 By Caroline. |
By Caroline. |
|
2003 French Internationals (part 4). Sunday 16 March: the apparatus finals. Vault final. Since the introduction of the new vaulting table, the gymnasts have gained in confidence and in efficiency. The increase in difficulty and the variety and sureness of execution were the distinguishing qualities of this piece. With the exception of Chusovitina who fell (on a handspring one and a half in piked), it was in this final that we saw the most successes. Anna Pavlova executed a very clean Yurchenko double twist and a straight Podkopayeva (round off, half twist on to straight somersault off with a further half twist). Her fellow Russian Zamolodchikova, the Olympic champion on this apparatus, showed us her usual vaults but landed rather low on her Tsukahara with double twist. Coralie Chacon executed her two vaults perfectly as in qualifications. The result was a 9.438 for all three gymnasts. According to the rules the deductions had to be calculated to find the winner, and it was the Russian Pavlova who had the fewest. She took the title ahead of Chacon and Zamolodchikova.  Asymmetric bars final. Elisabeth Tweddle had performed a perfect routine, complete with difficult elements, a good rhythm, amplitude and a perfectly stuck dismount. However, when Khorkina's mark of 9.55 was posted, the British girl couldn't contain a dubious look and helpless gesture. What more could she do next to Khorkina, whose exercise had medalled so many times before? The exercise wasn't ordinary but extra-ordinary in the literal sense of the word, and it bewitches the judges, leading them to willingly lay down their pencils in the face of certain small but visible errors (the beauty's pirouettes were not always complete at handstand). Not to be outdone, the French obtained the bronze medal thanks to a very lovely routine from Gaëlle Richard. A slender gymnast and specialist on this apparatus (having previously medalled at the last Massilia Trophy) Gaëlle performed a Jaeger with great amplitude in a modern routine with not less than 4 Stalders. The young Ukrainian Krasnyanska and Danielle Hypolito each missed their combinations, and as a result had low start values which relegated them to the lowest positions. |
|
Page (c) Caroline and Bernard for Kostiskal Docs are copyrighted and can not be reproduced without permission. |