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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, October 19, 2009

China dominates world event


By NANCY ARMOUR
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Ivana Hong

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LONDON — A year later and half a world away, China is still the team to beat.

The Chinese won three more titles at the world gymnastics championships yesterday, giving them a total of six. That's as many as the other 70 countries won — combined. Their total of nine medals was tops, too.
"Our team performed very well," said Deng Linlin, who took the title on balance beam. "It's perfect success."
And it might just be a preview for the next big gymnastics meet in London, the 2012 Olympics, which will be held at the very same O2 Arena.
Wang Guanyin won the gold on parallel bars, while Zou Kai added a world title to his Olympic gold medal on high bar.
Beth Tweddle gave the home crowd a thrill by winning gold on floor exercise, the second world title for Britain's most beloved gymnast. Marian Dragulescu of Romania won the vault, his second gold medal in as many days.
The Americans won just one medal yesterday, a bronze on balance beam by Ivana Hong. They leave with five, all by the women, including a gold-silver finish in the all-around.
China made no secret of wanting to win all the medals at the Beijing Games, and it came pretty darn close. The Chinese won both team titles, all but one of the men's events and one of the women's events.
But like most countries in the year after the Olympics, China is going through a transition. Though it brought three members of its Beijing women's team, only two of the men were here, with the rest newcomers. With no team competition at this world championships, China didn't even bother entering anyone in the men's all-around, preferring to see where their youngsters might fit best when 2012 qualifying begins next year.
Not that anyone noticed a difference.
Hong's medal capped off a tumultuous year. A member of the team that won the 2007 world title, she was hurt much of last year and didn't make the Beijing squad. She left her longtime coaches and actually took a few months off before moving to train with Valeri Liukin, who guided his daughter Nastia to the Olympic title.
"This just closes it up and made it that much more special," Hong said, glancing down at the big medal.

INDIVIDUAL EVENT FINALS

MEN

VAULT

1. Marian Dragulescu, Romania, 16.575

2. Flavius Koczi, Romania, 16.337.

3. Anton Golotsutskov, Russia, 16.287.

4. Matthias Fahrig, Germany, 15.850.

5. Thomas Bouhail, France, 15.775.

6. Isaac Botella Perez, Spain, 15.650.

6. Ri Se Gwang, North Korea, 15.650.

8. jeffrey Wammes, Netherlands, 15.425.

PARALLEL BARS

1. Wang Guanyin, China, 15.975.

2. Feng Zhe, China, 15.775.

3. Kazuhito Tanaka, Japan, 15.500.

4. Vasileios Tsolakidis, Greece, 15.350.

5. Yoo Won-chul, South Korea, 15.300.

6. Epke Zonderland, Netherlands, 15.125.

7. Pham Phuoc Hung, Vietnam, 14.475.

8. Adam Kierzkowski, Poland, 14.325.

HIGH BAR

1. Zou Kai, China, 16.150.

2. Epke Zonderland, Netherlands, 15.825.

3. Igor Cassina, Italy, 15.625.

4. Danell Leyva, Miami, 15.600.

5. Aljaz Pegan, Slovenia, 15.500.

6. Kohei Uchimura, Japan, 15.175.

7. Aleksandr Tsarevich, Belarus, 14.375.

8. Jonathan Horton, Houston, 13.250.

WOMEN

BALANCE BEAM

1. Deng Linlin, China, 15.000.

2. Lauren Mitchell, Australia, 14.875.

3. Ivana Hong, Allen, Texas, 14.550.

4. Kim Un-hyang, North Korea, 14.450.

5. Elisabetta Preziosa, Italy, 14.200.

6. Koko Tsurumi, Japan, 14.100.

7. Ana Porgras, Romania, 13.425.

8. Yang Yilin, China, 13.125.

FLOOR

1. Elizabeth Tweddle, Britain, 14.650.

2. Lauren Mitchell, Australia, 14.550.

3. Sui Lu, China, 14.300.

4. Anna Myzdrikova, Russia, 14.275.

5. Rebecca Bross, Plano, Texas, 14.125.

5. Ana Porgras, Romania, 14.125.

7. Deng Linlin, China, 13.875.

8. Jessica Gil Ortiz, Colombia, 2.975.