International Gymnast

With the amended Code prohibiting piked and tucked versions of the same release skill, parallel bars began its return to a watchable event. Swing actually matters again, and France’s Yann Cucherat edged p-bar god Mitja Petkovsek (Slovenia) for the gold, 15.825-15.800. Both had 6. 5 D-scores, but Cucherat (peach, peach-half, piked Belle; Tippelt; straddled front- 11⁄ 4) stuck his double pike and Petkovsek (peach-full, peach, peach-half; front- 11⁄ 4; Tippelt) did not. Hambüchen, the only other p-bar finalist with a 6. 5 D-score, was well behind with 15.375 for the bronze. He opened with a peach-half (low) to peach and later threw a Dmitrienko (front uprise immediate double back to upper arms) and a Morisue (from support, double tuck to upper arms). Second a year ago on high bar, Greece’s Vlasios Maras won rather easily in Milan. He and runner-up Cucherat both had 6. 7 D-scores, but Maras, a two-time world high bar champion, was cleaner (Pegan; Takemoto-Yamawaki; Stalder-Rybalko; layout double-double; 15.375). Cucherat ( 15.250) was a bit sloppy on his Kovacs, but threw a Kolman and showed a rare

Yann Cucherat (left) of France won parallel bars and placed second on high bar to Greece’s Vlasios Maras (right). Germany’s Philipp Boy (below) finished fourth AA.

was given a 6. 9 D-score in prelims, was rated only a 6. 7 in final.

Vault produced the correct winner in Thomas Bouhail of France, who did two legitimate 7.0 vaults: piked double Tsukahara (hop) and a Dragulescu (barely completed). Romania’s Flavius Koczi played the Code cleverly to win the silver, since his two ‘different’ 7.0- vaults—a Lopez (Kasamatsu-double twist) and a Yeo 2 (handspring-front with 21⁄2 twists)—are basically variations of each other. If you can do one, you can surely do the other.

Fahrig vaulted a Dragulescu (hop back) and a Kasamatsu- 11⁄2 for the bronze. Potential medalist Dmitry Kasperovich (Belarus) had planned to do a Dragulescu, but he lost his steps and did a double front to his rear. He did not execute a second vault and placed eighth.

“After the retirement of some of my opponents, I proved that I was the best at the 2008 World Cup Final,” Bouhail, a vault silver medalist at the Olympics, told Ouest-France. “I showed that once again today.”

Takemoto to undergrips (instead of the usual mixed grip).

Ukraine’s Nikolay Kuksenkov won the bronze ( 6. 4 D-score), opening with a half Takemoto, followed by giants to a Kovacs. Nothing unusual set him apart, and he dismounted with a full-twisting double layout.

Top high bar qualifier Igor Cassina of Italy certainly hoped for a better showing at home, but the 2004 Olympic champion missed two Kolmans and finished last.

The overall medal standings for men and women combined showed Russia and Germany both with six, followed by Great Britain (five), Ukraine (four) and France and Romania, both with three. The Russian women and German men are in position to rule the continent, but Great Britain might work its way into the mix on both sides in the coming years. Romania, which won the European women’s team gold in 2008, remains a question mark, but its rich tradition could help to keep it a contender through 2012.