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Gymnastics-Russia sweep four golds
1999-10-16
TIANJIN, China - Russia swept four of five individual apparatus golds at the world gymnastics championships on Friday, with Alexei Nemov winning the pommel horse and floor titles and Svetlana Khorkina salvaging her pride with gold on the asymmetric bars, Reuters reported. Elena Zamolodchikova, who won the all-round bronze medal on Thursday, took the vault title and China's Tianjin-born Dong Zhen delighted the home crowd by taking the gold on the rings. Khorkina, who handed Romania the team gold with a slip from the beam in the closing moments of Tuesday's final and finished 12th in the all-round final, won the bars gold with 9.837 for a graceful routine she has hardly changed in five years. ``Thank you everyone, I love you,'' said a beaming Khorkina. ``Tomorrow I will win the floor for you.'' Nemov, 1997 world champion and 1996 Olympic bronze medallist on the floor, defended his title with a routine that earned 9.787, and followed up with a strong 9.775 on the pommel to claim his two golds despite a recent back injury from excessive training. Nemov said his injury was so bad that he arrived in China not knowing whether he would compete in all the events. ``I even brought all my X-rays with me because I knew there would be lots of doctors here, French and German doctors,'' he said, inviting reporters to feel a hole in his spine. ``Back in August it was very, very painful. I could hardly walk,'' said Nemov, who finished sixth in the all-round individual competition. Zamolodchikova outclassed defending vault world champion Simona Amanar of Romania to take the gold with 9.718. Amanar won silver with 9.631, while her team mate Maria Olaru took the bronze with 9.593. Local hero Dong won the rings gold with 9.775, ahead of Szilveszter Csollany of Hungary on 9.737 and Dimosthenis Tambakos on 9.712. ``My performance was not too bad in general,'' said the modest 22-year-old Dong as a group of admirers clamoured for autographs. ``I'm delighted of course.'' Spain's Gervasio Deferr won the silver in the men's floor event with 9.75 while Xing Aowei of China took the bronze on 9.737. On the pommel horse, Marius Urzica of Romania took silver with 9.762 and Russia's Nikolay Krukov, who won the all-round gold on Thursday, won bronze with 9.750. Khorkina's bars coup upstaged impressive scores from China's women. Huang Mandan took the silver with 9.825, while team mate Ling Jie, a late replacement for veteran team captain Liu Xuan, won the bronze with 9.812.
1996 Olympic Medalists (2000-09-08)Romania's Raducan wins gold with flawless flying (1999-10-17)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)
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