Qualification
WITH defending beam champion Irina Krasnyanskaya sidelined
by a shoulder injury, Ukraine performed skittishly to finish
ninth, a four-rank drop from last year and its lowest in worlds
history. Ukraine started weakly on floor and vault, but three
gymnasts scored over 15 on uneven bars to earn the fourth-best bars total
of the field. Ukraine finished on beam, where Olga Scherbatykh and Marina
Proskurina fell. Statuesque Alina Kozich was the team’s top all-arounder,
but later withdrew from the final because of a knee injury.
Loudly cheered by the home crowd, Germany began its bid for an
Olympic team berth with an erratic effort on bars. Oksana Chusovitina was
short on her first combination (she failed to cast high enough for a hop to
jam), and later missed a free-hip hecht from low to high. First-time worlds
competitors Marie-Sophie Hindermann (15.75) and Anja Brinker (15.50)
salvaged the event for Germany. On beam, three gymnasts (including
Chusovitina) fell a total of four times, but Katja Abel steadied the team with
its top mark. The Germans gained momentum on vault, where they had the
fifth-highest team total on the event, and eventually secured 10th place.
2003 bronze medalist Australia also started far from perfectly, with falls
from Lauren Mitchell, Chloe Sims and Daria Joura on bars. Beam was
slightly more stable, but Ashleigh Brennan fell on a switch ring, and Hollie
Dykes (seventh all-around in ’06) missed a sheep jump. On floor, two gymnasts stepped out-of-bounds and Shona Morgan put her hands down on a
full-in, but Joura (fifth all-around last year) projected confidence and showmanship. “If I had the answer to that, it wouldn’t have happened,” said
Aussie coach Peggy Liddick, when asked what went wrong. “I need to go
back to the drawing board and try to figure it out. It wasn’t a lack of work;
they did the work. We just have to hope
and pray it’s enough to get us to
Beijing.” It was; Australia placed 11th.
After a 19th-place vault performance
in their first rotation, the much-improved Japanese ladies had top-eight
totals on bars and beam, and nabbed
the 12th and final team spot for Beijing
(its same rank in 2006). Mayu Kuroda
was tops for her team on bars at 15.40
(sequence of full pirouette, Ono,
Jaeger), and Koko Tsurumi scored
15.175 on beam (Onodi; switch ring;
aerial; flip-flop, layout; full-twisting split
jump; sheep jump; side somi; Korbut; 2-
1.2 twist dismount).
North Korea botched a terrific opening rotation on bars by following it with
a 19th-place beam total, to place 13th
for the second year in a row.
Spectacular elements on bars included
Kim Myong Bok’s Comaneci between the bars; Hong Un Jong’s giant- 11⁄
2
pirouette, Jaeger, Pak salto; Hong Su Jong’s giant- 11⁄
2 pirouette, Ono, Jaeger;
and Cha Yong Hwa’s hop-full, Def.
Canada matched its 2006 result (14th), but came up two places short of
Olympic qualification. On bars, Kristina Vaculik fell on her dismount and ’06
world beam bronze medalist Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs collapsed on a bail.
Vaculik missed a double turn on beam, but Alyssa Brown, Marci Bernholtz
(standing layout, Chen combination) and Hopfner-Hibbs (15.25) showed
poise and control. Vaculik tumbled to the top Canadian score on floor (
full-in; 11⁄
2 twist through to 21⁄
2 twist; double pike).
Hopfner-Hibbs, who touched down on a piked full-in, said the team was
prepared to do better but accepted its actual performance. “It was hard, but
you have to learn how to push through it,” she said. “Most of the girls are
coming out of juniors, so they have the next (Olympic) cycle as well. We just
told them that we did our best to prepare, and it all depends on what happens at that moment.”
Also faltering was Spain, which lost 2004 Olympic floor medalist Patricia
Moreno to a foot injury when she landed poorly on her beam dismount.
Spain dropped seven ranks from last year’s eighth-place finish. “We’ve had a
pretty rough year,” said Lenika de Simone, the top Spanish all-arounder.
“But we did what we could, and we have to be proud.” —J.C.
Koko Tsurumi led Japan
to the 12th and final
team berth to Beijing.
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