WOMEN s AA-FINAL: Carly Patterson (USA) is the new Olympic Queen

Olympic all-around Champion Carly Patterson (USA)

After she took the lead in the 3rd rotation, the best gymnast from the qualification Carly Patterson (USA) in the end was celebrated as the new Olympic Champion in the women’s all-around. With the score of 38.387 she secured her victory with 0.176 points in front of Svetlana Chorkina (RUS) who was very happy about the all-around silver medal in her third Olympic Games.
Her team mate Anna Pavlova lost the bronze medal on the last apparatus to the third-ranked from last year’s World Championships Zhang, Nan (CHN).

'Lady Chorkina' and her competitors in Anaheim, an alternation of generations ...?

Olympic all-around in a new mode
Also in the women’s field for the first time the Olympic all-around final will consist of only 24 gymnasts. Only 3 of the participants already have Olympic experience: Daniele Hypolitho from Brazil, 20th in Sydney, Allana Slater, 16th in Sydney, and Svetlana Chorkina - who now takes part in her 3rd Olympic Games. In Atlanta she was 15th in the all-around and in Sydney she lost a possible medal with a mistake just on her specialist apparatus uneven bars and she ended up on rank 10… However, then she won gold in the uneven bars final and silver on floor.
Alternation of generations...?
At the World Championships in Anaheim (USA) she kept the lead as all-around World Champion in front of her much younger competitors. Athens will now certainly be her last big all-around, a medal would be a sensational but possible success.

Zhang, Nan - the 3rd- ranked from the WCh's wants also an Olympic medal!

1st ROTATION
The injured Oana Ban is replaced by 17-year old Stephanie Moorehouse (AUS) who started off this rotation on vault (9.037).
Nicoletta Sofronie followed with a double-twisting Yurchenko and a small step on the landing, 9.412.
Carly Patterson - with the same vault but a bit larger step to secure the landing and a not completely finished rotation – 9.375.
The 3rd- ranked from the last World Championships Zhang, Nan from China also on vault with Yurchenko 1 1/2 twists of which she stuck the landing – 9.325. And then followed Chorkina with RO- 1/2 turn – sommersault fw. tucked 1 1/2 twists and she took the lead with 9.462.

Courtney Kupets (USA), the 4th placed from the qualification, presented RO – 1/2 turn – sommersault fw. piked with 1/2 turn – 9.275.
In general the judging level on vault started quite low in this rotation!
Emilie Lepennec (FRA) – last year’s DTB-Cup winner on uneven bars – presented a great routine on her specialist apparatus with a “Def” and a good double-double dismount of which she stuck the landing – 9.678 was the highest score of the 1st rotation!
Great Britain’s Elisabeth Tweddle with a bad start on balance beam. She fell right on her first salto fw. and a second fall from the apparatus followed… (7.800).
Elena Gomez (5th in the all-around of last year’s World Championships) also on beam with slight insecurities on her sidewards salto and her leap – but she stayed on the beam and stuck the landing of her 2 1/2 twists dismount with a smile on her face.
Alina Kozich with a strong and concentrated performance on uneven bars – 9.562. China’s Wang, Tiantian then followed with 9.537 and reached the 2nd rank behind Lepennec.

Standing after the 1st rotation
1. Lepennec (FRA) 9,687
2. Wang, Tiantian (CHN) 9,537
3. Kositch (UKR) 9.512
3. Debauve (FRA) 9.512
5. Chorkina (RUS) 9.467
6. Sofronie (ROM) 9.412
7. Yarotska (UKR) 9.400
8. Patterson (USA) 9.375

Anna Pavlova - great on beam, but then she looses a medal on the last apparatus!

2nd ROTATION
Sofronie started faultless on uneven bars, after her followed Patterson also with a good routine and a stuck tucked full-in- dismount – 9.575 = 18.950, but she remained behind Sofronie.
Zhang, Nan on uneven bars with elegant and technically perfect gymnastics – very nice handstand- turns, only a very slight step to secure the landing of her dismount – 9.462 = 18.787.
Chorkina on the apparatus where she wants to get her third Olympic title in a row on Sunday. But in this moment only the all-around is important: She started very concentrated, straddled Tkatchev, nice handstands and giants, tucked full-in dismount with only a very slight step – a good routine – 9.725 = 19.187, the highest score up to now!
Courtney Kupets presented a strong and dynamic routine, very safe Markelov, but a larger step to secure the landing of her tucked full-in dismount – 9.625 = 18.900.

On beam Alina Kozich: The European Champion with a safe routine with difficult acrobatics, problems on her tuck jump 1/1 turn, the rotation was not finished – and then she overrotated her double tucked dismount and fell… only 8.687 and her dream of a medal is probably over.
The experienced Allana Slater (AUS) on floor with triple twist, 2 1/2 twists - layout, a triple spin of which she can’t finish the rotation completely, and a stuck double piked in the end.
After Kozich also Lepennec and China’s Wang with falls on beam but then Pavlova followed with a great routine (9.650) and there are quite a few changes in the all-around standing…:

Standing after the 2nd rotation
1. Chorkina (RUS 19,187
2. Sofronie (ROM) 19,049
3. Pawlowa (RUS) 18,987
4. Patterson (USA) 18,950
5. Kupets (USA) 18,900
6. Yarotska (UKR) 18,837
7. Zhang, Nan (CHN) 18,787
8. Marine Debauve (FRAU) 18.774

Chorkina - only 15 thousandth behind Patterson!

3rd ROTATION
Carly Patterson presented a perfect routine on beam with an arabian as dismount and sets high marks with her 9.725 – the lead with 28.675! Zhang, Nan with a slight wobble but otherwise safe acrobatics and a stuck RO - double tucked bw. dismount. However, overall not a totally convincing performance – 9.662.
Svetlana Chorkina then followed with safe acrobatic elements but slight insecurities on her tuck jump 1/1 turn and her 1/1 spin. However, she remained on the beam and stuck her RO- Gainer 2 1/2 twists dismount. With only 26 hundredth of a point she is now behind Patterson!
Courtney Kupets - a powerful routine with very difficult acrobatics, but then a major wobble on a split-leap with leg change 1/2 turn after which she almost fell, but except for another this time smaller wobble on her tuck jump 1/1 turn she continued well and stuck her ff – ff- double tucked bw. dismount – but only the score of 8.975!!

Alina Kozich (UKR) on floor: a beautiful routine started with handspring, layout – double tucked fw.; in the end 2 1/2 twists – 9.600.
Nicoletta Sofronie on beam: RO- split layout bw. mount, problems on her sidewards salto, then again sovereign acrobatic series, tw one-armed ff’s, dismount triple twist of which she can’t finish the rotation completely – 9.637.
Anna Pavlova on floor: The Junior European Champion from Patras confirmed her third rank with a very good routine. Behind her on rank 4 followes Zhang, Nan. She will have to fight for a medal on her last apparatus floor now…

Standing after the 3rd rotation:
1. Patterson (USA) 28,675
2. Chorkina (RUS) 28,649
3. Pawlowa (RUS) 28,599
4. Zhang, Nan (CHN) 28,449
5. Sofronie (ROM) 28,411
6. Debauve (FRA) 28,199
7. Yarotska (UKR) 28,037
8. Kupets (USA) 27,875

Oana ban injured, Sofronie 4th...
Romania for the 1st time since 1972 without an all-around medal!

4th ROTATION
Zhang Nan started on floor with a very high full- in and in the end reached the score of 9.600 on her last apparatus.
Then Chorkina said “Good bye…” not only with her music: She showed her last floor routine in a competition: The audience celebrated this lady of gymnastics during an emotional floor routine. The judges had the job to judge this routine and gave her the score of 9.562 = 28.211.
Courtney Kupets followed with a dynamic and speedy routine with great acrobatics- 9.237 (SV 9.7).
9.525 for Elena Gomez, wo was 10th before the last rotation, on uneven bars.
...And everyone was waiting for Pavlova and Patterson and the decision for the medals:
Nicoletta Sofronie with a good ending on floor – high tucked full-in, triple twist, 2 1/2 twists – layout fw., bw. piked in the end – 9.537.
Anna Pavlova needed a good vault for a medal: double-twisting Yurchenko, slight problems with the landing – with tears in her eyes she lost the 3rd rank to China’s Zhang, Nan.

Alternation of generations: Chorkina silver - Patterson gold!

Patterson - Gold for the USA after Mary-Lou Retton 1984!

But then Carly Patterson on floor: safe tucked full-in, a sensational high arabian, 2 1/2 twists – layout fw., in the end a stuck double piked – this could only be the gold medal – 9.721!
After silver in the team event, like also for the men, now followes all-around gold for the USA. Carly Patterson is the second Olympic all-around champion from the USA after Mary Lou-Retton (1984). Congratulations also for a very good farewell after a unique career for Svetlana Chorkina.

Final standing after the 4th rotation:
1. Patterson (USA) 38,387
2. Chorkina (RUS) 38,211
3. Zhang, Nan (CHN) 38.049
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4. Pawlowa (RUS) 38,024
5. Sofronie (ROM) 37,948
6. Yarotska (UKR) 37,687
7. Debauve (FRA) 37,361
8. Gomez (ESP) 37,299
9. Kupets (USA) 37,112
10. Slater (AUS) 37,099
>> Official results: women's all-around

Happy winners: Khorkina, Patterson, Zhang
... the same three like in Anaheim, but another ranking!

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