22. September 2007
Patras / GREECE
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Title holder Russia wins group all-round competition!
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Group World Champion Russia |
At the 28th World Championships of Rhythmic Gymnastics in Patras (Greece) the previous title holder Russia defended its title in the group all-round competition, scoring 35.100 points, ahead of co-favourite Italy who scored 34.250 points and Belorussia (33.800).
The German group scored 28.825, thus only coming 13th and failing to qualify for the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. In total, 27 groups participated.
The groups qualified for Beijing in addition to the medal winners are in the order in which they ranked in the competiton: Bulgaria, Spain, Israel, Japan, Ukraine, China and Azerbaijan. Late in the evening the FIG announced that Greece will receive one of the two wildcards and will also be able to travel to Beijing!
The German group scored 28.825, thus only coming 13th and failing to qualify for the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. In total, 27 groups participated.
The groups qualified for Beijing in addition to the medal winners are in the order in which they ranked in the competiton: Bulgaria, Spain, Israel, Japan, Ukraine, China and Azerbaijan. Late in the evening the FIG announced that Greece will receive one of the two wildcards and will also be able to travel to Beijing!
Happy winners: The Russian gymnasts today won the
title of world champions in the group all-round competition
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From Patras for GYMmedia INTERNATIONAL:
Sonja SCHMEISSER (reports); photos: Dirk ZIMMERMANN
Goose bumps and jumpy nerves
Today's all-round competition, at which not only the medals, but the top ten places were more hotly contested than ever, showed a very high standard and had all the ingredients of an exciting WCh competition: highlights such as the Italian groups' exercise with hoops and clubs, with which it wants to become the world champion tomorrow, tragic moments such as the totally desastrous exercise of the French girls and the great disappointsment and sadness of all those who failed to make it into the top ten places.
The German group performed validly, with a solid show and without greater errors, but it was simply not up to the strong competition today.
Today's all-round competition, at which not only the medals, but the top ten places were more hotly contested than ever, showed a very high standard and had all the ingredients of an exciting WCh competition: highlights such as the Italian groups' exercise with hoops and clubs, with which it wants to become the world champion tomorrow, tragic moments such as the totally desastrous exercise of the French girls and the great disappointsment and sadness of all those who failed to make it into the top ten places.
The German group performed validly, with a solid show and without greater errors, but it was simply not up to the strong competition today.
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The Belorussian group: exercise with five ropes |
Impressions of the first block of groups
The competition started with a fanfare: Belorussia opened the competition with its exercise with 5 ropes - and what an exercise it was! Apart from two small saves it remained without errors despite the fact that it showed an incredibly difficult exercise, including multiple turns (synchronously!), which are difficult enough for every individual gymnast to perform, and any number of small original passes. 17.100 points. Hoops/clubs: difficult, fast, mostly in time, not flawless and the dreadful orange pieces of apparatus somehow spoiled the overall impression, although they were surely meant to do the opposite. 16.700. - Now the Belorussians have to wait and see what their 33.800 points will be worth in the end.
They are followed by Brazil with three hoops/two pairs of clubs - an exercise full of temperament but without larger faults, but technically they cannot nearly keep up with their predecessors. And quite a few imprecisions in the execution spoil the overall impression. 14.500 - second exercise: 14.575 - a total of 29.075 points.
The competition started with a fanfare: Belorussia opened the competition with its exercise with 5 ropes - and what an exercise it was! Apart from two small saves it remained without errors despite the fact that it showed an incredibly difficult exercise, including multiple turns (synchronously!), which are difficult enough for every individual gymnast to perform, and any number of small original passes. 17.100 points. Hoops/clubs: difficult, fast, mostly in time, not flawless and the dreadful orange pieces of apparatus somehow spoiled the overall impression, although they were surely meant to do the opposite. 16.700. - Now the Belorussians have to wait and see what their 33.800 points will be worth in the end.
They are followed by Brazil with three hoops/two pairs of clubs - an exercise full of temperament but without larger faults, but technically they cannot nearly keep up with their predecessors. And quite a few imprecisions in the execution spoil the overall impression. 14.500 - second exercise: 14.575 - a total of 29.075 points.
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Two Chinese gymnasts with hoops |
The term 'original' best befits the Chinese group - they always have new ideas: with their five ropes they 'transport' one gymnast, at the end catch her as if in a net - however a loss of apparatus and several small saves mar the overall score: 15.375; with hoops/clubs they show a beautifully light exercise interspersed with motives from Chinese folklore, an exercise however which is very demanding and is presented confidently. 15.025 - This should suffice to reach the top ten: a total of 30.400 points.
Austria: All in green, with youthful music and a lively exercise - something totally different for a change. But the exercise lacks difficulty, and they commit a number of mistakes.
Italy - unbelievable! The gilt hand apparatus are significant, and after this performance all the other groups will have to struggle to keep up. An absolute Highlight - the five tall gymnasts appear to...
Austria: All in green, with youthful music and a lively exercise - something totally different for a change. But the exercise lacks difficulty, and they commit a number of mistakes.
Italy - unbelievable! The gilt hand apparatus are significant, and after this performance all the other groups will have to struggle to keep up. An absolute Highlight - the five tall gymnasts appear to...
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Außergewöhnliche Darbietungen: die Italienerinnen mit Seilen |
... defeat the rules of physics, catch and bounce the hoop with their bodies - with dreamlike ease; at the beginning they throw a shape consisting of three hoops and a club, which dissolves as though by magic and finds the right hands to cath each piece; they catch a foot throw with three hoops with their feet, etc... The are the title holders with hoops and clubs... 17.125 points. Their exercise with ropes wis also extraordinary and much appreciated by the audience; it is wonderful how they remain in time despite erforming the most difficult elements - however there are two visible catch errors, which should however make no great difference due to the content of the exercise. 17.125 points - they leapfrog Belorussia to take the lead with a total of 34.250 points!
Israel, with hoops/clubs - to a rather noisy accompaniment with which the exercise can't quite keep up, many safety throws and quite a few mishaps in execution; it is a difficult exercise, but without a clear structure. - 15.600 points; the rope exercise is better received, many interesting throws and combinations, good technique, and a high score: 16.000, in total 31.600 points.
Canada - what an appealing performance, to the tune of the Carmen Suite the five beauties show an enthralling exercise, with solid technique, but focused toward the audience - an advertisement for the sport, even if they have no chance of reaching the fronts places. 13.600 points.
This is true also for the five from Venezuela, who perform validly and above all in a way which puts the whole of the hall, by now well filled, in a good mood. 11.575 points.
Bulgaria - the next highlight, amazing what they can do with five ropes - for instance form nets, plait wreaths - all at a high speed and in addition to all the other demands made by the exercise - however they do not perform flawlessly, there are quite a few catch and grip errors. 16.675 points; hoops/clubs - throws in fast sequence, passes, impossible to grasp it all, but one loss of apparatus. 16.925 points - at this point 3rd place with a score of 33.600 points.
Canada - what an appealing performance, to the tune of the Carmen Suite the five beauties show an enthralling exercise, with solid technique, but focused toward the audience - an advertisement for the sport, even if they have no chance of reaching the fronts places. 13.600 points.
This is true also for the five from Venezuela, who perform validly and above all in a way which puts the whole of the hall, by now well filled, in a good mood. 11.575 points.
Bulgaria - the next highlight, amazing what they can do with five ropes - for instance form nets, plait wreaths - all at a high speed and in addition to all the other demands made by the exercise - however they do not perform flawlessly, there are quite a few catch and grip errors. 16.675 points; hoops/clubs - throws in fast sequence, passes, impossible to grasp it all, but one loss of apparatus. 16.925 points - at this point 3rd place with a score of 33.600 points.
Germany begins with the rope - very good! No loss of apparatus, two catch errors and a few steps to ensure catches, they have presented their technically demanding programme precisely - 14.775 points - the mark for difficulty detracts a few tenths from the total score; Rhoops/clubs: a modern choreography, well interpreted, but probably not well enough: a loss of a club and a few saved throws and combinations, while the difficulties have obviously not been accepted: 14.050 - 28.825 point - this will not suffice to reach the tenth place!
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The group from Japan |
Japan: a group that appears to be very youthful, who however makes this into an advantage: quick, lively, cheeky and surprising, and always smiling - they also show a number of original variations of 'transporting' a gymnast on their ropes and have integrated it perfectly into their exercise 15.625 points.
And another quick and surprising exercise from the bold Japanese girls with hoops and clubs: 15.350 - 30.975 points.
And another quick and surprising exercise from the bold Japanese girls with hoops and clubs: 15.350 - 30.975 points.
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Ein Feuerwerk mit Seilen: Griechenland |
Greece: It seems impossible to increase the speed in the sequence of elements and combinations after what has gone before, however the Greek group performs true fireworks with hoops/clubs which is rewarded by the audience with great applause - unfortunately the speed impinges on the stability, there are several losses of apparatus and other errors: 13.900 points; then more fireworks with the ropes, one elemtn follows the other that the audience can barely keep up with the clapping - 15.000 points.
France is a close competitior of the German team - the group presents a solid exercise with ropes, athletic and largely without mistakes - 15.625 points; then desaster strikes in the hoos/clubs exercise; after one hoop rolls away, the group is totally disoriented and a whole sequence of the exercise is interrupted - 12.125 points!
Ukraine - it is the breadth of movement and artistic interpretation which makes the Ukrainian school of Rhythmic Gymnastics so popular: these five make every intermediary move worth seeing; perfected technique and barely a fault - why do they only score 15.400 points for this show ...? The five gymnasts and their coach are also very surprised.
Ukraine - it is the breadth of movement and artistic interpretation which makes the Ukrainian school of Rhythmic Gymnastics so popular: these five make every intermediary move worth seeing; perfected technique and barely a fault - why do they only score 15.400 points for this show ...? The five gymnasts and their coach are also very surprised.
Hoops/clubs - a wonderfully elegant, confident and harmonious exercise with hoops/clubs, and again only 15.400 points - the audience protests and the gymnasts are disappointed.
Azerbaijan - in the end the audience is relieved when the music finally stops, and the exercise is also at times slightly chaotic, is however garnished with lots of difficult elements. This impinges on the execution, so that in the end they are well served with the 15.375 points they receive and cheer accordingly; then the five girls display nerves and loose their apparatus several times during the hoops/clubs-exercise -despite this they score 14.625 points!
Spain - a very beautiful, very feminine group; with hoops/clubs they show a themed exercise which they interpret wonderfully - here at last the music has a purpose and the whole exercise merges into a harmonious unity, and the exercise is also one of the most difficult presented: 16.075 points.
Russia - a rope exercise that focuses on rhythm, showed with routine and sparkle and radiating femininity - it is obvious that the group knows they are the best, their performance is flawless - 17.650 points - the highest score to date!
Cuba - a cheerful surprise and an example for what can be achieved with a suitable choreogrphy which is not without content and is appealingly presented...
Russia - a rope exercise that focuses on rhythm, showed with routine and sparkle and radiating femininity - it is obvious that the group knows they are the best, their performance is flawless - 17.650 points - the highest score to date!
Cuba - a cheerful surprise and an example for what can be achieved with a suitable choreogrphy which is not without content and is appealingly presented...