2008 OLYMPIC CHAMPION
Li Xiaopeng (China)
2007 WORLD CHAMPION
Mitja Petkovsek (Slovenia)
Kim Dae Eun (Korea)
FRENCHMAN Yann Cucherat is looking pretty good of late, hav- ing won the 2008 World Cup
Final under the ‘old’ new Code, and
the 2009 European crown under the
amended version (which limits the
number of releases). Of course,
Mitja Petkovsek, the silky smooth Slo-venian, is always a factor, and
China’s Huang Xu is an animal on
this event. Germany’s Fabian Hambüchen also has a chance, having
placed third at the 2009 Europeans.
China’s Feng Zhe tied Cucherat for
the World Cup win with the highest
difficulty of the final, and North
Korea’s Kim Jin Hyok won the 2009
Glasgow Grand Prix in May with a
set that included a Tanaka (Belle
with half turn!). With his vast experience, however, Cucherat is still the
man to beat.
A gold medalist at the 2008 World Cup Final and 2009 Europeans, Yann Cucherat is favored in London, although Mitja Petkovsek (right) is a close second.
2008 OLYMPIC CHAMPION
Zou Kai (China)
2007 WORLD CHAMPION
Fabian Hambüchen (Germany)
WITH his win at the 2009 Euro- peans, Greece’s Vlasios Maras may have regained the edge he
held on high bar when he won back-to-back world titles (2001-02). But
World Cup Final champion Epke
Zonderland, who swings a daring
Kovacs-Kolman and an excellent
Takemoto-Yamawaki, could beat
everyone. The flying Dutchman has
certainly been paying his dues. Of
course, Yann Cucherat (France) is
always a threat, as is defending
world champ Fabian Hambüchen,
who has experienced inconsistency
on this apparatus since his triumph
in Stuttgart two years ago. China’s
Zou Kai could be a factor too, but
his wiggly body might draw more
deductions in London than in
Beijing. A sleeper could be Jonathan
Horton (USA), whose risk in Beijing
earned him the silver—one dismount step from gold!
Vlasios Maras (above) is one of
several potential winners, which
include Epke Zonderland (left)
and Jonathan Horton (far left).
