COMPETITION II: All-around Final MEN  / Männer

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  A-GROUP  (qualified 1 - 16)   Results

Ivan Ivankov (BLR) is without doubt the 1 favourite for the title. 

The favourite...

Ivan Ivankov.. 

The two time world champion has so far dominated this competition. Americans Paul Hamm and Sean Towsend are perhaps closet to him. Eric Lopez surprised the world by qualifying in second place. The Cuban is largely unknown and has only a small weakness on floor. Other candidates for a medal are Yang Tae-Young (KOR) and Jordan Jovchev (BUL). Russian Alexei Bondarenko can longer be considered a favourite after his disastrous performances so far. The same applies to Romanian Marian Dragulescu who does not seem trained to peak at these championships. 

... but than came
"little big man"

Stephan Zapf (GER) has moved into this final for Latvian Yevgeni Sapronenko (LAT). Christoph Schärer (SUI) is susbsitute for injured Korean Kim Dong-Hwa.

Rotation 1:

zapf_VA_GER.jpg (21549 Byte)

<<< Stephan Zapf (GER) is annoyed at himself for messing up on vault right in the beginning. He lands his handspring-double front so low that he has to take a few steps back and scores only 9,125. 
Yang Tae-Young can almost kiss his medal hopes good bye after a fall from pommel horse. 
Top favourite Ivan Ivankov (BLR) doesn’t get off to a flying start either, only managing a 9,0 on floor. 
Abel Drigg (CUB) has the best start with a 9,425 for hsi Tsukahara  with 2 ½ twists on vault. 
Jordan Jovchev (BUL) fights pommel horse and ends up with 8,837. 

Marian Dragulescu (ROM) can be happy with his rings routine – 9,175. 
Fedorchenko’s successor Yernar Yerimbetov (KAZ) takes the laed after a 9,587 on vault but loses it after a flawless and dynamic floor routine by American Sean Towsend (9,687). 
Alexei Bondarenko (RUS) can’t get any momentum going at these championships. He gets on the pommel horse and immediately off again. 
Paul Hamm is the last gymnast of the first rotation and nails his Arabian double front and double layout on floor for a 9,425.

Current standings: 6. Zapf GER 9,150

1.

Yerimbetov KAZ 9,587

2.

Drigg CUB 9,424

3.

Hamm USA 9,425
 






 

 

 

 



























Rotation 2:

Jordan Jovchev
is his own world power on rings. A deserved 9.787 for his powerful routine. 
A full-twisting Kasamatsu (9,4) puts Steve McCain in first place. 
Marian Dragulescu (ROM) takes a small step on his handspring-double front with ba ½ twist. 
Two Russians characterise Sean Townsend’s pommel horse routine, but his poor form will cost him valuable tenths. 
Yerimbetov (KAZ) puts in another brilliant routine on bars. He takes the lead with 9,387. 
Zapf is solid on bars with a double front between the rails as a highlight. 
Hamm dances between around the pommels without the slightest problem to a 9,312. 
Bondarenko fights his way to 9,15 on rings. 
Ivan Ivankov (BLR) throws everything away by messing upon his handstand dismount at the end of a lovely routine (8,825).

hamm_PH_USA.jpg (29262 Byte)
Paul Hamm

Current standings: 13. Zapf GER 17,787

1.

Yerimbetov KAZ 18,974

2.

Dragulescu ROM 18,937

3.

Hamm USA 18,737

Rotation 3:
dragulescu_PB_ROM.jpg (23560 Byte) Abel Drigg (CUB) messes up his high bar routine and is out of the first third of the ranking list. 
Alexei Bondarenko (RUS) is able to come up with a Tsukahara double pike (10 SV) on vault but puts his hands down. 

<<< Dragulescu (ROM) collapses to one rail on bars and later falls again. Meanwhile, Yerimbetov (KAZ) goes for security on high bar (9,35). 
Sean Towsend (USA) scores an impressive 9,437 on rings. 
His team mate Paul Hamm shows two linked Guzoghys. 
Stephan Zapf (GER) stays clean on high bar with a Kovacs and a double twisting double dismount but can only score 8,712 due to lack of difficulty. 
Feng Jing (CHN) moves up the ranks with a demonstration of Chinese artistry on bars (9,612). 
Ivan Ivankov (BLR) finally finds back to his old strength on rings with a 9,612. 

Jordan Jovchev (BUL) is very lucky to score a 9,337 for a crooked Tsukahara with two twists on vault.  Eric Lopez (CUB) is even a bit better than Ivankov on rings. 
McCain (USA) loses ground with a mediocre performance on bars.

Current standings: 14. Zapf GER 26,499

1.

Yerimbetov KAZ 28,324

2.

Hamm USA 28,099

3.

Feng CHN 28,037

Rotation 4:
Yerimbetov (KAZ) opens on floor with a double double, he has small problems sticking his 2 ½ twist. He can’t pull anything spectacular in his final tumble (8,937). 
Bondarenko (RUS) falls from bars – no longer a surprise. 
Paul Hamm (USA) nails a textbook Tsukahara with two twists (9,337). 
Stephan Zapf (GER) performs very well on floor for his standard, ending with a double salto (9,025). 
Feng Jing (CHN) has no breaks on his high bar routine and is looking to be in contention for a medal all of a sudden after a 9,462. 
Ivankov (BLR) vaults himself to a 9,4 with a Tsukahara with a double twist. 
Jordan Jovchev (BUL) stays in the running with a solid routine on bars highlighted by two double saltos (9,15). 
Dragulescu is magic on high bar with spectacular releases. 
Townsend scores 9,387 for a handspring – doiuble front. 
Feng Jing (CHN) is the surprising leader after this rotation.

yang_PB_KOR.jpg (26224 Byte)
Yang, Tae-Young (KOR)

Current standings: 13. Zapf GER 35,524

1.

Feng CHN 37,499

2.

Hamm USA 37,436

3.

Towsend USA 37,373

Rotation 5:
Zapf (GER) only has a samll break on his dismount through handstand (9,025). 
Feng Jing flies across the mat seemlingly effortlessly and lands at 9,237. 
ivankov_PB2_BLR.jpg (29505 Byte) <<< Ivan Ivankov (BLR) does some catching up with the best rotuine on bars so far (9,687). 

At the same time, Jovchev positions himself well for the final rotation and his speciality floor with a 9,287 on high bar. 
Dan Potra (ROM) shows a dream of a routine on pommel horse (9,5). 
Marian Dragulescu throws a huige amount of diffculty on floor, including a 1 ½ punch front and double double (9,637). 
Despite a step on his landing on bars Sean Townsend (USA) scores a 9,65 to enter the final rotation as leader. 
Yerimbetov (KAZ) creeps back up the rankings with a 9,2. 
Bondarenko falls again, this time from high bar. The former European champion is now last! 
Paul Hamm moves into thrid place with a stable routine on bars (9,112). 
Current standings: 13. Zapf GER 44,549

1.

Towsend USA 47,023

2.

Feng CHN 46,786

3.

Hamm USA 46,548

Rotation 6:

Jovchev’s final routine is spectacular, powerful and precise (9,687). He takes the lead with 56,085 points.
Eric Lopez (CUB) has a few small mistakes in his unusual high bar routine (9,237).
He is overtaken by Dan Potra (ROM) who clocks 9,5 for a strong rings routine.
McCain (USA) has a disaster on pommels, after a fall he labours through to a 7,187.
Dragulescu (ROM) flies to a 9,55 and current second place.
Sean Townsend (USA) sucumbs to his nerves on high bar, missing his Kovacs twice. The audience cheers his triple flyaway put Sean’s face tells the true story.
Bondarenko finally struts his stuff on floor. His elegant style takes it to 9,675.
Yerimbetov gives away a medal with a 8,15 on rings.
Hamm goes down on a full-twisting Kovacs – Amerika mourns. Hamm catches his other releases, but no medal.
Zapf receives a 9,237 for rings routine with a few wobbles and makes up for his disappointing showing in prelims.

jovtchev_FX_BUL.jpg (30530 Byte)
Jordan Jovtchev

feng_PH_CHN.jpg (29527 Byte)
Feng Jing

The gold will be decided between Ivankov on high bar and Feng Jing on pommel horse.
The Chinese is incredibly sure on pommel horse. His legs open a little on his Russians but he regains composure immediately. He takes away a generous 9,425. Will it be enough?
Ivankov earns a huge ovation for a piked Kovacs. He catches his second Kovacs very close to the bar, resulting in a break. He almost has to restart. He totally nails his double double dismount and thrusts his arms in the air.
Another huge ovation rocks the arena. Ivankov thinks he’s won it. The scoreboard confirms it: 9,6 and second place ahead of Bulgaria’s Jovchev. The audience boos and whistles, a lot of people leave the arena prior to the victory ceremony demonstrating their anger with thei unfair gesture.

Conclusion:
18-year-old Feng Jing. In an exciting, sometimes even dramatic comeptition, he kept his cool and made no mistakes. Crowd favourite Ivan Ivankov, however, obviously coudln’t cope with the pressure and threw the gold away on pommel horse. Jordan Jovchev must have bluffed in prelims, otherwise he wouldn’t have scored 1,6 points more today. The Americans’ fall is dramatic. Coming into the competition as co-favourites, they lost it in the crucial moment on high bar.

Yernar Yerimbetov was the surprise of the competition. The young Kazakh made it all the way to sixth place.

Current standings: 16. Zapf GER 53,786 19. Kwiatkowski 53,161

1.

Feng CHN 56,211

2.

Ivankov BLR 56,124

3.

Yovtchev BUL 56,085

>> back to B-GROUP  (qualified 17 - 32)  

(Report: Reinhard Linder; Translations: Nora Schuler;
Photos: Don Johnson,
Web editors: Eckhard Herholz/Sonja SchmeisserGermany)

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