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October 18, 2009

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Home » Sports » Gymnastics

He, Zhang capture golds for China

OLYMPIC champion He Kexin floated past Japanese rival Koko Tsurumi to claim gold on the asymmetric bars at the World Gymnastics Championships in London yesterday.

The 17-year-old Chinese gymnast glided between the bars effortlessly and nailed her dismount to earn a winning mark of 16.000 and became the first Beijing title holder to triumph this week.

Tsurumi trailed by 1.125 points. All-around silver medalist Rebecca Bross of the United States tied with Romania's Ana Porgras for third place with 14.675.

Earlier, Zhang Hongtao gave China its first gold medal at this worlds when he swivelled to the pommel horse title.

He edged out Krisztian Berki with a display in which he showed off his straight lines as he effortlessly rotated around the block of wood.

Zhang scored 16.200, while the Hungarian trailed in 0.125 behind. Australian Prashanth Sellathurai added a bronze medal to the silver he picked up in 2006.

American debutante Kayla Williams snatched the vault gold medal after Olympic champion Hong Un-jong botched both her attempts yesterday.

Williams, 16, performed a soaring handspring with 1-1/2 twist to edge out Switzerland's Ariella Kaeslin with a combined score of 15.087 from her two vaults. France's Youna Dufournet took the bronze with 14.450.

North Korean Hong sat down after her first vault - a 1-1/2 twisting Yurchenko - and followed it up by landing on bended knees from her second attempt. Her average score of 14.262 left her in fifth place out of the eight finalists.

Romania's Marian Dragulescu outclassed Olympic champion Zou Kai to pick up his fourth floor exercise title at the worlds.

The 28-year-old tumbled to glory with a score of 15.700 after performing a series of complex twists and soaring somersaults. He eclipsed China's Zou by 0.025.

Israel's Alexander Shatilov was awarded the bronze with 15.575.




 

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