11. April 2008  
Cottbus / Germany  
Artistic Gymnastics

WORLD CUP, Cottbus: MEN s Qualification rounds ...

DAY 1: Qualification, MEN
Mateo Angioletti (ITA)

MEN's World Cup Qualification Rounds

With 117 gymnasts from 41 countries, this year's FIG-World Cup tournament in Cottbus is manned excellently again. 
During the qualifications today in the Lausitz-Arena in Cottbus (Germany), a lot of gymnasts used the competition to find out about their position before the European Championships and the Olympic Games...
Two Chinese gymnasts gained the lead in the men's competitions:  Kai ZOU on floor and Xiaopeng LI on parallel bars. Daniel Keatings (GBR) is leading the competition on pommel horse, favorite Yuri van Gelder (NED) clearly dominated the rings and Leszek Blanik (POL) came in first on vault. And World Champion on high bar Fabian Hambüchen (GER) camed in first on high bar. 

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32. TOURNAMENT of MASTERS 2008
- WORLD CUP, Cat. B, * Artistic Gymnastics -
Cottbus / Germany, Lausitz-Arena - Friday, April 11 -
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* Q UA L I F I C A T I O N , MEN

There ain't much time until the European Championships and the routines should actually be ready concerning the contents or serve primarily to stabilise and improve the execution in order to get quite a high B-mark.
In the course of the competition we could see that everybody tried to include new difficult elements or connections into the routines, what still happened at the expense of the execution at this point of time. For the Olympic Games, this is certainly not the right way...
In general, the level in the finals will be excellent. But since countries like Japan, France and Australien (Rizzo, Sellathurai) are not participating although they are actually regulars here, the quality is not as high as usual, also due to the fact that  Russia send only junior gymnasts, who did a good job, however. 


* QUALIFICATION-  F L O O R   E X E R C I S E S
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On floor, 37 gymnasts performed in front of the jury. Generally, there was a high amount of falls and bad technical solutions but of course also a lot of very good performances. It is remarkable that there are hardly any gymnasts who performed a simpler final element than a D-element. Almost all of them do two combined rows, where 11/2 twist backwards -1/1 twist forwards and 11/2 twist fw. or 11/2 Salto fw to roll off are almost standard. Besides the combined rows, a lot of gymnasts try to perform - more or less successfully - 2-3 single jumps of high value. These are for example double twist straight and crunched, Tsukahara straight with  1/1 and 2/1 turn, Thomas to roll off or twist with 3/1 turn.
Fabian Hambüchen (GER) qualified for the final with a fair routine, coming in second. Remarkable was Chinese Zou, Kai. He was impressive concerning difficulty and execution and belongs to the closer circle of favorites. Tomas Gonzales' (CHI) performance was remarkable as well: With a tempo somersault - 3/1 twist back followed by 11/2 somersault fw into push-up he showed a spectacular row and was rewarded with a place in the final.

* RESULS - floor

1. Zou, Kai                       (CHN) - 15.600
2. Hambüchen, Fabian (GER) - 15.525
3. Gonzales, Tomas      (CHI) - 15.425
4. Yakubvskyi, Oleksandr (UKR) - 15.375
5. Bogonosiuk Jevgenii    (UKR) - 15.150
6. Palgen, Sascha             (LUX) - 15.125
7. Gafuik, Nathan              (CAN) - 15.125
8. Ude, Filip                        (CRO) - 14.925
>> detailed results

>> Startlist FINAL
* QUALIFICATION- P O M M E L   H O R S E
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The largest starting field of the whole qualification: 49 gymnasts competed to participate in the finals. A similar impression as on floor. As for the content and the execution, the exercises are very good, but there are a lot of falls or other breaks in the routines. Last year's finalist  A. Fokin (UZB) opened the qualification with a very neat performance. But obviously the A-mark was too low with 5,9 in order to reach the final again. D. Keatings (GBR) managed to get into the final and left even K. Berki (HUN) on the second position. The multiple medal-winner in international competitions had smaller difficulties but could compensate them with a high A-mark of  6,7. The young Russian R. Nigmadzyanov showed a remarkable performance, too. He came in eigth with a difficult routine, which he presented quite dynamically. Other favorites will be spectators tomorrow.  
Moving cross fw and bw, Russenwendeschwünge in diverse support positions, flops and  Wu Guonian are the elements which make up the basis of most routines. There are hardly any gymnasts who try a turn 1/1 on one pommel or a Stöckli converse 360° on one pommel. The different versions of Thomas-circling, beloved among the public, were rare, too. 
From the German point of view, the horse qualification was not successful. Robert Juckel had no break-up but an A-mark of 5,9 and smaller insecurities, which made him miss the final in the end.

Robert Seligmann (CRO)

* RESULTS - Pommel Horse

1. Keatings, Daniel    (GBR) - 15.800
2. Berki, Krisztian     (HUN) - 15.800
3. Seligman, Robert (CRO) - 15.525
4. Smith, Louis                     (GBR) - 15.350
5. Tsarevich, Aliaksandr    (BLR) - 15.325
6. Truyens, Donna-Donny (BEL) - 15.125
7. Kyksenkov, Mykola         (UKR) - 15.075
8. Nigmadzyanov, Ruslan (RUS) - 15.050
 >> detailed results

>> Startlist FINAL


* QUALIFICATION- S T I L L   R I N G S
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Gymnastics on rings has become more versatile again. The routines do not consists just in series of strength elements anymore. All gymnasts try to connect more or less top-class strength elements with swing elements. We saw  Jonasson - Yamawaki quite often, followed by Honmastemming or Stemming in a power support. Among others, Ruslan Nigmadzyanow (RUS) and Oleksandr Vorobyov (UKR)  did this synthesis well and reached the final. Some of the gymnasts with a lot of potential in strength do have problems to combine the swing elements with the necessary technical perfection.
Yuri van Gelder (NED) impressed with power combinations but also showed an improved swing combination. A- mark 6,8 - he has once shown more but if he wants to defeat American Kevin Tan tomorrow he maybe has to risk a little more. 
On rings as well, the German participants Thomas Taranu and Robert Weber did not have the qualities yet to seriously get involved into the run for the finals.

* RESULTS - Still Rings

1. Van Gelder, Yuri        (NED) - 16,050
2. Tan, Kevin                  (USA) - 16,025
3. Kurbabayev, Timur   (KAZ) - 15,775
4. Angioletti, Mateo               (ITA) - 15,675
5. Giogallas, irodotos          (CYP) - 15,325
6. Nigmadzyanov, Ruslan  (RUS) - 15,300
7. Vorobyov, Oleksandr     (UKR) - 15,250
8. Botella Issac                    (ESP) - 15,075
>> detailed results

>> Startlist FINAL
* QUALIFICATION-  V A U L T   
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The Germans did a good job in the wake of the second part of the qualification. Fabian Hambüchen reached the final safely with two very good vaults. Marcel Nguyen achieved this as well with a top flashover double somersault into a safe stand and a straight Kasamatsu with 3/2 turns. He landed seated after his second vault, but the 6,6 basic score twice ensured his place in the final. World Champion on vault Leszek Blanik (POL) showed two vaults of the highest category and reached the final unchallengedly with the highest score. Andriy Isayev (UKR) presented two top-class vaults in a neat execution as well and therewith belongs to the favorites. With a high basic score small mistakes in the accomplishment are easily compensated so that two top-class vaults are half the way to the final.

Luis Rivera (PUR)

* RESULTS - Vault

1. Blanik, Leszek                    (POL) - 16.337
2. Isayev, Andriy                    (UKR) - 16.062
3. Yakubovskyi, Oleksandr  (UKR) - 15.950
4. Rivera, Luis                 (PUR) - 15.912
5. Hambüchen, Fabian  (GER) - 15.900
6. Gonzales, Tomas       (CHI) - 15.700
7. Yerimbetov, Yernar    (KAZ) - 15.675
8. Nguyen, Marcel          (GER) - 15.637
>> detailed results

>> Startlist FINAL

* QUALIFICATION-  P A R A L L E L   B A R S     
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Not all favorites saved their bacon on parallel bars either. Again, it was the third of the last WORLDS on this apparatus, Anton Fokin (UZB), who had to say goodbye to his chances after a mistake. By far the best exercise was shown by Chinese Li Xiaopeng. With circle into the handstand, circle 1/1 into the handstand, Tippelt and four more flight elements he left all the others behind. Fabian Hambüchen showed an excellent routine as well, especially concerning the execution; he qualified second for the final.

Marcel Nguyen (GER) was unlucky. Instead of the Tsukahara-finish he showed a recently included crunched Belle. Unfortunately, exactly the new element failed. But there is some time left until the Olympics and a routine with a crunched Belle and Tsukahara will lead him directly to the international top-class. 
Almost every gymnast included the several versions of circles. There are more and more Belles in the exercises. V. Tsolakidis continued Greek traditions. He showed Diamidow 1/2 and Diamidow out of hanging on the upper arms and reached the final, too. The one-sided finishes have not changed, though. There are hardly any gymnasts who try anything else than a double somersault bw crunched. 

* RESULTS - Parallel Bars

1. Li, Xiaopeng                   (CHN) - 16.500
2. Hambüchen, Fabian     (GER) - 15.950
3. Tsarevich, Aliaksandr  (BLR) - 15.600
4. Tsolakidis, Vasileios  (GRE) - 15.525
5. Piasecky, Samuel       (SVK) - 15.475
6. Petkovsek, Mitja          (SLO) - 15.400
7. Kierzkowski, Adam     (POL) - 15.325
8. Tan, Kevin                    (USA) - 15.225
>> detailed results

>> Startlist FINAL


* QUALIFICATION-  H I G H    B A R     
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Two participations in the finals for German gymnasts again: Fabian HambüchenReck ensured his place in the final on high bar with an accurately peformend routine and the highest score. Robert Weber performed well, too, and came in sixth for the final.
As before, the routines are dominated by turns around the axis in several ways. A lot of gymnasts received lower B-marks due to insufficient end lays after the turns. The two Chinesen were closest to Fabian Hambüchen with their performances. Li Xiaopeng showed two interesting flight versions. First, Adlerschwung 1/1 with Markelow instantly and Adlerschwung 1/2 with instant Tkatchew. These combinations were rare. Vlasios Maras (GRE) will be there in the final again, but we have seen him in better routines already. 
In general, there were quite a lot of instabilities on high bar as well at this point of time. Still, the gymnasts who reached the finals ensure a high-level competition on Sunday.


Fabian Hambuechen (GER)

* RESULTS - High Bar

1. Hambüchen, Fabian (GER) - 16.075
2. Li, Xiaopeng               (CHN) - 15.925
3. Zou, Kai                       (CHN) - 15.825
4. Kyksenkov, Mykola (UKR) - 15.300
5. Kuzmin, Timur          (RUS) - 15.075
6. Weber, Robert          (GER) - 15.000
7. Maras, Vlasios         (GRE) - 14.975
8. Konecny, Martin       (CZE) - 14.875
>> detailed results

>> Startlist FINAL