18. October 2009  
London, Great Britain  
Artistic Gymnastics

MENs Apparatus Finals - DAY 2: China and Dragulescu won all the final gold medals !!!

Marian DRAGULESCU (ROU),wins his fourth title on floor and vault!

The three time Romanian floor world champion Marian DRAGULESCU is the first gymnast in history to achieve his fourth world championship title on the floor and vault and so advanced to become the most sucsessful gymnast of this world championship, rehabilitated himself for the failure experienced at the Olympic games and even beat the Olympic champion ZOU Kai on the floor .

All other wins in the mens went to four different Chinese gymnasts. On the pommelhorse as expected to  ZHANG Hongtao, who beat European champion Krisztian BERKI, on the rings to  YAN, Mingyong before oldie Jordan JOWTSCHEW (BUL), on the parallel bars to  WANG, Guanyin and on the highbar to the Olympic winner ZOU, Kai, with sensational difficulty (!) before the also high class Dutch gymnast Epke ZONDERLAND ...

* GYMmedia WCh NEWS Coverages are sponsored by * Co. << Janssen-Fritsen

Victory Ceremony, men's floor exercises

 

41st  WORLDS, MEN's ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS 2009  - London, Great Britain, O2 Arena, October 17 -
____________________________________________

* APP. FINALS, DAY I

... look also at the
>> Overview of App. Qualifiers
.
.. and also at the
>> FINAL START LIST, 1st Day 

 

FINAL Floor Exercises
_______________________________
* Initial situation
The Olympics winner Zou, Kai (CHN) - not in the form of the previous year - was the first to perform... an advantage for the competitors or are they rather shocked by this brilliant excersise...? Dragulescu and Uchimura could become the most dangerous opponents for him. The Chilean Gonzales ist the first Chilean in a World Championship final. If Fahrig (GER) had cleaner transitions, in his otherwise faultless excersise, he would be the last in the starting round to have a minimal outsider chance, perhaps for the Bronze; surely also depends on the stability of the others ...

* RESULTS:
1. DRAGULESCU, Marian (ROU)  - (6.6)  15,700
2. ZOU, Kai                           (CHN)  -  (6.8)  15,675
3.  SHATILOV, Alexander     (ISR)  -  (6.6)  15,575

4. UCHIMURA, Kohei     (JPN)  - (6.5)  15,475
5. OKIGUCHI, Makoto     (JPN)  - (6.6)  15,425
6. FAHRIG, Matthias       (GER)  - (6.6)  15,400
7. GONZALES, Enrique  (CHI)  - (6.6)  15,225
8. LEGENDRE, Steven  (USA)  - (6.2)  14,950
  >> Detailed Results

* Floor Notices
At the first of two final day of these Worls in London Marian DRAGULESCU of Romania won his fourth (!) world title on floor - as the first gymmnast in history -  particularly impressive since chronic back and neck pains forced him into retirement after the Beijing Olympics an beats the Olympic Champion ZOU Kai from China.
The former Russian native Alexander SHATILOV, now starting for Israel, won the first worlds medal for his new homeland.

* ... - also see >> World Championship history FLOOR

ZHang Hongtao (CHN)

 

FINAL Pommel Horse
_________________________* Initial situation
Zhang - Berki - Smith ... or the other way around...? This trio seems to have the first claims for the titles and medals ...

* RESULTS:
1. ZHANG, Hongtao  (CHN)
                                    - (6.6) = 16,200
2. BERKI, Krisztian   (HUN)
                                   - (6.9) = 16,075
3. SELLATHURAI, Prashanth (AUS)
                                   - (6.6) = 15,400

 

4. TOMMASONE, Cyril  (FRA) - (6.5) - 15,225
5. McNEILL, Timothy   (USA) - (6.4) - 15,150
6. SELIGMAN, Robert (CRO) - (6.1) - 14,750
7. KOCZI, Flavius        (ROU) - (6.6) - 14,975
8. SMITH, Louis           (GBR) - (6.6) - 14,450
... FALL at the beginning during a Flop on a  pommel... 
>> Detailed Results

* Pommel horse Notices
After the first Chinese World Champion 1981, LI, Xiaopeng, together with Michael Nikolay (GER) in Moskau and after a last four wins since 2003 Teng, Haibin and the three-times dream-champion Xiao, Qin ZHANG, Hongtao competently secures the sixth Chinese World Championship victory in history.
Krisztian BERKI (HUN) repeats the vice-ring from 2007 and the Australo-Indian Prashanth Sellathurai - already Vice-World Champion in 2006 Aarhus - wins the Bronze.
... London also experiences the sadly unlucky Loui Smith, who after his Bronze in Stuttgart now at home expected too much...

* ... read also >> WCh History Pommel horse

YAN Mingyong (CHN)
* Archive

 

FINAL Still Rings
_______________________________* Initial situation
Apart from the trio YAN, Mingyong - Rodrigues - Iovtchev may come into question, may be also Worobiov for the podium ...

* RESULTS
1. YAN, Mingyong              (CHN)  (6.8) - 15,675
3.  IOVTCHEV, Jordan      (BUL)  (6.8) - 15,575
3.  VOROBIOV, Alexander (UKR)  (6.8) - 15,550

4. ZANETTI, Arthur            (BRA)  (6.5) - 15,325
4. STANESCU, Robert    (ROU)  (6.8) - 15,325
6. MORANDI, Matteo         (ITA)  (6.7)  - 15,300
7. AIT SAID, Samir            (FRA)  (6.7) - 15,250
8. RODRIGUES, Danny  (FRA)  (7.1) - 14,750
   >> Detailed Results

 

* Rings notes:
YAN, Mingyong secured the third Chinese ring victory in a row, lastly twice by the outstanding CHEN, Yibing (2006, 2007), 1999 (Tianjin) by DONG, Zhen aswell as 1985 in Montreal by LI, Ning.
Phaenomenon Jordan IOVTCHEV (BUL) - the former two times rings champion won silver again - since 1995 his medal number eight (!!) at this apparatus!
After Grigori Misjutin's last win for the Ukraine (1991 in front of Andreas Wecker, from Germany) Alexander VOROBIOV takes for the first time again a medal for his country on this apparatus.

* ... also see >> World Championships rings history

 

FINAL VAULT
_______________________________* Initial situation
This will be an open slugfest! 
The until now only 3 time vault world champion Marian Dragulescu wants his fourth (!) title and offers a tremendous, substantial potential: his "Dragulescu", also forward hand spring double salto with 1/2 twist and as the second attempt the "Nemow", which is a rondat, 1/2-twist, forward hand spring with forward summersault with 2 1/2-twists.
But the challenger, the North Korean RI, Se Gwang offered a sheer breathtaking solution: a Tsukahara with double summerault and complete complete twist...
But -  taking a controlled risk is worth it. The eight final-participators lay no half point apart in the qualification. Thus every one of them has a chance of a medal - also Matthias Fahrig!

* RESULTS:

1. DRAGULESCU, Marian (ROU)  = 16,575
  1. - Dragulescu (++) ... Yurchenko half on 1-1/2 twist, fantstic!  Nice to see a different entry vault (7.0) - 16,550
  2. - Rondat, 1/2-twist, handspring front, stretched salto 2 1/2 (7.2) - 16,600
2.  KOCZI, Flavius (ROU)   = 16,337
  1. - Tsukahara triple twist - wow!  ... (7.0) - 16,375
  2. - handspring triple twist! Just makes it round, small step on landing 21/2 ... (7.0) - 16,300
3.  GOLTSUTSKOV, Anton (RUS)  = 16,287
  1. - Dragulescu (+)  ... (7.0) - 16,375
  2. - Tsukahara, double pike backwards ("Jeo") ... (6.6) -16,200

4.  FAHRIG, Matthias (GER)  = 15,850
  1 - handspring double front half, bit low on landing, a knee down and a big step to the sidehandspring double front half, bit low on landing, a knee down and a big step to the side ... (7.0) - 15,825
  2. Kasamatzu + 1 1/2 ... (6.6) - 15,875

5.  BOUHAIL, Thomas (FRA)   = 15,775
  1. - "Jeo", FALL... (7.0) - 15,725
  2. - Dragulescu (+)  ... (7.0) - 16,300
6.  BOTELLA, Isaac (ESP)   = 15,650
  1. - Tsukahara 2-1/2 twist. ONe step on landing ... (6.8) - 15,800
  2. - Handspring double twist, large step to the side off the mat. ... (6.6) - 15,500

7.  RI, Se Gwang (PRK)   = 15,650
  1. - handspring double pike front, FALLS on landing - (7.2) - 15,575
  2. - Tsukahara double pike, lands ok but with two steps. Long delay for his score, but it finally comes up as .. ((7.0) - 15,725

8. WAMMES, Jeffrey (NED)   = 15,425
  1. - Yurchenko 2-1/2 twist, nicely done ... (6.6) - 15,950
  2. - handspring front double twist but sat down... (6.6) - 14,900
   >> detailed results

 

* Men's Vault Notes:
The Romanian Marian DRAGULESCU proves to be the overflyer of this World Championship: after the floor he is now also the only gymnast in the world, who has for the fourth time in World Championship history has become the World Champion of vault -  unchallenged!
Cheering and with the Romanian flag in hand stood next to him on the valut podest Flavius KOCZI, who won Silver - Romanian double victory, also a novum!

That a Russian wins a vault medal now with Anton GOLUTSUTSKOV also lies 12 years back (Nikolai Krjukow, 1997, Lausanne).
With a difficult second vault Matthias FAHRIG should in the future surelz also be able to win medals - the potential is there.
RI, Se Gwan, who was in control of his programme in the qualification, pokered too high today!

* ... - read also >> WCh History Yault 

 

* FINAL PARALLEL BARS_______________________________
* Initial situation
At the most "asian" of all apparati, the parallel bars, it seems like it will be a possible historic 10th World Championship title for the Chinese, especially since Europes parallel-bar artistics boss of the last years, Mitja Petkovsek (SLO) failed in the qualification.
Two Chinese, followed by th Japanese Tanaka - also with the ambition to win (!) - achieved the highest marks on the first day of the competition ....!

* RESULTS:

1. WANG, Guanyin (CHN) ... secure start excersise, lies ahead ... (7.0) = 15,975

2.  FENG, Zhe (CHN) ... Chinese pecision, high summersaults, (6.9) = 15,775

3.  TANAKA, Kazuhito (JPN) ... dominating technique, (6.4) = 15,500

4.  TSOLAKIDIS, Vasileios (GRE) ..elegant gymnast... (6.3) = 15,350
5.  YOO, Won Chul (KOR) ... 3x double somi... (6.7) = 15,300
6. ZONDERLAND, Epke (NED) ... secure excersie, including exit ,  (6.1) = 15,125
7. PHUOC, Hung Pham (VIE) ... without major mistakes...  (5.9) = 14,475
8. KIERZKOWSKI, Adam (POL) ... bad finishing positions, Fall exit  (6.3) = 14,325

   >> detailed results
************************************************************

* P. Bars Notes: 
as expected: Asian parallel bar dominance (5 of eight finalists from Asia), Chinese double victory, all three medals go to the Middle East. With WANG, Guanyin a Chinese parallel bar World Champion is made for the 10th time!

* - read also  >> WCh History Parallel Bars

 

 

* FINAL  HIGH BAR
_______________________________* Initial situation
What a great shame - here the defender of the title Fabian Hambüchen was sorely missed ....! Still, a bombastic final is yet ahead. The Olympics winner ZOU, Kai represented the best, however very close behind him is the Olympics winner of Athens Igor Cassina (ITA) (- if the start gymnasts remains calm!) and ex-World Champion (2005)  Aljaz Pegan, who as vice lastly only got beaten by a minimal amount.  But also the Olympics Second Jonathan Horton (USA) wants everything after his messed up all-around attempt.
... and here too: the "values on paper" of the qualifications of all finalists only lie 0,5 points apart. Risky ruckus gymnastics is mercilessly penalized - difficult and beautiful - those are the virtues of the modern high-tech-gymnastics and will hopefully be rewarded by the regulators!

* RESULTS:

1. ZOU, Kai (CHN) ... almost no point reduction possibilities, (7.5) =  16,150
2. ZONDERLAND, Epke (NED) ...dream excersise ...!   (7.3) = 15,825
3. CASSINA, Igor (ITA) ...stays calm, low A-score decides  (6.7) = 15,625

4. LEYVA, Danell (USA) ... sucessful excersise  ... (7.0) = 15,600
5. PEGAN, Aljaz (SLO) ...wobble on landing after triple salto  .. ( 7.0) = 15,500
6. UCHIMURA, Kohei (JPN)... (6.4) = 15,175
7. TSAREVICH, Alexander (BLR)... (6.0) = 14,375
8. HORTON, Jonathan (USA) ...Fall Kolman salto , knee fall after landing  .. (6.7) = 13,250
   >> detailed results

 

 

* Hig Bar Notes:
_________________Olympic champion ZOU Kai did not let himself be surprised by anyone - and not only that: 7.5 in the A-score (!!!)  are a sensational difficulty!! It is a long time back that a Chinese won Gold on the high bar: 1991 in Indianapolis, Li, Chunyang, together with the ex-Potsdamer Ralf Büchner.
Never has a Dutch won a high bar World Championship medal: Epke ZONDERLAND achieved this with Silver and impressive content (/.3 !!) who already in Stuttgart 2007 managed together with Wammes to reach a World Championship final.
And the fact that the Olympic winner from 2004  Igor CASSINA wins Bronze again, after his Silver (2003) is more than right.
* ... - read also  >> WCh History High Bar

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** Janssen-Fritsen congratulates all winners and medallists!

* ... read more at the  >> Women's Finals