Fei (CHN)

Everybody knows that Gymanstics is loved and appreciated in this country more than anywhere else. Gymnastics is considered as an art implemented in the sport and is a part of the nation’s culture.
Last but not least, the Chinese gymnasts are among the strongest contenders for the medals in all apparatus finals.
For this first round, the 16.000 spectors will focus on the national star, the “Queen” Chen Fei, the triple world champion on Vault (2005 -6 -7).

<< This 19 year old powerful gymnast is expected to lift the spirit of the Chinese to the skies, if she can confirm her outstanding mastery in her home town Beijing next August.

Cheng, Fei (CHN)

* Women's APPARATUS FINALS

* FLOOR EXERCISES
A hopeful step in the right direction of her Olympic dreams CHENG, Fei made today at the floor final and won with the highest start value but also the best final score:

* Results, Floor Exercises
1. CHENG, Fei CHN) - (16.2) = 15,275
2. SLOAN, Bridget (USA) - (15.9) = 14,925
3. MEMMEL, Chellsie (USA) - (16.1) = 14,725

>> Detailed Results

* VAULT, Women
Nobody of the about 16,000 visitors in the sold out arena doubted that the vault Queen of the last three championships at this apparatus, CHENG, Fei, was going to be the best again in front of the silver medallist of the worlds in Stuttgart, HONG, Sujong from Northkorea (PRK) underscored the leading position of Chinese gymnastics impressively!

* Results - Vault (women)
1. CHENG, Fei CHN)                - (15.8 / 15.2) = 15,150
2.  HONG, Sujong (PRK)        - (15.8 / 15.2)  = 14,450
3. KING, Marissa (GBR)         - (15.7 / 15.0) = 14,187

>> Detailed Resuls

Daria ZGOBA (UKR), golden smile!

* Finals, 2nd Day (Sonntag)

* UNEVEN BARS
Inspite of a mistake and the nextbest start value the Ukraine Daria ZGOBA blocked a third Chinese success on bars.
Although the Chinese all-around winner JIANG, Yuyuan reached the highest start value (17.1) she won the silber medal, because Zgoba absolutely exhibited the technical best performance and best execution of her routine ( + 0,5 points in B-score).
Daria JOURA from Australia won the bronze medal.

* Results, Uneven bars
1. ZGOBA, Daria (UKR)     - (16.9) = 15,725
2. JIANG, Yuyuan (CHN)   - (17.1) = 15,525
3. JOURA, Daria (AUS)    - (16.3) = 15,250

>> Detailed Results

* B A L A N C E B E A M
Like LU, Bin on men's site now the "Queen of vault", CHENG, Fei, is also a triple winner now of these Pre-Olympics in Beijing:
After winning on vault and floor already, she was also the best at the Monday's balance beam final, with a score of 15,725.
Lauren MITCHELL from Australia, with the same start value like the Chinese winner (1.7) got a lower b-score (8.9) than Cheng and won the silver medal, in front of Chellsie MEMMEL from USA, with a clearly lower start value (16.4).

* Results, Balance Beam
1. CHENG, Fei (CHN)                  - (16.8) = 15.800
2. MITCHELL, Lauren (AUS)   - (16.7) = 15.600
3. MEMMEL, Chellsie (USA)   - (16.4) =15.300

>> Detailed Results

Okiguchi : ... with the best execution!

* Men's APPARATUS FINALS

* FLOOR EXERCISES
The third placed Japanese in the qualification round, Makoto OKIGUCHI - at the Worlds in Stuttgart on eightth place with a start value of 16.7  - lowered his content and difficulty down to 16.3, but won with the highest B-score and the best execution!
The Canadian Brandon O'NEILL and the German Fabian HAMBUECHEN (- both with a higher start value of 1.5) came on seond resp. third, only...:

* Floor exercises
1. OKIGUCHI, Makoto (JPN)         - (16.3) = 15,800
2. O'NEILL, Brandon (CAN)           - (16.5) = 15,800
3. HAMBUECHEN, Fabian (GER) - (16.5) = 15,750

>> Detailed Results

LU, Bin (CHN)
- really a vault specialist.

* POMMEL HORSE
Also in absence of the pommel world champion XIAO, Qin his teammate LU, Bin underscored the top position of Chinese gymnastics and won today, althout no finalist of the last worlds on this apparatus participated at this event and the content s and the difficulties of the performances here, were not so high, like in last September in Stuttgart!

* Results, Pommel horse
1. LU, Bin (CHN) - (16.4) = 15,575
2. KIM, Soomyun (KOR) - (16.1) = 15,100
3. POPESCU, Daniel (ROM) - (16.2) = 15,050

>> Detailed Results

LU, Bin (CHN) - second Gold!

* STILL RINGS
Also the third men's apparatus, the first decision of the second final day gripped tigh in the hands of the Chines hosts:
After winning on pommel horse yesterday LU, Bin was the best competitor on rings (SV 17.2), too, with a final score of 16.000, beating his teammate YAN, Minghong on second place despite his highest start value of 17.4 (15.900).
The bronze medal went to Rodrigues PINHEIRO (FRA) with 15,700 points

* Results, Rings
1. LU, Bin (CHN) - (17.2) = 16.000
2. YAN, Minghong (CHN) - (17.4) = 15.900
3. RODRIGUES, Pinheiro (FRA) - (17.3) = 15,700

>> Detailed Results

LU, Bin - wins fifth gold for China!

* V A U L T
Also the last of his three final chances the chines LU, Bin used maximal and won his third gold medal at this event, the fifth for the Chines hosts and before the last two men's finals hue is the most successful athlet of thes pre-Olympics. He was the only one gymnast who presents two 17.0 difficulties and got 16,525 points at the end.
1. - Handspring 2 ½ turns - 16.600 and
2. - Tsukahara double pike - 16.450

Flavius KOCZI from Romania won the silver medal with 16,187 points.
1. - Tsukahara 2 ½ twists - 16.450
2. - Handspring front full twist - 15.925

The bronze went to the floor winner, Makoto OKIGUCHI from Japan (16.087):
1.- Tsukahara 2 ½ twists - 16.350
2. - Handspring front full turn - 15.825

Ironically, the other two finalists in Stuttgart, silver medallist Daniel Popescu (ROM) and Fabian Hambuechen (GER), 6th, did not manage to reach the Final here in Beijing.

* Results, Vault
1. LU, Bin (CHN)
1. (17.0) - 16,600; 2. (17.0) - 16,450 = 16,525

2. KOCZI, Flavius (ROU)
1. (17.0) - 16.450; 2. (16.6) - 15.925; = 16,187

3. OKIGUCHI, m. (JPN)
1. (17.0) - 9,350; 2. (16.6) - 15,825 = 16.087

>> Detailed Results

* P A R A L L E L B A R S
China's LIANG, Mingsheng and FENG, Zhe (- with the highest a-score of 17.0) swept the gold and silver medals in the parallel bars final at the third part of the pre-Olympic finals.
Placing third in the event was the p.bars finalist of the 2005 and 2006 Worlds,   YANG, Tae-Young (KOR), who had ranked first in the qualification round (- ... two judges awarded him 9.10 his B-score reached 8.950, higher than that of China's Feng Zhe).
Feng Zhe was the last to perform, with a routine of 7.0. His technical execution was less consistent but two judges from the B-jury still gave him 9.00. With a final B-score of 8.775 he emerged the runner-up.

* Results, Parallel Bars
1. LIANG, Mingsheng (CHN)   - (16.8) = 15,800
2. FENG, Zhe (CHN)                   - (17.0) = 15.775
3. YANG, Tae-Youjg (KOR)      - (16.8) = 15,750

>> Detailed  Results

* H I G H B A R

1. KIM, Jihoon (KOR)               - (16.5) = 15,425
2. HOSHI, Yosuke (JPN)         - (16.4) = 15,150
3. TANAKA, Kazuhito (JPN) - (16.2) = 15,000

>> Detailed  Results

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