Five apparatus will showcase spectacular Floor exercises and ultra precise Horizontal Bar routines.
Men’s Vault
Lyszczarz, Marek POL. This is the first time that Marek has qualified for the Final of a major event. Coached by one of the biggest names in Polish gymnastics, Leszek Blanik, this circuit star is none other than 2008 Beijing Olympic Vault Champion and 2007 Stuttgart World Champion! No big deal? A podium would be a milestone in the history of Polish gymnastics! First vault: Forward double support tucked and seated landing! He lacked in height. Double backward stretched twist. The best! (14.675 – 15.450 / 15.062)
Wammes, Jeffrey NED. A classy start for the Dutchman, but he falters at every landing (15.875 – 15.350 / 15.612). Du, Wei CHN strikes a solid double twist and landing, but falls when landing after a double backward piked. (15.600 – 15.125 / 15.362). Wirt, Anton GER impresses with a very fluid vault, forward double tucked followed by a salto and 1 ½ twist. (15.600 – 15.375 / 15.487). Filipe de Araujo, Luis POR performs a solid first vault with support and double twist. A small step on landing. He performs an even better second vault. (15.650 – 15.525 / 15.587).
Al-Hamad, Nasser QAT. Fans wait is suspense for the local gymnast to step up. Al-Hamad starts with forward salto to support and twist. A sidestep! People begin to relax. And a near repeat performance for the second vault! Nasser is all smiles and the public cheers. (15.775 – 15.425 / 15.600). Sapronenko, Jevgenijs LAT. Double forward salto, tucked. Small step to the side. Personalised Execution. Double grouped backward in the second. Sweet! (15.975 – 15.750 / 15.862). Cao, Yulong CHN. An excellent start. Forward salto, double twist and a clean landing! A repeat performance and he nails the competition. Round-off, support, twist. A nice job! (16.375 – 15.750 / 16.062)
Disappointment for the Qatari. He’s off the podium due to 12 thousandths of a point!
Podium
1 – Cao, Yulong CHN 16.062
2 – Sapronenko, Jevgenijs LAT 15.862
3 – Wammes, Jeffrey NED 15.612
Beam
Erceg, Tina CRO. The Croatian gives a commanding performance without an exaggerated display of risks. 13.600. Difficulty is below the minimum requirement for a place on the podium. Belak, Teja SLO. This isn’t the best day for the golden-haired Teja. She hesitates and nearly falls one too many times. 12.950. Khwela, Jennifer RSA could give a repeat golden Vault performance! She delivers with style. 13.350. And another medal, if you please! A lack of Difficulty is a drawback here. Pihan-Kulesza, Marta POL mounts and … falls! She hesitates throughout the rest of her exercise. 12.850. Huang, Qiushuang CHN shows great mastery but falls and lands disastrously. A real shame. 12.625. Jonssen, Ida SWE. Precise moves, rock solid balance, expressive, the Swede has everything she needs for the podium. An unfortunate lack of Difficulty and a touch landing. 12.250. Dancose-Giambattisto, Bianca CAN. The Quebecer does a first-rate job, but is unable to avoid a fall. 13.000. Wu, Liufang CHN is the best in this event. She is precise and confident with impeccable shows of balance. 14.700.
Podium
1 – Wu, Liufang CHN 14.700
2 – Erceg, Tina CRO 13.600
3- Khwela, Jennifer RSA 13.350
Parallel Bars
China’s Dong swept the qualifying rounds!
Who can beat him? Krimmer, Sebastian GER botches his mount and falls. And that’s not all. Yet another fall upon landing. 11.075. Mondal, Partha IND fares much better. Short on Difficulty, he pays attention to detail. 13.600 Hard knocks for Wirt, Anton GER. Strength and amplitude are lacking. 13.650. Enter Chen, Xuezhang CHN! The competition starts to get hot and we’re on a new level. He’s unbeatable across the board. 15.150.
Caio Americo Costa BRA strikes hard with good technique and risk taking. 14.275. Zonderland, Epke NED loves the bars, Horizontal or Parallel, and shows it! He performs Difficulties with the ease of a great champion. All smiles, Epke gets wind of his well-earned 15.100 pt score close on Chen’s heels! Kierzkowski, Adam POL is powerful, commanding and precise. He flies past Chen by 75 thousandths! 15.525. Dong, Zhendong CHN tops it all with 15.900 hands down.
Podium
1 – Dong, Zhendong CHN 15.900
2 – Kierzkowski, Adam POL 15.225
3 – Chen, Xuezhang CHN 15.150
Women’s Floor
Expressiveness, rhythm and musical synchronisation stand out in this Final, where China enters as the favourite. But Daniele of Brazil, Marta of Poland and Jennifer of South Africa could and may alter fate, because on Floor it’s that personal touch, an added show of feeling, originality and tried and true expertise that lead the way to the Holy Grail.
Pihan-Kulesza, Marta POL is powerful, graceful and in sync with the music. Lovely exercise. 12.950. Khwela, Jennifer RSA already has 2 medals in her pocket; why not try for a third? She gives a brilliant demonstration of talent with panache. She springs and bounces to her heart’s content. We stood transfixed in Anaheim 2004 by Brazil’s Diane dos Santos! Jennifer goes a little overboard and botches the end of her exercise. She hasn’t much experience, but the potential is definitely there. 12.950. Matias Hypolito, Daniele BRA has always excelled on Floor. First diagonal, salto and a smile at the camera! She’s got charisma, expression and she is all there! The public encores! 12.750. The Quebecer Dancose-Giambattisto, Bianca CAN is in nearly every Final. Her potential is vast and she is quick to ascend to the highest level. Complete mastery. Expression and technique are visible. A solid exercise. Once she’s added a measure of Difficulty to her routine, Bianca will swiftly move up the ranks. 12.700.
The gorgeous Uctas, Goksu TUR performs to Flamenco with the flair of an expert. She masters the dance with expression and technique. 13.700. Wu, Liufang CHN is remarkably precise and flexible, and she knows how fly. Talent worth discovering. 13.975. Tina Erceg COR has a natural ability that she compliments with beautiful composition. Fabulously expressive. 13.550. Huang, Qiushuang CHN delights with a generous a vivacious routine. Two years Wu’s senior, her expression is fuller and more mature. 13.850. Her technique paid off!
Podium
1 – Wu, Liufang CHN 13.975
2 – Huang, Qiushuang CHN 13.850
3 – Uctas, Goksu TUR 13.700
Horizontal Bar
This World Cup’s battle of kings! The Horizontal Bar Final features a number of aspirants. China, Netherlands and Slovenia will get their hands on a medal, but which one?
Moznik, Marijo CRO gave it all he had, but he couldn’t avoid falling after his Tkachev! This gymnast has talent, and we’ll see him in the limelight soon enough. 14.250. Gladow, Brian GER avoids falling but avoids taking risks as well. Still, a good exercise overall. 14.950. Pegan, Aljaz SLO is a true champion with prestigious laurels. He’s got talent, and perfection is the name of his game. 15.325. Da Silva, Pericles Fouro BRA is unable to master his difficulties. He gives a decent performance with a disappointing dismount, one hand on the floor. 13.625.
Chen, Xuezhang CHN flies like a bird but lacks Pegan’s precision. Too close to the bar. A flawless dismount. 15.000. The first of the two “Flying Dutchmen”,Zonderland, Epke NED, is a specialist on this apparatus. He won the Cup Final in December 2008 in Madrid, and has drastically improved since. Good to see him in action. 15.950. This is the first time we won’t hear the Chinese national anthem play this afternoon! Just on his heels, Wammes, Jeffrey NED is imprecise, and gives a routine that fails to outshine his compatriot. 14.875 Zhang, Chenglong CHN closes the 2010 World Cup in Doha with brio. He’s just shy of the Gold. 15.675. But Silver suits him just fine.
Podium
1 – Zonderland, Epke NED 15.950
2 – Zhang, Chenglong CHN 15.675
3 – Pegan, Aljaz SLO 15.325
