British Women in excellent form during Podium Training
 Divided
into four Subdivisions, 106 gymnasts from 39 countries tested
the competition floor at the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, before
the Qualification round of the World Championships on Wed.
23 Nov.
According to the draw, Imogen Cairns and Rhian Pugh performed
in the first Subdivision, Shavahn Church, in the second, and
Beth Tweddle, in the last, fourth Subdivision.
Church and Tweddle will compete in the All-around, Imogen
on Floor and Vault and Rhian, the 2004 European Junior Champion
on A.Bars.
However, it remains to be decided whether Rhian will compete
in the Qualifications on Wednesday. During the Podium Training,
by the end of her routine, she caught her feet on the bar
and fell on the safety mat; kneeling for a while, before being
helped out of the podium by her coach Helen May and the doctor
of the team John Aldridge.
The training session was a great success for the other three
British gymnasts and it is to be hoped that they will be as
impressive in the actual competition, as they were during
the Podium Training.
Subdivision 1/out of 4
An interesting first Subdivision dominated by Chellsie Memmel
(USA), 2003 World Champion on A. Bars in a tie with Hollie
Vise, who received enthusiastic applause from the knowledgeable
audience of coaches, officials and fans.
The other all-around performer, Florica Leonida (ROM), 2000
Olympic Team Champion, did not seem to be as ready as Chellsie
and her level of performance was not so clean.
Another gymnast who impressed, with very good technique on
A. Bars was Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs (CAN).
Verona Van de Leur (NED), 2002 World Silver medallist on
Floor, showed flashes of her former brilliance on beam and
floor.
Rotation 3 brought Chellsie Memmel and Daiane Dos Santos
(BRA), the reigning World Champion and World Cup Final winner,
together on floor exercise. They produced outstanding tumbling
runs, both performing four double somersaults in their exercise.
The sequences are as follows:
Memmel
1. Two whip backs flick flack Arabian double front tucked
2. Double straight
3. Full in back out picked
4. Double back somersault piked
Dos Santos
1. Arabian double front somersault piked
2. Arabian double front somersault tucked
3. Double straight
4. Double back somersault piked
Tina Erceg (CRO) produced a very well-choreographed floor
exercise.
Tania Gratt (AUT) demonstrated a good routine on A. Bars.
Subdivision 2/out of 4
One of the most impressive gymnasts in this Subdivision was
the 2004 World Cup Final Vault winner Alicia Sacramone (USA).
Her powerful, dynamic and extremely difficult gymnastics on
Vault, Beam and Floor is definitely making her a hot medal
contender for these apparatus. In addition to her technical
brilliance, Sacramone is also an excellent dancer on Floor
(Arabian double front; ½ in ½ out; 2 and a half
twists to straight front somersault; triple twist)
The only gymnast representing Spain, Lenka de Simone attracted
a great deal of attention with her exquisite style of performance
and technical excellence on all four apparatus.
Also to mention in this Subdivision is the British-American
newcomer Shevahn Church, 16, coached by “coaching legend”
Don Peters (SCATS USA) and Feng Yu (1986 Chinese Champion,
at present coaching in the USA). Strong and athletic on all
pieces, Church could be one of the surprises of the Championships.
Another debutant in the World Championships, Yulia Lozhecko
(RUS), who marked her arrival at the Senior level with a Bronze
medal in the European Championships All-around last June,
impressed with one of the most artistic and well-choreographed
routines on Floor and Beam.
Other gymnasts who deserve mention are the 2005 European
overall Champion Marine Debauve (FRA), on A.Bars and Beam
, Daniele Hypolito (BRA) on Vault and Beam, Jana Bieger (USA)
on A. Bars and Zhang Yufei (CHN) on Beam and Floor.
The 2004 Olympic Champion on Beam, Floor and Team Catalina
Ponor (ROM) did not look in her best ever form on Floor, but
was rock-steady on her best apparatus, the Beam.
Subdivision 3/out of 4
Undoubtedly, Nastia Liukin’s (USA) Subdivision, and
she demonstrated clearly what all the pundits have been saying
- she is a star quality!
She produced four world-class routines and has the potential
to be the World All-around champion, but on Beam she is unique!
Liukin, the new Champion of the USA, seems to possess all
the best physical and mental qualities of her former World
Champion parents and she received a great deal of applause
throughout the Subdivision.
She has strong company in her group- the 2000 Olympic Champion
on Floor and Vault Elena Zamolodchikova (RUS) and the 2005
European Champion on Floor Isabelle Severino (FRA). Elena,
looking much revived from Athens and Isabelle, enjoying new
lease of life, building on the successes of her European Championships.
The Chinese, with Cheng Fei and Fan Ye, the defending World
Champion on Beam and 2005 World Student overall Champion,
must be feeling extremely confident. Cheng Fei gave a Master-
class vaulting - Yurchenko with 2 and ½ twists and
round-off half turn into handspring front straight with 1
and ½ twist.
The evergreen Oxana Chussovitina (30), 1992 Olympic Team
Champion and current World Champion on Vault, gained applause
and congratulations, maintaining her high level of technical
performance on A. Bars, Beam and Vault, whilst at the same
time demonstrating clearly how much she loves the sport.
The Ukrainians, in Dariya Zgoba have discovered a huge potential
on A. Bars.
An exiting and much appreciated Subdivision!
Subdivision 4/out of 4
A Subdivision including four gymnasts who could play significant
part in the All-around and Apparatus Finals:
- Zhang Nan (CHN), 2004 Olympic and 2003 World Bronze medallist
in the All-around;
- Anna Pavlova (RUS), who lost the Olympic All-around Bronze
medal to Zhang for mere 0.025 pts;
- Emilie Lepennec (FRA), the 2004 Olympic and 2005 European
Champion on A. Bars and
- Elizabeth Tweddle (GBR), 2003 World Bronze medallist on
A. Bars and current Commonwealth and Student Champion on this
apparatus.
In rotation 3 Tweddle and Lepennec performed, one after another,
two superb routines on A. Bars out of 10 points - a promise
for a great Final, should the two of them go smoothly through
the Qualifications.
Tweddle was strong and steady also on Floor and Beam and
seems a potential threat not only for the A. Bars, but also
for the All-around.
Monette Ruso (AUS), on A. Bars and Beam, Lais Souza (BRA)
on Vault and Olga Sherbatykh (UKR), on Foor, are the other
names to remember before the Qualifications on Wednesday,
23 Nov.
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