DOHA: Uzbekistan’s 46-year-old Oksana Chusovitina showed she still has enough firepower to overcome a new generation of gymnasts after she won the women’s vault gold at the 14th Taishan Artistic Gymnastics World Cup here at the Aspire Dome on Friday.
Competing in a field that consisted of gymnasts half of her age, Oksana was even applauded by her juniors after she completed a perfect landing. It was a picture-perfect finish as the Uzbek left an indelible impression of her boundless energy in her two-attempts on the vault.
The seven-time Olympian walked the vault ramp like a teenager as the younger gymnasts, who are half of her age, clapped in unison as a mark or respect for Oksana.
The veteran gymnast tallied 13.433 points to take the gold while Hungary’s Csenge Maria Bacskay (13.150) and Russia’s Viktoriia Listunova (13.133) finished second and third respectively.
Kovtun wins silver in MAG floor
Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun picked up a silver in the men’s floor exercise final behind Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) at the 14th Taishan Artistic World Cup at the Aspire Dome on Friday.
The 18-year-old, who won All-Around bronze at 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, scored 14.333 while Dolgopyat collected 14.733 points for the tournament’s first gold.
Croatia’s Aurel Benovic, who won silver in the same apparatus in the series-opener in Cottbus, Germany, finished third (14.166).
Kovtun was happy to start his campaign in the Doha edition of FIG World Cup Series with a medal albeit silver but missed out of a medal on the pommel horse apparatus, where he finished fifth.
Winners:
MAG Floor Exercise: Artem Dolgopyat 14.733; Illia Kovtun 14.333; Aurel Benovic 14.000.
MAG Pommel Horse: Nariman Kurbanov 15.200; Rhys Mc Clenaghan 14.933; Harutyun Merdinyan 14.600.
MAG Rings: Vahagn Davtyan 14.700; Artur Avetisyan 14.500; Nikita Simonov 14.333.
WAG Vault: Oksana Chusovitina 13.433; Csenge Maria Bacskay 13.150; Viktoriia Listunova 13.133.
WAG Uneven Bars: Viktoriia Listunova 14.566; Mariia Minaeva 13.366; Daniela Batrona 12.466.
