New Zealand most successful at the Alsterpokal

ALSTERPOKAL 2004, 1st day
Hamburg, 03-Sep-2004 -

Especially the gymnasts from New Zealand attracted attention by their clean technique and highly difficult routines. Even though one team member suffered three falls on uneven bars and this routine counted for the team score, the Alster-Cup will travel around the World to New Zealand, now.

Like in the team competition a gymnast from New Zealand dominated in the all-around: Ailish Nolan finished the competition ahead of Lisa Reifschneider (USA) and Kathrine Hansson (NOR). Katja Skrobova of the host’s team TG Hamburg proved to be the best gymnast of a German team on rank 11....

>> Results: Elite Teams

Ailish Nolan (NZE, born in 1985) performed a stable all-around (a tucked tsukahara, a double pike bwd, a layout bwd with two and a half turns on floor, Round-off, back flip, layout with full turn on vaulting table) and took the deserved lead in the all-around (35.400 points). She acted highly focused and made excellent use of her gained experience at Commonwealth Games and the WCh 2003.
The US-American Lisa Reifschneider (1988) of the Frederick Gymnastics Club, Maryland, competed with a cheerful charisma (34.800) and became the darling of the audience. Both gymnast were hardly able to satisfy the huge number of young autograph hunters but were all smiling and friendly.
Kathrine Hansson (1984) from Norway (Kristiansand Turnforening) represented a highly feminine type of gymnast and showed a very clean routine on uneven bars (33.350)
>> Results: All-Around

Apparatus Finals Alsterpokal 2004

The Alsterpokal Apparatus Finals as well as the elite’s team competition are officially recognised by the International Gymnastics Federation FIG. The gymnasts elated the audience with their beautiful routines in a highly suspenseful tournament:

Vaulting Table:
The darling of the audience Lisa Reifschneider (USA) was acknowledged by the audience with much applause when she performed a very high front handspring with a tucked somersault and a front handspring with a piked somersault to secure landings.

Uneven Bars:
Ailish Nolan from New Zealand showed a classy routine and a wonderful body extension on uneven bars, a high Tkatchev and a piked double somersault with an wonderful close posture reminding of divers (8.750 points)
Kathrine Hansson from Norway performed a very clean and difficult bar routine and even had as good a chance as Ailish to win this final, however, she fell off the bar. She scored 8.200 points for the second place.
Katja Skrobova advanced to the third rank performing for the host and showing a secure „Khorkina' as well as her Tkatchev and was accompanied by much applause of the audience (8.175).

Balance Beam:
Petra Sulcova from the Czech Republic convinced with a fluidly performed routine with an appealing mixture of acrobatics and gymnastic elements: she won this final with 8.825 points.
The most unlucky fellow in this final was Georgie Cervin from New Zealand. In the team competition she performed all her difficulties well and scored 9.150 points. However, in the final she suffered three falls off the beam and could not stand her dismount (back flip, back flip, layout with double turn) because she hit the apparatus with one foot only.

Floor:
On floor there was the long awaited duel between New Zealand and USA:
But it just was not the day of Georgia Cervin (NZL): First, she almost fell after her double layout bwd and had to support herself with one hand, then she had too much speed in her twist series and stepped over the floor margin, and finally she over twisted her double pike bwd and had to sit down...
Lisa Reifschneider from USA started as last but one and had more luck. She showed a stable, clean performance (a layout with two and a half turns, double pike bwd, front layout with full turn + tucked somersault), and was supported by the rhythmical clapping of the audience (8.700).
According to the drawing of lots the last gymnast decided this extremely suspenseful final. Ailish Nolan (NZL) performed the last routine of the Alsterpokal 2004 and started with a tucked tsukahara - and landed outside of the floorage. A layout with two and a half turns followed - again outside... But everything else went well and she securely landed her double pike bwd and showed a well balanced routine.
In the end the degree of difficulty decided this final: Ailish Nolan scored 8.850 points and advanced to the most successful gymnast of the Alsterpokals 2004: She realised all her chances and won with her team, the all-around as well as the finals on uneven bars and floor.

>> Results Apparatus Finals

ALSTERPOKAL2004 - the talents’ competition

The team competition of the young talents was a German one, for no other nation took part this year. The Schleswig-Holsteinischer Turnverband won with a team score of 85.850 points. In the all-around a promising talent from New Zealand impressed with gracile expression and clear technique: Sarah Chieng from the North Harbour Gymnastics Centre Auckland got in the lead (31.700 points) ahead of Isabelle Marquard from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and the Swedish Lisa Nordin on the second place (29.650).

>> Results, Talents, Teams
>> Results, Talents, All-around

>> For more information about this tournament please visit the GYMmedia-Preview