International Gymnast - January/February 2011

Pop Pop

Quiz! Quiz!

1)Which country, men or women, won its first-ever world championship team gold medal?

2)Who won the women’s all-around gold, and how old was she?

3)Who won the men’s all-around, and was it his first, second or third world title?

4)Which woman won the first world event title for her country? (Which event?)

5)Which woman won her second world all-around medal?

6)Did Jonathan Horton (USA) win any medals? If so, for what?

7)Which 2008 Olympic gold medalist also won an event gold in 2010?

8)Did Romania win any gold medals? If so, for what?

9)Which gymnast won the most medals?

10)Which country won a team medal for both men and women?

ANS W ERS:1. Russian wo men; 2.Aliya M ustafina(R US) was 16; 3.

Kohei Uchim ura(JP N) w on his second w orld AA gold; 4. Lauren Mitchell(A U S) on FX; 5. R ebecca Bross (U S A) w on bronze, and silver in 2009; 6. Yes, Horton wonthe AA bronze; 7. Chen Yibing(CH N)on

S R; 8. Yes, A na Porgras w on B B; 9. Aliya M ustafina (R U S) w on five m e d als; 1 0. C hin a w o n th e m e n’s g old a n d th e w o m e n’s bro n ze.

Command!

EVER wonder why some gym- nasts command attention while others put you to sleep? Ksenia Afanasyeva is an excellent example of a captivating gymnast. She truly is poetry in motion.

But what makes her so special? For one thing, she dances with excellent posture, as illustrated in the photo here. She displays a movement quality that relies on extension and detail. Note how she raises her arms but not her shoulders. This creates an elegant, long neck line, which is often missing in gymnastics.

The best way to develop this polished style is through ballet lessons. Once you master perfect posture and learn to extend your movements to their fullest, you too will be commanding attention!