combinations, although her heels were apart in
her handstands (Tkatchev, immediate giant-full,
blind change, Jaeger; inside Stalder-half, inside
Stalder, inside Stalder-full, Deltchev; Pak salto;
Stalder-full, piked Arabian double front dis-
mount). Boosted by the event’s highest A-score
( 7. 2), Semyonova scored the second-highest all
week on any event ( 16.350) for Russia’s only
medal of the championships—gold.
“I was trying to get at least one medal for
Russia, and I did,” said Semyonova, referring to
the vault disaster that dropped her team from a
probable medal to last place in the team final.
Semyonova, the 2007 Russian all-around
champion, hails from Novomoskovsk in the Tula
region. She began gymnastics after following her
mother, Lena (a gymnastics coach) to training.
Semyonova credited her own coach, Marina
Nazarova, for keeping her cool in her first worlds
final. “My coach said, ‘Be calm, and do your
best,’” said Semyonova, the youngest finalist.
Semyonova’s best would soon be judged best
in the world, after defending champion Beth
Tweddle of Great Britain scored 16.125 two
routines later. Tweddle’s score reflected the extra
kip cast she performed between her typically
connected toe-on, Tkatchev and Pak salto. She
finished fourth.
Liukin, who repeated her second-place performance from 2006, said she was pleased to be
close to the top again. “Gold is always better, but
I took a step on the landing, which cost me the
gold medal,” she said. “But I’m happy to be back
on the podium and get another individual
(worlds) medal, making it eight for myself.”
Liukin wouldn’t have to wait long to add to that
tally.
BALANCE BEAM
Six routines into the balance beam final,
Romania’s Steliana Nistor restored order and
steadiness to the event which had already pro-
duced a succession of marred routines. All-
around champion Shawn Johnson of the U.S.,
who competed third, fell twice (standing full;
switch side leap). Co-all-around bronze medalist
Jade Barbosa of Brazil followed Johnson, and
came off after a crooked combination of flip-
flop, two-foot flip-flop, layout.
2004 Olympic champion Catalina Ponor of
Romania nearly fell on a double turn, but quickly converted a bend-at-the-waist balance check to
an additional half turn, much to the audience’s
admiration. As Ponor dove into an Omelianchik,
the warning sound indicated she was in danger
of going overtime. She rushed to complete her
routine, willed on by the crowd, but landed her
double pike dismount as the second alarm
buzzed. The consequence was too little, too late,
and she placed fourth.
Nistor, the only 2006 beam finalist in the field,
tumbled along without hesitation (flip-flop, full;
aerial, flip-flop, layout; kickover front; side somi;
kickover front to scale). She landed off-balance
on her dismount series (roundoff, flip-flop, double pike), but nonetheless assumed the lead with
only two gymnasts left to compete ( 15.900).
China’s Li Shanshan hit all of her tumbling
and flight elements (flip-flop, two-foot flip-flop,
layout (pause), Korbut; aerial, Rulfova; split
jump, sheep jump; punch front salto; switch ring
leap; roundoff, flip-flop, double pike with a step).
Ironically, she teetered off the beam after a full
turn holding one ankle. Still, Li’s 7. 3 A-score
and otherwise elegant work were enough to tie
her with Nistor.
Wearing a new pale pink-and-white leotard
