Review July 21, 2009
KAOHSIUNG (TPE), FIG Office, July 21, 2009: Tonight the Kaohsiung Arena was full to bursting with Women’s and Men’s Tumbling and Acrobatic Men’s Pair and Women’s Group events. Tumblers wowed the crowd with a surprising blend of controlled virtuosity, speed and energy, while acrobats delivered a bevy of stunning moves and breathtaking positions in harmonious choreographies. Russian gymnasts swept today’s competitions, carrying off 3 Gold and 2 Silver medals! Ukraine’s gymnasts won one Gold and two Bronze tonight and Great Britain claimed two Silvers and one Bronze.
Fans enjoyed a top-notch evening full of gymnastic action here in Kaohsiung; a few highlights:
Women’s Tumbling
The world’s number one female tumbler, 26 year old Anna Korobeynikova (RUS), didn’t leave any doubt as to her supremacy in this discipline; she ran off with the Gold tonight after having led the Qualifications with a plush 65.400 points. Anna spiced up her Final with some epic difficulty that secured her a 68.900 pt. score. None of the other competitors came even close. Korobeynikova’s compatriot Anzhelika Soldatkina (22) placed second with 65.000 and Canadian Emily Smith, who ranked fourth at the qualifying round, improved her score to 63.800, swiping the Bronze. Smith edged out Great Britain’s Jennifer Dawes (63.100), who had set her cap for the podium after ranking second in the Qualification.
Results Qualifications
Results Finals
Gold – KOROBEYNIKOVA Anna (RUS) – Total: 68.900
Silver – SOLDATKINA Anzhelika (RUS) – Total: 65.000
Bronze – SMITH Emily (CAN) – Total: 63.800
Men’s Tumbling
This high profile Men’s Tumbling event rocked the hall today! The field of truly great champions was a regal sight, with a competition that managed to maintain its appeal despite the fact that all eight participants automatically qualified for the Final. With 68.800, World Champion Andrey Krylov gave a relatively modest performance in the Qualification; but he didn’t have to be asked twice to show his full power in the Finals! He pleased the crowd and came out on top with a sweet 75.700 that won him the Gold! 21 year old Michael Barnes from Great Britain showed fantastic routines in the Qualification (70.700). He upped the bar later on with a 72.200 pt score and was rewarded with a spot behind Krylov. Ukrainian Qualification leader Viktor Kyforenko ended up with a Bronze after a 67.000 pt performance. Belarus’ Andrei Kabishev, second during Qualification, missed out on a medal and placed fourth just behind Kyforenko, who scored 66.100.
Results Qualifications
Results Finals
Gold – KRYLOV Andrey (RUS) – Total: 75.700
Silver – BARNES Michael (GBR) – Total: 72.200
Bronze –KYFORENKO Viktor (UKR) – Total: 67.000
Acrobatic Gymnastics Women’s Group
Featuring a tight, top-level field, the Women’s Group Acrobatic Final was a great time overall. The positions these trios performed were so fantastically incredible that spectators held their breath in awe! A fired-up crowd saw the Russian Group, made up of Ekaterina Loginova, Aygul Shaykhudinova and Ekaterina Stroynova, carrying off Gold with 28.901 points. After having qualified fourth, Great Britain won Silver with a sleight of hand, scoring 28.401 and edging out Ukraine (28.330) by a narrow margin. Belgium, third in Qualification, missed out on a podium rank today.
The Groups from Belarus and Germany did not qualify for the Final.
Results Qualifications
Results Finals
Gold – RUS: LOGINOVA – SHAYKHUDINOVA - STROYNOVA - Total: 28.901
Silver – GBR: RICHARDSON – SLATER – YOUNG - Total: 28.401
Bronze – UKR: KALYTA – ODINTSOVA – VINNIK – Total: 28.330
Acrobatic Gymnastics Men’s Pair
A neck and neck race for Men’s Pair acrobats this afternoon; World Champions Mikola Cherbak and Sergei Popov from Ukraine overcame the pressure and prevailed (28.924), stunning the crowd with breathtaking positions and phenomenal moves. Confirming their second place from Qualification, Alexei Dudchenko and Konstantin Pilipchuk, Russian runners-up at the 2008 World Championships, settled for Silver (28.654), while the young British Pair Douglas Fordyce and Edward Upcott, outclassed by a narrow margin, settled for Bronze with a total of 28.562.
China drew the short draw tonight, ranking fourth with 26.370 in the Finals. Placed fifth and sixth in the Qualifications, the Portuguese and German Pairs did not qualify for the Final.
Results Qualifications
Results Finals
Gold – UKR: CHERBAK Mikola / POPOV Sergei - Total: 28.924
Silver – RUS: DUDCHENKO Alexei / PILIPCHUK Konstantin - Total: 28.654
Bronze – GBR: FORDYCE Douglas / UPCOTT Edward - Total: 28.562
Click on the respective title for detailed result lists!
The Acrobatic and Trampoline Gymnastics events will conclude tomorrow with Qualifications and Finals in Men’s and Women’s Double Mini-Trampoline, Women’s Synchronised Trampoline and Men’s Group Acrobatics. Don’t miss it!
