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Perfect 10 Russian wins overall title at world championships
Posted: Monday October 18, 1999 04:51 PM
OSAKA, Japan (AP) -- Alina Kabaeva of Russia was awarded her third perfect 10 points of the year Saturday on way to her first world rhythmic gymnastics title in the individual all-around event. Kabaeva scored a total of 39.924 points from four routines, while her closest rival, Yulia Raskina of Belarus, tallied 39.774 points for the silver medal. Winning the bronze was Russian Youlia Barsoukova, who had 39.723 points. Eva Serrano of France placed fourth with 39.632 points, followed by Ukrainian Elena Vitrichenko's 39.631. Vitrichenko was the world's individual overall champion in 1997. The 23rd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, the first of its kind ever staged in Asia, serve as a qualifying event for the Sydney Olympics next year. The Russians continued to dominate by winning the group competition later Friday with a total of 39.500 points. Greece was second with 39.466 points and Belarus third with 39.433. Countries that placed eighth or better all qualified for the group event in the Olympics. They included Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France. In addition to the eight countries, two additional teams will be determined by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in consultation with continental unions. The FIG on Friday announced 19 of 24 individual berths for the Olympics next year, based on the results in the preliminary round of the team competition held Wednesday and Thursday. The berths included two each from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Germany and Spain, and one each from France, Bulgaria, Japan, Greece, Israel, Italy, Poland, Hungary and Finland. The remaining five individual berths will include one each from Africa, the American continent, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The announcement also said that men's artistic, women's artistic and, for the first time in Olympic history, the "flying men" of trampoline will compete for their tickets to Sydney in their respective world championships. The 16-year-old Kabaeva, dancing first with the ribbon and then with the rope, the hoop and the ball, charmed the audience at the Osaka Municipal Gymnasium with a flawless, acrobatic and graceful performance. The spectators whistled, roared and clapped hands throughout each time Kabaeva danced with a skillful handling of the apparatus. When the Russian star received the rarely given perfect mark for her last routine with the ball, her specialty, a long ovation followed. It was Kabaeva's second gold in the championships. She shared a team victory on Friday with her fellow Russians. On her way to that triumph, Kabaeva scored 10 points for her role with the ball. She had done the feat earlier, with her winning performance as the defending champion at the European Championships in May at Budapest. "I'm totally satisfied with my performance today, and I'm glad that I was able to win the gold," said a jubilant Kabaeva. "Before my last routine with the ball, I did some image training, telling myself that I can do it better and nicer for the big title," she said. "That helped me, I guess, and I got the 10 points and the gold." "After Sydney? Well, I would like to return to the Olympics in 2004, depending on my health and fitness at the time," Kabaeva declared. There are five different hand apparatus used in rhythmic gymnastics -- ropes, hoops, balls, clubs, and ribbons. Four of them are used in the individual competitions, one at a time. The group competitions in Osaka included one routine performed only with five pairs of clubs for five gymnasts in each group, and another routine performed with a combination of two hoops and three ribbons. Six more individual and group competitions take place on Sunday, the final day of the six-day event. Osaka, Japan's largest industrial complex located near the ancient capitol of Kyoto, is bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games.
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