The long womens qualification day in London's O2-Arena ends with a surprisingly success of the US gymnast Rebecca BROSS.
She leads with a score of 57,400 in front of the Rumanian Ana PORGRAS (57,300), followed by the strong Australien Lauren MITCHELL with 56,675 points.
The women's all-around final of the best 24 gymnasts will held Friday, October 16.
Fabian Hambuechen, a favorite for the men's all-around title at the 41st World Championships in London, is out of these Worlds after rupturing a ligament in his left foot.
The German said to the international press at Monday's press conference, that he doesn't need surgery and should be able to resume full training in six weeks. He injured his left ankle during training on floor exercise Sunday, his last event of the day.
The young Swabian debutant, Sebastian Krimmer, who was originally scheduled to only compete in pommel horse, will add parallel bars. Germany already had another all-arounder, Marcel Nguyen
The loss of Hambuechen, the 2007 silver medalist, leaves Olympic silver medalist Kohei Uchimura and Jonathan Horton as the leading contenders for the men's gold.
So Hambuechen cannot participate at the lucrative Championstrophy this month in Hanover (GER) and will also fail at the Swiss Cup in Zurich, Switzerland.
Since the start in 1934, now in 2009 the women have their 32nd artistic gymnastics World Championships. Titles will be handed out in the all-around and in the event finals. Like also in the men's field, no team competition will take place.
The 147 participating gymnasts come from 55 nations.
It is good to see that 63% of them, 97 gymnasts, will show a full all-around...
Sunday's Podium training...
*fig --: A true shocker happened to the German delegation at the Sunday's podium training:
2007 World Silver medallist and current European Champion on All Around Fabian HAMBUECHEN (GER) twisted his ankle when practicing a 2½ twisting somersault on Floor.
The last piece of apparatus he was working at today’s podium training. He was taken to hospital. At this point in time no predictions on the severeness of the injury or Hambuechen’s participation in the competition could be made.
The Women's Artistic Gymnastics community elected the Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin (USA) as a member of the FIG Athletes' Commission.
The election took place in the London O2 (GBR) at the occasion of the 41st World Championships.
<< Nastia Liukin (- on the left photo second from left) who will turn 20 on October 30th declared to be a proud and active representative of the Women's Artistic community, bringing her experience and enthusiasm to the development of the discipline.
The 41st artistic gymnastics World Championships will take place in the O2 Millennium Arena in London - which also is the venue of the gymnastics competitions at theOlympic Games 2012 - from October 13th to 18th 2009. More than 400 athletes from 68 nations take part in the event.
During these individual World Championships decisions will be made in the all-around as well as in the apparatus finals (- no team competition).
In the men's field alone 252 gymnasts from 67 countries are expected to compete. However, only 30% of the athletes (77) will show a full all-around...
At the first day of these Worlds altogether 250 gymnasts, representing 69 nations are fighting in three subdivisions for the all-around qualification (AA final at Thursday) , but also for the finals at all the six apparatuses at the upcoming weekend in the O2 arena in London.
After subdivision I subdivision with the hopeful young British Daniel KEATINGS, from USA national Vice-champion Timothy MCNEILL, the Japanese Kazuhito TANAKA lead one of the favourite Maxim DEVIATOVSKI (RUS), but after the third round Kohei UCHIMURA from Japan took the lead...