14. August 2004  
Olympic City Athens  
Artistic Gymnastics

Men s Team Qualification: Japan as best Nation!

Florent Maree of the French team did not qualify...

Japan’s gymnasts assumed the leadership after the third round of the last group and turned out to be the best gymnastic nation with 232.134 points in the preliminary competition. The team from USA with 230.419 points as well as Romania (230.019) followed on the ranks.
Besides China (4th), Ukraine (5th), Russia (6th) and Korea (7th.), the German gymnasts qualified as eighth for the team final on Monday with an enormous gladiatorial performance...

Urzica: 9.812
- the top score on pommel horse in the first group

1st day: Men's Team Qualification
- Olympic Hall, Athens, 14-Aug-2004 -

12.30 h: 1st Subdivision: (... local time)
FRANCE, ROMANIA, ITALY, CANADA, and the individual gymnasts:
YANEV Filip BUL; GIRALDO Jorge Hugo COL; DRIGGS SANTOS Abel CUB; LOPEZ RIOS Eric CUB; MARAS Vlasios GRE. >> Startlist

 Report:--- The Romanian pommel horse specialist Marius Urzica had a clinking start with 9.812 points which was the highest score of the first rotation; his colleague Dan Potra, however, got stuck shortly before the dismount and managed only 9.300 points out of his start value of 9.9.
> Italy is a super power on rings: Matteo Morandi impressed with 9.725 and the long -lasting champion Juri Chechi caught up with 9.762....

As expected there were strong performances on floor by Kyle Shefelt (CAN) with 9.737 and by the Bulgarian Jordan Jowtschew with 9.700 points. On vaulting table Marian Dragulescu dominated: With his first vault - his 'Dragulescu', a double somersault fwd with half turn, he scored a 9.762 and with his second vault (Tsukahara with two and a half turns) he scored a 9.687.
....And Vice-World Champion on high bar Igor Cassina baffled the spectators on high bar with three magnificent Korvac variants: stretched, stretched with full turn, piked with full turn: 9.775! That was a routine for the upcoming apparatus final! His compatriots, however, foozled on this apparatus...!
On rings the expected duel of masters took place, furthermore, both started in the same squad:
First, Jordan Jowtschew presented splendidly performed strength combinations and matched Urzica’s top score - 9.812. Then Dimosthenis Tambakos followed. The Greek, who only enters the competition on this apparatus, did not present his strength elements as confident as the Bulgarian, however, both audience and presumably also the judges were on his side. He received the top score of this group: 9.850 points... after silver in Sydney he is definitely aiming for gold here at home!
Even though on parallel bars we should wait for the best gymnasts from Korea, China and Japan who will perform in the evening ...Yann Cucherat (FRA) performed already a first highlight and is hoping for a place in the final (9.750).
The former World Champion on high bar, Vlavios Maras, was much acclaimed by the native audience for his excellent giant technique, with both or only one arm, a Gaylord-somersault as flight element in between and a securely landed stretched double Tsukahara (9.725 - with exactly the identical score he became World Champion in Debrecen 2002)...

For a first group there was an enormous level of scores. Hopefully, the differentiation in the following groups will not suffer and the athletes will not be at a disadvantage.

Team Result of the 1st group:
1. ROM 230,190
2. FRA 226,231
3. CAN 221,905
4. ITA 221,431
16.30 h: 2nd subdividion: (... local time)

RUSSIA, SPAIN, USA, and the individual gymnasts
SCHWEIZER Andreas SUI; SCHAERER Christoph SUI; RIZZO Philippe AUS; BEZUGO Filipe POR; VIHROVS Igors LAT; RODRIGUES Mosiah BRA; ALEXANDERSSON Runar ISL; NG Shu Wai MAS; GOFMAN Pavel ISR; VARGAS Luis PUR; YERIMBETOV Yernar KAZ. >> Startlist

REPORT: --- The U.S. had a focused start on parallel bars. Hamm, McClure, Gatson, all scored between 9.6 and 9.762 (Hamm) and in Fern duel with the Romanians their 38.836 points was the absolute top score ahead of Romania (38.474) after the first apparatus.
Russia without Krukov, Podgorni, Nemov only on four apparatus, so that the all-around burden completely lay on the shoulders of Alexei Bondarenko. On floor he started with 9.662, his all-around dreams were at risk, however, when he fell of the pommel horse ...

And then the sensation: A world novelty!!
The North Korean Ri, Jong Son indeed celebrated in his first acrobatic series as first gymnast in the world a triple Tsukahara, that is a double somersault with no less than three (!) integrated turns. He was supported by the fantastic new construction of the carpet 'Appollo', that has unique qualities according to the athletes!
On high bar Alexei Nemov eluded the audience with his 6 flight elements including 3 Tkatchevs plus a Gienger salto in direct combination, and he performed a more difficult dismount than usual: stretched Tsukahara with double turn.

World Champion Paul Hamm - the best all-rounder...

At the end of this group the specialist on high bar Maras is only fifth as well as Andreas Schweizer on rings. And Nemov, too, can not be certain to reach the final despite his fourth place so far with 9.737. For there are still strong athletes to come in the third group. Christoph Schärer (SUI) received only 9.650 and has no chance to qualify for the final on high bar...
It does not surprise that the Kazak Jernar Jerimbetov holds his ground as third (57.427) at the moment - behind the all-around best, World Champion Paul Hamm (58.061) and Dragulescu (57.436) and ahead of Suciu, Bondarenko and the Israeli Gofman.... Andreas Schweizer mit 55,436 liegt ca. noch auf Rang 16....
With about 2 tenth the U.S. boys dishearten the Romanians with a cohesive balanced team performance and go in the lead before the last group:

Result of the team preliminaries after the 2nd group:
1. USA 230,419
2. ROM 230,190
3. RUS 227,180
4. FRA 226,231
5. ESP 223,295
6. CAN 221,905
7. ITA 221,431

Hiroyuki Tomita the best gymnast of the best team

20.30 h: 3rd subdivision: (... starting at 19.30 h MESZ)

KOREA, GERMANY, JAPAN, CHINA, UKRAINE, and the individual gymnasts
IVANKOV Ivan BLR; SAVENKOV Denis BLR; GIORGADZE Ilia GEO; BOUALLEGUE Wajdi TUN >> Startlist

REPORT: --- Everything started as expected. The Chinese were in the lead with a tiny competitive edge ahead of Japan after the second apparatus, as well as ahead of USA, Romania and Ukraine.
Then however, the Chinese did not meet the expectations, especially in terms of stability; even their World Champion on pommel horse performed brilliantly - but then he fell off the apparatus shortly before the end of his routine. Due to a high number of instabilities and tiny mistakes they even dropped back to rank 4 at the end.... that can be changed on the day of the team final on the day after tomorrow!
As in the previous days reported and as title aspirant prognosed, the Japanese transferred their high technical potential into stable performances and were the most cohesive team on this day.
And also the gymnasts from Ukraine with their best gymnast Roman Zozulia managed to stand their ground ahead of the Russians and the Koreans on rank 5.
The German team, that entered the competition with a promise to their injured team-mate Ronny Ziesmer, made good use of all their potential and indeed managed to reach place 8 and thus the hoped for team final. It was known that youngster Fabian Hambüchen is a strong all-rounder. However, it is a fantastic result that he will perform in the all-around final as 21st gymnast at his Olympic debut.
If Fabian Hambüchen even qualified for the high bar final with his 9.737 points, can not be said at the moment. There are many gymnasts with similar scores and there is not sufficient differentiation in the upper field...!

Japan: Bronze at the WCh 2003, and this time....?

Result of the team preliminary competition after the 3rd group:
- Final Result of the Teams’ Qualification -
1. JPN 232,134
2. USA 230,419
3. ROM 230,190
4. CHN 229,507
5. UKR 228,382
6. RUS 227,180
7. KOR 227,970 (they filed a protest!)
8. GER 226,980
*************************************
9. FRA 226,231
10. ESP 223,295
11. CAN 221,905
12. ITA 221,431

... the best All-rounders:
1. Paul Hamm (USA) 58,061
2. Yang, Tae-Young (KOR) 57,924
3. Hiroyuki Tomita (JPN) 57,649
4. Marian Dragulescu (ROM) 57,436
5. Jernar Yerimbetov (KAZ) 57,427
6. Ioan Suciu (ROM) 57,398
7. Yang, Wei (CHN) 57,374
8. Roman Zozulia (UKR) 57,273

>> ... detailed results, including the qualifications for the finals.

Translation: Florian Schmid-Sorg