22. Oktober 2005  
Stuttgart / GER  
Artistic Gymnastics

23. DTB-Pokal: Five World Cup Winners crowned

At the 23rd 'DTB-POKAL 2005' there were five final decisions scheduled for today.
On vaulting table Anatoli Vasiliev (RUS) was the best performer.
On uneven bars there was a Chinese double success by Zhou, Zhuoru and Huang, Lu.
The final on parallel bars was won by the Slovenian Mitja Petkovsek , who already lead the qualification. On rings the Russian Alexander Safoshkin convinced with the strongest performance.
The women’s floor final was won by the Brasilian Daiane dos Santos .

SPIETH Gymnastic presents: 'SPECIAL SERVICE'
Men's WC 05/06 Medallists, ALL << // >> Women's WC 05/06 Medallists, ALL

Reporting from Stuttgart: Eckhard Herholz

Final Men's Vaulting Table
1. Anatoli Vasiliev RUS (9,700/9,650) 9,675
2. Alin Jivan ROM (9,450/9,637) 90543
3. Robert Gal HUN (9,537/9,387) 9,462
4. Matthias Fahrig GER (9,225/9,562) 9,393
5. Fabian Hambüchen GER (9,050/9,437) 9,243
6. Alexei Bondarenko RUS (9,00/9,262) 9,131
7. Patrick Dominguez SUI (9,037/9,075) 9,056
8. Jeffrey Wammes NED (7,800/9,725) 8,762

The favourite suffered a fall: Jeffrey Wammes (NED), best in qualification, performed a pretty confused Jurtschenko – however, he proved world class level with his second vault (handspring, layout with double turn) and achieved the highest score: 9,725.
The double second in World Cup Patrick Dominguez (SUI) had severe problems, too. He had to support himself at the landing of both vaults: Handspring, layout with one and a half turns and Kasamatsu layout with one and a half turns.
It has not been the perfect comeback for Alexei Bondarenko (RUS), for he sat down on the mat in his first vault (Roche).
Matthias Fahrig (GER) had to put his hands onto the mat when he landed his Roche piked, Fabian Hambüchen (GER) fell in his vault, round-off, layout with two and a half turns.
Uneven Bars
1. Zhou, Zhuoru CHN (AW 10) 9,650
2. Huang. Lu CHN (10) 9,562
3. Polina Miller RUS (10) 9,537
4. Daria Zgoba UKR (10) 9,487
5. Marine Debauve FRA (10) 9,487
6. Jana Sikulova CZE (10) 9,400
7. Daiane dos Santos BRA (10) 9,337
8. Monette Russo AUS (10) 8,537
a. K. Kim Bui GER (9,80) 9,050

An exquisite uneven bars performance from the celestial empire! Superb technique, superb difficulties, superb execution ... Huang performed two Endos in el grip and a flawless double layout as dismount, for instance – she performed on a higher level than the further finalists.
The best follower-up to both Chinese gymnasts was the winner of qualification Polina Miller (RUS), who performed dynamically with Jaeger somersault, a piked Tkatchev and a tucked Tsukahara as dismount.

Thomas Andergassen (GER)

Parallel Bars
1. Mitja Petkovsek SLO (AW 10) 9,712
2. Zhe, Feng CHN (10) 9,687
with the same score:
3.Vasileios Tsolakidis GRE (10) 9,687
4. Ilja Giorgadze GEO (9,80) 9,412
5. Manuel Carballo ESP (9,80) 9,350
6. Thomas Andergassen GER (9,70) 9,225
7. Epke Zonderland NED (9,50) 9,037
As first performer in this final the French Yann Cucherat made a huge mistake landing in sitting position after a Healy. Otherwise, a balanced final. It was evident, that only those gymnast had a chance to place high, who performed a routine with a start value of 10 points. The latest European Champions performed most elegantly on this apparatus, Tsolakidis (ECh 2002), Petkovsek (ECh 2000) and Carballo (present European Champion).
Once again the piked double somersault proved to be the standard dismount.

Alexander Safoshkin (RUS) - winner of the final

Rings
1. Alexander Safoshkin RUS 9,337
2. Juri van Gelder NED 9,700
3. Matteo Angioletti ITA 9,625
4. Olli Torkkel FIN 9,562
5. Regulo Carmona VEN 9,537
6. Danny Rodrigues FRA 9,512
7. Thomas Andergassen GER 9,475
8. Dimosthenis Tampakos GRE 8,900

Indeed, the Russian Alexander Safoshkin performed extraordinarily today: He mastered all his strength elements of highest difficulty according to the Code de Pointage and with the cleanest execution of all finalists. He finishes with a perfectly secure double layout – the victory!
The favourite Juri van Gelder (NED), however, was not really able to stand up to the expectations, he could not avoid a swinging of the rings towards the end of his routine and had to step behind the better performing Russian.
The Olympic Champion Dimosthenis Tampakos (GRE) did not appear to be in WCh shape landing his layout Tsukahara dismount on the stomach.
An interesting element was presented by the French Danny Rodrigues with a swallow backwards, extremely difficult. He is the only gymnast of the world performing this element.
All finalists presented a start value of 10 points.

Daiane dos Santos (BRA) was the best performer on floor by a huge margin

Women's Floor Exercise
1. Daiane Dos Santos BRA 9,450
2. Kathleen Lindor FRA 9,137
3. Imogen Cairns GBR 9,062
4. Lais Souza BRA 8,900
5. Valeriya Maksyuta UKR 8,775
6. Joanna Skowronska POL 8,400
7. Kim Bui GER 8,287
8. Jana Sikulova CZE 8,250

The scores are the best evidence: Throughout the world, gymnasts have the greatest difficulties on floor to perform according to the requirements.
It was no surprise that the winner of qualification and World Champion 2003, Daiane dos Santos (BRA) won this final – she performed the most difficult programme (SV 9,90) with a double layout, a double piked somersault and another double layout and double piked somersault at the end. Four acrobatic series in total.
The French Kathleen Lindor (SV 9,90), who placed second, was the gymnast who performed on a similar level. She showed three acrobatic series and finished her routine with a double piked somersault.
Stuttgart’s Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle was well attended, even though not sold out, but there was still a great sentiment and a well functioning youth club which contributed to the atmosphere.

In the frame of today’s day of finals, two of the most successful German gymnasts were officially disbanded from the international sport scene: The multiple German Champions Birgit Schweigert and Yvonne Musik were said farewell by the president of the German Gymnastics Federation Rainer Brechtken and director of sports Wolfgang Willam .

Translation: Florian Schmid-Sorg