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Gymnastics-Russia's Krukov wins gold, Ivankov bombs
1999-10-15
TIANJIN - Russia's Nikolay Krukov won the men's individual all-round final at the gymnastics world championships on Thursday after two-time world champion Ivan Ivankov pulled out following a disastrous start on the horizontal bar, Reuters reported. Krukov, 22, capitalised on the errors of other medal hopefuls with high scores on the parallel bars and vault, to take the gold with 57.485 points. Japan's Naoya Tsukahara won the silver with 57.337, and Bulgaria's Jordan Jovtchev took bronze with 57.212. ``I was probably more surprised than anybody else,'' said Krukov, who only began training again in September after a serious wrist injury in August. ``I attribute it to hard work and a heavy amount of training.'' Earlier, Romania's Maria Olaru won the women's all-round gold on her world championship debut as a host of new faces left defending world champion Svetlana Khorkina of Russia trailing in their wake. Ivankov, 24, who made an uncharacteristic fall from the bar in Monday's qualifying round, dropped from the bar after failing to build enough momentum to swing over it, and then fell over backwards on his dismount, finishing with a miserable score of 7.975. He did not turn up for the floor exercise in the next rotation. ``His leg is finished,'' said coach Victor Doilidov. Ivankov was due to have a fourth operation at the end of October on the Achilles tendon he tore a few days before the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, Doilidov said earlier. ``I think Ivan will little bit rest, little bit relax, and he will begin training only in January and February,'' he said. ``But we have time before the Olympic Games.'' Tsukohara, son of famed multi-Olympic medallist Mitsuo Tsukohara, did not excel on any one apparatus, but won the silver through consistency, with a lowest score of 9.35, while other medal contenders floundered around him. ``My father didn't give me much help,'' he said. ``But I'd like to thank my coach.'' Uncharacteristic errors crippled China's efforts, with Yang Wei falling from the pommel, Lu Yufu stepping out of bounds on the floor, and Huang Xu losing his grip on the horizontal bar. Alexei Nemov, winner of five Olympic medals in Atlanta including a pair of golds and all-round silver, scored 9.725 on the floor and pommel to take the lead after the second rotation, but faltered on the rings where he scored just 8.737. He finished sixth. In the women's final, Olaru, 17, edged ahead of Ukraine's Victoria Karpenko with her final vault to take the gold with 38.774 points. Karpenko won the silver on 38.705, while Russia's Elena Zamolodchikova took the bronze with 38.687. Going into the final rotation, Karpenko was in the lead but with Olaru and all-round silver medallist Simona Amanar of Romania hot on her heels within two tenths of a point. Amanar's hopes of a medal died when she lost her grip on the asymmetric bars and crashed to the mat. Khorkina, whose slip from the beam in the dying moments of the team final lost Russia the gold, was shaky on the beam again, losing her balance shortly after mounting to earn a disappointing 8.937. The defending champion was also off form on the floor where she mustered only 9.725 with a slinky routine that earned 9.8 in the qualifying round and team final. When she landed on her backside after her first vault, she was out of the running, trailing in 17th place with one rotation to go. She finished in 12th place.
Gymnastics-Russia sweep four golds (1999-10-16)Gymnastics - Russia's Nemov wins two golds (1999-10-16)Gymnastics-Russia's Krukov wins gold, Ivankov bombs (1999-10-15)5 (11285)
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