28. November 2004  
Stuttgart/ GER  
Artistic Gymnastics

DTB-Cup Stuttgart: 2 victories for Hambüchen

Fabian Hambüchen (GER) with victories on high-bar and floor

The International DTB-Cup in Stuttgart has ended. On the 2nd finales' day the men presented their finales on floor, parallel bars and high bar and the women competed on beam and vault.
The fist victory of the day went to Mitja Petkovsek from Slovenia who won the parallel bars final which overall took place on a very high level of performance. Alexandra Eremia secured herself the victory in the beam finale with a very difficult routine. The tension in the venue was incredible and the crowd was thrilled during the high-bar finale where Fabian Hambüchen ended up as the winner! He then also reached the 1st position in the floor finale. The victory on vault went to Anna Pavlova (RUS).

Fans celebrating in the venue Schleyer-Halle

Results men’s parallel bars finale

1. Mitja Petkovsek SLO 9.712 (SV 10.00)
1. Yann Cucherat FRA 9.712 (SV 10.00)
3. Valeri Goncharov UKR 9.650 (SV 10.00)
4. Alexander Artemev USA 9.600 (SV 10.00)
5. Fabian Hambüchen GER 9.550 (SV 9.9)
6. Marius Urzica ROM 9.400 (SV 10.00)

Winners Final
1. Mitja Petkovsek SLO 9.825
2. Yann Cucherat FRA 9.775

Report men’s parallel bars finale

Valeri Goncharov (UKR) started off this finale with s strong performance, Belle, double somersault bw. piked dismount, unfortunately slight problems during one handstand- turn;
Alexander Artemev (USA) presented a beautiful routine with double somersault piked during the routine and as dismount and an interesting one-armed 2/1-turn;
Yann Cucherat (FRA), the gymnast from France showed a perfect and elegant routine on a very high technical level, dismount double somersault bw. piked;

Mitja Petkovsek (SLO)

Marius Urzica (ROM) with Belle and somersault – 1/1 twist, unfortunately he had to secure the dismount with his hands…;
Fabian Hambüchen (GER) with a very good routine full of variations; Belle, double somersault bw. piked dismount;
Mitja Petkovsek (SLO), a perfect routine!, beautiful and high flight elements over the bars, double somersault piked during the routine, straddled somersault, double somersault bw. piked dismount,

Winners Final
Both Yann Cucherat and Mitja Petkovsek managed to repeat their good performances. In the end the deserved victory went to Slovenia.

The beam victory ceremony with Ezhova and Eremia

Results women’s beam finale

1. Alexandra Eremia ROM 9.637 (SV 10.00)
2. Ludmila Ezhova RUS 9.525 (SV 10.00)
3. Suzanne Harmes NED 9.262 (SV 9,8)
4. Jana Sikulova CZE 9.112 (SV 9.8)
5. Anna Pavlova RUS 9.037 (SV 9.7)
6. Lisa Brüggemann GER 8.900 (SV 9.5)

Winners Final
1. Alexandra Eremia ROM 9.575
2. Ludmila Ezhova RUS 9.550

Report women’s beam finale

Ludmila Ezhova (RUS) started this finale with a beautiful and difficult routine including layout stepout bw. 1/2 turn – front aerial – sidewards somersault; layout stepout bw. 1/1 turn; dismount RO- 2 1/2 twists of which she stuck the landing;
Jana Sikulova (CZE) followed with a few problems in her acrobatic elements and a few interruptions in the routine;
Alexandra Eremia (ROM) with a very difficult routine; front aerial – Menicelly – layout stepout bw.; dismount Menicelly – ff – triple twist (of which she didn’t finish the rotation completely);
Lisa Brüggemann (GER) with a solid performance without major mistakes, slight problems during a few elements, with her start value of 9.5 she couldn’t get over the 6th rank in this finale;
Anna Pavlova (RUS) with slight insecurities on a front aerial; a beautiful triple twist dismount;
Suzanne Harmes (NED) was the last competitor in this finale and ended it with a good performance including sidewards somersault and a triple twist dismount;

Winners Final
Eremia and Ezhova with another 2 good routines. Eremia, however, again with slight problems to finish the rotation of her triple twist dismount. In the end the victory narrowly went to Romania.
Results men’s high-bar finale

1. Fabian Hambüchen GER 9.787 (SV 10.00)
2. Alexander Jeltkov CAN 9.737 (SV 10.00)
3. Kensuke Murata JPN 9.737 (SV 10.00)
4. Jani Tanskanen FIN 9.637 (SV 10.00)
5. Takuya Nakase JPN 9.575 (SV 10.00)
6. Aljaz Pegan SLO 9.375 (SV 9.700)
7. Philippe Rizzo AUS 8.525 (SV 9.400)

Winners Final
1. Fabian Hambüchen GER 9.025
2. Alexander Jeltkov CAN 7.825

Alexander Jeltkov - second place in an exciting finale

Report men’s high-bar finale

The mood in the venue was good during the whole weekend but it was even rising during the high-bar finale in which Fabian Hambüchen had good chances on a top position…

Jani Tanskanen (FIN) started with an interesting routine, nice turns and grip variations ;
Takuya Nakase (JAP) prestented a good routine but had to secure his dismount with one large step;
Philippe Rizzo (AUS), Australia’s high-bar specialist tried the difficult Def …and fell;
Alexander Jeltkov (CAN), the elegant gymnast from Canada showed a perfect routine; laoyut Kovacs, giant with jumped 1/1 turn; double-double dismount;
Aljaz Pegan (SLO) with a fireworks of flight elements; 2 times Tkatchev, Gienger and his “Pegan”, dismount triple somersault; the audience is not happy about his score…(SV 9.7/ final score 9.375);

Fabian Hambüchen with a great performance on high-bar

Fabian Hambüchen (GER), started his routine with loud cheers of the audience in the background and presented a perfect routine; straddled Tkatchev, piked Tkatchev, Gienger, dismount layout full-in – and he reached the winners final!
Kensuke Murata (JAP) ended this finale with another very good performance and a double-double dismount; due to the FIG’s “tie-break rule” he didn’t reach the winners final;

Winners Final
Your could feel the tension in the venue rising before this winners finale! Jeltkov started ...and fell on his layout Kovacs! Thinking that he’d lost all chances on the victory he then left out almost everything of his routine and only performed a double somersault dismount. Hambüchen followed with all chances to win this finale ...but also he fell on his piked Tkatchev! However, he then continued with a good routine, although he left out the Gienger and straddled Tkatchev, but nonetheless the content of his routine clearly was enough to win this finale.

Lisa Brüggemann on the 5th place
in the vault finale

Results women's vault finale

1. Anna Pavlova RUS 9.381
2. Elena Zamolodchikova RUS 9.343
3. Lais Souza BRA 9.218
4. Annamari Maaranen FIN 8.706
5. Lisa Brüggemann GER 8.663
6. Sandra Mayer AUT 8.631

Winners Final
1. Anna Pavlova RUS 9.387
2. Elena Zamolodchikova RUS 9.074

Report women’s vault finale

Top performances were missing a bit during the last finale in the women’s field at this year’s DTB-Cup. Only Anna Pavlova presented a really convincing performance. Impressive also the start of the young Brazilian Lais Souza who certainly has her chances on a successful future.

Sandra Mayer AUT
1. HS– somersault fw. tucked 1/2 turn (SV 9.4/ score 8.975),
2. RO – 1/2 turn – somersault fw. tucked (SV 9.3/ score 8.287),
She fell on her second vault;
Annamari Maaranen FIN
1. HS – somersault fw. piked (SV 9.4/ score 8.850),
2. layout Tsukahara (SV 9.1/ score 8.562);
Lisa Brüggemann GER
1. RO 1/2 turn – somersault fw. piked 1/2 turn (SV 9.7/ score 8.987),
2. HS – somersault fw. piked (SV 9.4/ score 8.337),
a good first vault but then she fell on the second one;
Lais Souza BRA
1. double-twisting Yurchenko (SV 9.8/ score 9.362),
2. Cuervo, HS – 1/2 turn – piked somersault bw. (SV 9.6/ score 9.075),
The young talent from Brazil presented a good performance in this finale and especially impressed with her difficult fist vault.
Anna Pavlova RUS
1. double-twisting Yurchenko (SV 9.8/ score 9.412),
2. RO 1/2 turn – 1/2 turn layout bw. (SV 9.8/ score 9.350),
Pavlova clearly was the best gymnast in this finale.
Elena Zamolodchikova RUS
1. double-twisting Yurchenko (SV 9.8/ score 9.425),
2. layout Tsukahara 2/1 twists (SV 9.9/ score 9.262),
A very good first vault but then she struggled and almost fell on her second one.

Winners Final
Pavlova again with 2 good vaults, Zamolodchikova this time then fell on her Tsukahara. So the clear victory went to Anna Pavlova.

Fabian Hambüchen and Germany's head coach Andreas Hirsch

Results men's floor finale

1.Fabian Hambüchen GER 9.625 (SV 9.9)
1. Razvan Selariu ROM 9.625 (SV 10.00)
3. Wajdi Bouallegue TUN 9.587 (SV 10.00)
4. Brandon O'Neill CAN 9.575 (SV 10.00)
5. Ioan Silviu Suciu ROM 9.525 (SV 10.00)
6. David Vyoral CZE 9.475 (SV 10.00)

Winners Final
1. Fabian Hambüchen GER 9.537
2. Razvan Selariu ROM 9.537

Report men’s floor finale

David Vyoral (CZE) started strongly into this finale; double twist – somersault fw. – 1 1/2 somersault fw. to roll fw.;
Brandon O'Neill (CAN) presented a nice routine which he ended with a full-in;
Ioan Silviu Suciu (ROM), today not with the expected performance, problems with the landing after his 1st acrobatic series cost him all chances to reach the winners final;
Fabian Hambüchen (GER) with another strong performance; 2 1/2 twists – somersault fw. tucked – somersault fw. tucked 1/1 turn; in the end a good double somersault piked;
Razvan Selariu (ROM), with a very good routine with difficult twist-variations; 2 1/2 twists – 1 1/2 somersault fw. to roll fw.; in the end a tucked full-in;
Wajdi Bouallegue (TUN) presented a very good routine on which then followed a 15-minute discussion of his coach with the judges as he was of the opinion that the initially given SV of 9.9 was wrong. In the end the SV indeed was corrected to 10.00 and Bouallegue received the overall score of 9.587.

Winners Final
Hambüchen and Selariu again with very strong performances, Selariu shortly stepped out of bounds with one foot after his first acrobatic series. Then a surprise for the audience turned up – both gymnasts ended up on the top position with the score of 9.537! In the end the FIG-rule considering the B-jury deductions brought the victory in this finale to Fabian Hambüchen.

reporting from Stuttgart: Jac van den Beemt, Robert Scharf
photos: Torsten Hauptvogel
editorial: Sonja Schmeißer, Lisa Worthmann