News 2018

Zou pips world all-around champion Xiao in parallel bar final

24 March, 2018

Doha: Zou Jingyuan probably had saved the best on the final day when he not only won the men’s parallel bar gold, but also pipped All-Around world champion and compatriot Xiao Routeng to second place in the 11th FIG Artistic Individual Apparatus World Cup on Saturday.
The 20-year-old, who had won the title in the same apparatus at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal, Canada, last year, collected an impressive 16.200 points.
Xiao finished second (15.233) followed by Turkey’s Ferhat Arican (15.166).
Zou ended the four-day competition on a high, with two gold medals and one bronze. His other gold came on Friday in pommel horse and bronze in rings.
But Xiao, who was not in his best elements in Doha, had a bad fall in the evening’s last event — horizontal bar – to end up eighth.
Croatian Tin Srbic bagged the title (14.800) followed by USA’s Marvin Kimble (14.533) and China’s Deng Shudi (14.500).
Meanwhile, Igor Radivilov picked up his second gold in as many events at the Doha event.
The 25-year-old, who became Ukraine’s first medal-winner at the 2012 Olympics after the fall of the mighty Soviet Union, collected 14.599 points for his effort.
“It was quite satisfying to win two gold medals here in my maiden visit. I’m happy with my performances,” Radivilov told www.dohagym.com.
China’s Qu Ruiyang almost challenged the Ukrainian, but had to be content with silver (14.566) while Ferhat finished third (14.533).
In the women’s competition, France made it one-two when Melanie de Jesus dos Santos (13.933) and Marine Boyer (13.466) won the gold and silver in the balance beam final.
Belgium’s Nina Derwael, who won the uneven bars on Friday, came third (13.400).
The floor exercise was intensely competed and was shared by Belgium’s Axelle Klinckaert, Italy’s Elisa Meneghini and People Republic of Korea’s Kim Su Jong after all three finished on an identical 13.333 points