16. October 2009  
London, Great Britain  
Artistic Gymnastics

Gold and Silver for USA: Bridget SLOAN in front of Rebecca BROSS

Bridget Sloan (USA)
top level, the fewest mistakes!
Photo: fig-minkus

For the second time in history after 2005, has there been a US-American dual success in the all-around decision of a gymnastics world championship.
After a dramatic fall by Rebecca BROSS (57,775)  who was the best of the qualification until the last acrobatic floor series, her Olympics colleague from 2008 and countrywoman, Bridget SLOAN (57,825) pulled past her and won the Gold medal with 57,825 points - silver for Bross.
The surprise of the daz was also the first all-around medal for the Japanese womens gymnastics by Koko TSURUMI, who with 57,175 achieved an impressively stable four-round. Chinese, Romanians and also Russians were not in near any medals due to too many instabilities.
On the other hand Ariella KEASLIN from Switzerland faught her way to a proud eighth place under the top ten of the world.

* GYMmedia WCh NEWS Coverages are sponsored by * Co. << Janssen-Fritsen
** Reporting for GYMmedia from the 02-Arena in London: Dieter Hofmann;
Editor.: Eckhard Herholz

32nd Women's WORLDS 2009
- London, O2-Arena, Friday, October 16 - __________________________________________

* ALL-Around FINAL
  > S t a r t  L i s t

Altogether 146 gymnasts started at the women's preliminaries at Wednesday.
More the 50 % of them (77) completed the full all-around.
Today evening the 24 best (max. 2 per nation) will fight for the title of the Worlds Gymnastics Queen in the O2 Arena of London.
At the head the best of qualification rounds the Rebecca BROSS from USA, followed by the second placed Ana PORGRAS (ROU), Lauren MITCHELL (AUS) and the best of the two Chineses, DENG, Linlin.

USA, China and Russia ranked with the maximum of two gymnasts among the top ten, Roumania, Japan, Australia and Switzerland with each one gymnast.
Altogether 7 countries are represented by two, ten more nations with each one athletes in the field of the 24 all-around qualifiers...
* ... have also  a look at the >> World all-around history

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* ROTATION 1
1. TSURUMI (JPN) - uneven bars: ... very nice, clean all-around excersise, great applause for a lovely double salto, stretched backwards- ((6.2) = 15.050;
2. SLOAN (USA) - Vault: ... Yurchenko 2/1 , correction step - ((5.8) = 14,825;
3.  KURBATOVA (RUS) - Vault: ... Yurchenko 2/1  - (5.8) = 14,625;
4.  DUFOURNET (FRA) - Bars: ... very nice, secure excersise.. ((6.1) = 14,600;
5.  BROSS (USA) - Vault: Yurchenko 2/1, better than Mitchell - (5.8) = 14,525;
6.  MITCHELL (AUS) - Vault- the 3rd in the qualification had to be the first at the apparatus: Yurchenko,  2/1-turn, landing step: (5.8) =14,400;

- DENG (CHN) - Vault: ... Yurchenko 2/1 ... (5.8) = 14,225;

- TAMIRJAN (ROU) - Beam: ... stays calm despite a roaring atmosphere during a British floor excersise  - (5.9) = 14,125;

- YANG (CHN) - bars - ... excellent Chinese techique, nice complete twist Tkachev, but then too little power before the exit but... FELL on the head during Tsukahara exit...! - (6.5) = 13,950;

10.  KAESLIN (SUI) - bars- dynamic excersise, smooth, clean flight-elements , small landing problem, better than in the qualification: (5.5) = 13,875;

18. KIM (GER) - Beam: ... small insecurity during the double twist , double ducked salto as finish: - (5.4) = 13,100

- PORGRAS (ROU) - Vault - right after her the second best all-around artist, the same vault only 1/1 twist, FALL: (5.0) = 13,075;

- SEMENOVA (RUS) - bars- ... FALL the ex-world champion after a strong performance with a stretch summersault from the  Strecksalto from the top to the bottom beam- (...

 

ROTATION 2

1. TSURUMI (JPN) - bars : ... secure all-around excersise... - (5.9) - 14,800 = 29,850;
2. SLOAN (USA) - bars... high standard double backward stretched summersault with whole twist as finish ganzer ( . ) -  = 29,625;
3. BROSS (USA) -bars: ... excersise with tempo with high flight elements, sure landing- (6.2) - 15,075 = 29.600;
4.  KURBATOVA (RUS) -bars: ... technical difficulties in the connection to her flight elements in the Pak summersault, free rim directly to Schaposchikova .. finish with a correction step.. ((6.3) - 14,700 =  29,325;
5. DUFOURNET (FRA) - beam: ... sure beam excersise, small insecurities with the layback after the exit ... ((6.2) - 14,450 =  29,050;
6. PORGRAS (ROU) - bars: ... nice transition after 1 1/2 handstand turn to the Jaegersalto ... (6.3) - 14,675 = 

-YANG (CHN) - Beam: ... high class gymnastics, but difficulties break during the excersise during acrobatic transition, exit: 2 1/2-twist- (5.6) - 14,225 =
- DENG (CHN) - bars: ... all-around excersise, landing step after Tsukahara, as also Sloan  .. ( (5.9) - 13,900 =  
...
9. KAESLIN (SUI) - Beam: ... Start: Rondat stretched summersault, slight wabble, nice gymnastic jump with great amplitude 1/2 turn very clean, controlled turn with perfectly held leg, good finish.. (5.4) - 13,500 =  27,375
...
23.  KIM (GER) - Floor: ... good first and second row, then FALL after the 3rd lane...  (5.3) - 12,250 = 

ROTATION 3

1. BROSS (USA) - beam: : ... perfect twist, also the series of three, Patterson exit very high, step after landing- (6.2) - 15,300 = 44,900;

2. SLOAN (USA) - beam: ... seems a little insecure, many slight corrections sum up, comes through, secure landing ..(5.4) - 14.00 = 43,625;

3. TSURUMI (JPN) .- floor: ... incredibly stable all-around achievement by the Japanese until now,Tsukahara, 2 1/2-twists , sure landings including exit series .. (5.3) - 13.725 = 43,575;

4. MITCHELL (AUS) - beam... only a few tiny insecurities, nice double sqat turn, high level of difficulty, improves compared to the 1st competition 0,6 points, .. (6.5) - 15,100 = 43,175;

5. POURGRAS (ROU) - beam: ... ... FALL in mid-excersise, despite a otherwise nice excersise.. (64) - 14,125 = 42,475;

6.  DUFOURNET (FRA) - floor: ... piked Tsukahara, exit double backwards summersault.. good... (5.5) - 13,300 = 42,350;

- KURBATOVA (RUS) - beam: ... FALL after Menichelli ...- (5.3) - 12,850 = 42,175;

- SEMENOVA (RUS) - floor: ... better than in the qualification als ... (5.4) - 13,650 =    ;
- DENG (CHN) - beam: ... extreme difficulties after the forwards ducked summersault, remains on top but then FALLS zwar ... (6.5) - 13,500;
both Chinese athletes are technically incredibly stong, but because of too many stability mistakes (yet) cannot be considered for the front placings.

- DOWNIE (GBR) - bars: ... FALL after Hindorff-Salto ... (6.1) - 13,600 =   ;

14. KAESLIN (SUI) - floor: ... very concentrated all-around excersise, development from the qualification... ((5.4) - 13,425 = 40,800;

21.BUI (GER) - vault: ... barrel roll, forwards stretched Salto 1/2-twist- (5.4) - 13,550 = 38,900;

ROTATION 4, - the Decision
1. Bridget SLOAN (USA) - floor: ... 3-time-screw, then1 1/2-screw... ducked Tsukahara ... also the last series was very good  ... sure standing! - (5.7) - 14,200 = 57,825;

Bridget SLOAN (middle), Rebecca BROSS (- bothUSA) and bronze medallist Koko TSURUMI (JPN; right.)
* Photo: fig-minkus

2. Rebecca BROSS (USA) - Floor: ... she already looked like the winner, but then after the forwards stretched summersault with a full turn, forwards salto 1/2-turn FALL with head first landing...but she secured Silver and therewith the double win for the USA ... = 57,825; her trainer Valeri Liukin almost landed his daughter the next "golden thing" after the Olympics win!

3. Koko TSURUMI (JPN) - ... plays it safe, Yurchenko 1/1-turn ( 5.0) - 13,600 = 57,175;
 for the first time in gymnastics history a Japanese wins an all-around medal, surely to the delight of her uncle the Olympics winner of Rome 1960, Shuj TSURUMI.

4. Lauren MITCHELL (AUS) - ... in the end only 0,025 were missing for the Australian for a medal = 57,150;

5.  Youna DUFOURNET (FRA) - vault: ... Rondat 1/2-turn, sault stretched, 1/2-turn.. (5.6) - 14,300 = 56,650;
6. YANG, Yilin (CHN) - ... not close to a medal due to lacking stability zu... = 56,575;
7. Ana PORGRAS (ROU) -  ... unusual medalless situation for the Romanian womens gymnastics  = 56,600
8. Ariella KAESLIN (SUI) -vault a Chusovitina  .. ( 6.3) - 15,175 =  absolutely satisfying position as the second best West European !!   = 55,925 
...
11. DENG, Linlin (CHN) - floor: .. the all-around fourth collects herself, gut finish, but still no Chinese precision by best technical nature .. (5.4) - 13,600 = 55,225 
13. Ksenia SEMENOWA (RUS) - Vault: ... Yurtschenko 1 1/2 .. deep landing, step backwards - absolutely not her day.. (5.3) - 13,400 =  54,525 ;
...
23. Kim BUI (GER) - bars... unlucky on the last apparatus, mistake in hand placement, break in the excersise FALL after Shaposchnikova ... ( 5.0) - 11,575 = 50,475;

* Final Results:

1. Bridget Sloan     (USA)  57,825
2. Rebecca Bross (USA)  57,775
3. Koko Tsurimi     (JPN)  57,175

4. Lauren Mitchell     (AUS) 57,150
5. Youna Dufournet  (FRA) 56,650
6. Yang, Linlin            (CHN) 56,575
7. Ana Porgras           (ROU) 56,500
8. Ariella Kaeslin         (SUI) 55,925
   > Detailed Results

 

... first evaluationAs expected the technically perfect level of international womens gymnastics has not continuously been on offer! As often is the case in the beginning of a new trainings cycle, the established have either stepped back or are taking some time out, others are not yet back in top form and the young newcomers are still far awaz from the optimal realisations of their undoubted potentials.
Thus there were many instabilites today and thereby hefty turns in the lapse of the competition.
That the Chinese, Romanians and Russians were far off the medals is unusual but surely just a temporary state which may change within the coming two days of the finals. 

World class Atmoshere!
 The atmosphere in tonights totally filled O2 Arena in London was world class. Congratulations to the organisers, who gave us a taste of what we can expect for the Olympic Games in three years time!
* From London for GYMmedia: Dieter Hofmann
  Editor: Eckhard Herholz