Paul Hamm wins first AA Gold for USA

Paul Hamm (USA)

Paul HAMM got the very first historical all-around gold medal for USA in artistic gymnastics worlds yesterday and the second medal in general after Kurt Thomas 1979 in Fort Worth.

Hamm scored 57,744, thats only a difference from 0.064 points to the second placed Chinese YANG, Wei, the Olympic silver medalist (Sydney 2000).

Bronze went to Hiroyuki TOMITA (JPN), because the best Japanese of preliminaries Tsukahara crashed on high bar.
Marian Dragulescu

YANG, Wei (CHN)

PAUL HAMM (USA) : WORLD CHAMPION
One more time, suspense until the last rotation
- by Vera Atkinson, FIG
The six-piece event in Men's gymnastics is akin to the decathlon in Athletics - it tests the full physical and mental capacities of the gymnasts, and only the strongest survive...
The Men's All-around event in Anaheim was a real fight between gymnasts from America (USA and Cuba), Asia (China, Japan and Kazakhstan) and Europe (Bulgaria, Russia, Romania, Ukraine). It was also a wonderful competition with an incredible climax, when the USA Champion Paul Hamm mounted the podium to perform on High Bar, needing 9.711 and scored 9.775 to produce an ecstatic respond from the audience.

Hiroyuki TOMITA (JPN)

The best gymnasts in the preliminaries, Japanese Naoya Tsukahara fell on his full twisting Kovach and it was all over !
The 2000 Olympic Silver medallist in the all-around, Yang Wei from China, who was on the top of the table from the third until the last rotation, dropped to second, loosing the Gold by 0.64.
The Bronze went to the Japanese Hiroyuki TOMITA, after his extraordinary Parallel Bars and High Bar (both awarded with 9.687). Yenar Yerimbetov from Kazakhstan, sitting in third position for the two last rotations managed 'only' 9.450 on Rings and missed the Bronze.
Europe lost the battle of the continents tonight :
Russia fell from the reckoning as both their men (Bondarenko and Podgorny) fell from High Bar, as did the top Bulgarian Jovchev. Marian Dragulescu, Romania, was the best European having managed the 6th place, followed by the Ukrainian Roman Zozulia - 9th.
The dream of the hosts has come true- an all-around champion from the USA !
By Vera Atkinson /FIG

RESULTS: Men's ALL-AROUND FINAL
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