COMPETITION I: Team qualification WOMEN  / Frauen

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SUBDIVISION 6 / GRUPPE 6
POL

CZE

RUS

MEX  

Russia bombs.....!


Flying Olympic Champion Zamolodchikova....but  >>

So, the leader after first rotation was... Poland. Lead by the ever present Joanna Skowronska, competing in these championships with her twin sister Malgorzata, 

Rotation 1:
The sixth group started with a shocker when Brenda Magana (MEX)  crashed on bars and lay motionless for a while. At first, no doctor or paramedics appeared, much to the annoyance of FIG medical expert Michel Leglise. Magana was eventually able to walk off the podium without help.
Over on floor, there was another shocker going on as Russia, one of the top favourites, staggered and fell: Maria Zassypkina started with a fall on her 2 ½ twist to punch front full and followed it up with a fall on an Arabian double front.

Lyudmila Yezhova put her hands down on a double pike. Natalia Ziganshina stayed on her feet, but not in bounds on her triple twist. 
Svetlana Khorkina turned on the charm using her Olympic floor routine but was not flawless and the judges awarded her with a generous 9.4 (9,8 SV). Visibly injured Yelena Zamolodchikova went out of bounds twice.

the team quietly went about their business nailing their vaults. Joanna Skowronska, competing in these championships with her twin sister Malgorzata, the team quietly went about their business nailing their vaults.  

Rotation 2:
Russia redeemed itself with good vaults, highlighted by Svetlana Khorkina’s half –on front tuck with 1 ½ twists off which she nailed for a 9,562 (9,9 SV).  Olympic champion Yelena Zamolodchikova only vaulted a full-twisting Yurchenko due to her injured foot.

Russia’s sixth team member, Yekaterina Privalova, fractured her foot in training. Not having brought a reserve gymnast, Russia is now competing all gymnasts on all events.  

Poland lost ground on bars with lack of difficulty and poor execution. The Czech Republic climbed into second place with a better showing on floor than previously on beam.

Twins from Poland:>>
Malgorzata and Joanna Skowronska


Joanna & Malgorzata ...

 


Natalia Zasypkina

Rotation 3:


The Russian team got going on bars with Zassypkina and Zamolodchikova setting the stage for brilliant routines from Ziganshina (full-twisting giant into Shushunova; split legged double layout) and Yezhova (10 SV). Mutliple bars champion Khorkina finished the rotation with her usual flair and style – beautiful stalder into Takchev and stalder full on the low bar. Her 9,662 is the highest score of any gymnast on any apparatus to date.

Zuzana Obonova vaulted a zero, landing her layout Yurchenko on her back but Jana Kormskova nailed her Podkopayeva, keeping the Czech Republic in a secure second place.

Rotation 4:  
Disaster hit the Russian team on beam. Nerves got the better of the inexperienced

Zassypkina who fell twice – once on a front walkover and the second time on a ff-whip. Things only got worse when Zamolodchikova took to the beam. She went down on a full-twisting ff-ff combination and then only did a simple back tuck for a dismount. Khorkina couldn’t add more than an 8,6 after a huge wobble. The comedy of errors continued with Ziganshina’s hand touching the beam on her front pike mount. A clutch performance by their last athlete Lyudmila Yezhova prevented a complete embarrasment for the team. Her score of 9,612 should earn her a well deserved trip to the finals.
The Czech Republic managed to squeak ahead of Argentina while first round leader Poland dropped all the way to second last in the standings.



Svetlana Khorkina
 - the best in all-round after 6 subdivision

Report: Nora Schuler / Photos by Don Johnson
Web editor: Eckhard Herholz

Team Standings after 6 groups:

... the top eight nations are qualified 
at the Team final at Wednesday

1. USA   145,147 2. NED 144,159 3. RUS 144,134 4. ESP   142,797
5. UKR  140,559 6. GER  138,477 7. GBR  138,671 8. CAN  138,506
9. BRAS   138,320 10. BLR  136,108 11. BUL  132,659 12. BEL  131,885
13. CZE 130,509 14. ARG  130,482 15. HUN  128,934 16. RSA   128,221
17. LAT 127,408 18. FIN 123,895 19.KOR   121,920 20. POL 118,884
21.  IND   98,522      

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