Belarus won its first-ever team gold in World Championships history, scoring 169.622. Second was the USA with 166.845. Ukraine finished third with 165.483.

"We did a nice job and nobody had mistakes," said Ivankov. "Nobody had big mistakes, and that is why we are the champions."

Defending world and Olympic champions China, who sent a team of newcomers so its top gymnasts could train for the upcoming Chinese National Games, finished fifth. Absent from the 2001 Worlds has been the Japanese team, who withdrew earlier this month, citing security reasons.

"Today we are the champions," continued Ivankov, "but the next time, we want to compete with the number one Chinese team and Japan, and do it again."

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships!

Romania finished first in the preliminaries with 146.646, over the USA (145.147), the Netherlands (144.149), and Russia (144.134).

Unlike the preliminaries, in which five gymnasts per team competed on each event (with four of the scores counting), the team finals involve only three gymnasts per team on each event. All scores will count, which could spell disaster for any team that suffers an injury to one of its gymnasts. (The men's finals on Wednesday afternoon's saw Korea eliminated from the medal hunt, when one of their gymnasts was injured on rings and they had to count his score of 0.00.)

Inspite of his team's comfortable margin of victory in the preliminaries, Belu said the team finals offer his team no advantage.

"Times have changed," Belu said. "It is not a surprise to see The Netherlands on the 'unofficial' podium. The U.S. also has a very motivated team. The finals will be a fresh competition."

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships!

Speaking after a pained performance in the women's team qualifiying competition, Zamolodchikova, limping on a swollen and bruised foot, said she would not be competing in the team final Wednesday. With her Russia team already down to five members after an ankle injury to Russian Cup champion Yekaterina Privalova, the team relied tonight on Zamolodchikova, in case of an injury to another gymnast. (In team preliminaries, five gymnasts compete on each event, with the best four scores counting. In finals, only three gymnasts will compete on each event and all scores will be dropped.) Zamolodchikova, the double Olympic gold medallist from the Sydney Games, did not qualify to the all-around or any event finals.

Zamolodchikova, 19, said she was unsure whether her foot was broken. X-rays were planned for Wednesday.

Zamolodchikova's teammate, Svetlana Khorkina, dismissed her team's fourth place result tonight. "This is just preliminaries," said Khorkina, currently the highest scorer in the all-around and in three of the four events. "The competition is ahead. In finals we shall fight."

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships!

This past weekend, Khorkina, the 1997 World Champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, bloodied herself when she landed heavily on her face on a tumbling pass. "Her nose is sore," said Pilkin, "but she has gotten her composure back."

As to why she took the fall, Pilkin simply pointed out the strenuus demands of the sport and its rules. "Gymnastics today is complicated," explained Pilkin. "The new Code of Points is hard, and the level of difficulty is going up, so there are lots of falls."

(Also taking an ugly fall last week was the USA's Mohini Bhardwaj, who severely skinned her nose and forehead when she peeled off uneven bars on a freehip and struck her face on the bar).

Khorkina's teammate Yelena Zamolodchikova, whose podium training was hindered by an injury, trained all her tumbling on Saturday and is also ready to compete.

"Everything is normal for her," said Viktor Gavrichenkov, coach of Zamoldochikova's teammate Natalia Ziganshina.

The Russian team will begin competition Tuesday, competing in the seventh subdivison of the women's team and individual qualifications.

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships!

"We have a Russian saying," said Nemov, who competed four events for his team. "'When we are down, we try to look up.'"

Competing in the second subdivision, Russia suffered errors on every event. (See competition report for details.) Nemov cited various reasons for the team's inconsistency, from the new Code of Points to the team's early draw. "We were too early in the morning," he said. "But of course we did our best to get ready but you know what happened. We had a lot of mistakes."

Russia was also hampered by various injuries to its team members. Two-time Olympian Yevgeny Podgorny watched from the sidelines, having injured his elbow on Thursday in podium training, and world champion Nikolai Kryukov is limited by a back injury. Additionally, team member Yevgeny Krylov strained ligaments on his leg in podium training.

"Half the team is injured, so we couldn't do much," continued Nemov, who rated his own preparation level at about 65%. "Nobody could expect much success in this situation, but we did our best and hope for the best."

The top eight teams from the Sunday and Monday's qualifications advance to Wednesday's team finals, where the scores start over from zero.

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships!

The Romanian women's team nailed routine after routine in podium training, and looked confident and fit. As a team they had the most consistent performances with very difficult routines. Three Romanians (Andreea Raducan, Silvia Stroescu, Andreea Ulmeanu) tumbled double layouts on floor exercise, and three (Raducan, Sabina Cojocar, Carmen Ionescu) consistently stuck their full-twisting somersaults on balance beam.

Raducan looked fitter than she has in recent months, though the left knee she injured this past summer remains taped. She worked most aggressively on balance beam, sticking her acrobatics and double pike dismount.

Also appearing in good shape Friday on the podium was the Spanish women's team, with excellent routines from Sara Moro and Elena Gomez.

Competing in Ghent without a team - but still in contention for individual medals - were Oksana Chusovitina (UZB) and Sun Xiaojiao (CHN). In podium training Chusovitina looked as fit as she has all year, and threw a high level of difficulty. On floor she tumbled a full-twisting double layout, and she vaulted both a tucked Rudi and a layout front-full vaults. Her dismount from uneven bars was giant-full, hop full, full-twisting double layout. Sun appeared sluggish on most of the events but was spectacular as expected on balance beam.

The Australian women trained in the final session tonight, and looked much improved as a team on vault, and showed some well-choreographed floor exercise routines.

The Russian women also performed confidently in podium training this afternoon, but injured team member Yekaterina Privalova was unable to train. With her ankle heavily wrapped, a limping Privalova provided assistance to her teammates by moving mats and chalking up the bars.

The rest of the Russian team looked in top shape with the exception of Yelena Zamolodchikova, who tumbled only layouts during her floor exercise to save her own injured limb. Zamolodchikova worked aggressively on balance beam in her trademark style, adding a new full-twisting back handspring, back handspring, layout stepout, and back tuck to Rulfova. With her injury, Zamolodchikova may be limited in Ghent and may not attempt the new Yurchenko triple-full she has been seriously training since summer. The team trained under the watchful eyes of head coach Leonid Arkayev and Marina Bulashenko, with personal coaches Boris Pilkin, Nadezhda Maslennikova, and Viktor Gavrichenko offering guidance.

Svetlana Khorkina, 1997 world all-around champion, received the warmest applause from the sparse audience at the Flanders Sports Hall for her floor routine; using her Olympic routine from 2000, Khorkina tumbled a tucked full-in and whip-triple twist. The four-time world champion on uneven bars, Khorkina consistently performed her difficult routine on that event.

Russia's Natalia Ziganshina and Maria Zasypkina, both competing in their first world championships, also trained well, especially on beam where they tossed standing Arabian somersaults. Beam and bars specialist Lyudmila Yezhova performed flawlessly on beam with a difficult and elegant routine, but was inconsistent on bars, flying off the apparatus repeatedly.

In the same session as Russia was the Mexican team, led by the explosive Brenda Magaña. On uneven bars, Magaña performed a full-twisting Gienger (Def) and landed her triple back dismount. She also tumbled a double layout, Arabian double front, and piked-full in on floor exercise, and threw a Podkopayeva on vault.

A united American women's team kicked off their podium training with a team huddle, and performed solidly, making few errors. The U.S., loudly cheered by a large American delegation in the audience, looked to all be in great shape and was one of the few teams to formally perform complete routines. Though only one team member, Mohini Bhardwaj, has world championships experience, all the U.S. women looked confident and secure. Bhardwaj, a 1997 Worlds competitor, made a strong return (despite a large welt on her forehead from a bad crash), showing a new double layout, punch front on floor exercise.

U.S. national champion Tasha Schwikert and national runner up Tabitha Yim also looked in good shape and ready for competition, with the latter receiving a hearty audience response to her dramatic floor routine.

Highlighting Friday morning's podium training was the performance of a reinvigorated Yevgenia Kuznetsova, formerly of Russia but now competing for Bulgaria. The four-member Bulgarian squad was led by Kuznetsova, a 1996 Russian Olympian and member of three Russian world teams (1995, 1997, and 1999), who is competing in her first major competition for Bulgaria since moving to the country this year. Kuznetsova, the 1998 European balance beam champion, performed beautifully on beam and on floor exercise, where she tumbled a piked full-in, 2 1/2 twist to punch layout-front-full, and triple twist.

Also performing well-choreographed floor routines in podium training were Canada's Kate Richardson and Crystal Gilmore, though both gymnasts struggled to land their tumbling.

In the first afternoon session, a seven-member Ukrainian team trained inconsistently but showed a high level of difficulty. 2000 Junior European medallist Irina Yarotskaya trained bars and beam only, skipping vault due to a heavily taped right ankle. Olga Roschupkina, 1999 World Championships balance beam bronze medallist, appeared in better shape than she had earlier this year and trained well on all events. On floor, Natalia Serobaba attempted a layout front punch double front pass.

IG Online will continue to report from Ghent, so check back for updates.

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships!

The gymnasts have been training all week at halls at the Flanders Expo, and today was the first of two days of podium training at the actual competition site, the Flanders Sports Arena.

Though Russia's Yevgeny Podgorny suffered an injury (extent unknown at this time) when he fell on high bar today, most of the teams trained successfully. A few highlights of the afternoon session included the strong American and Ukrainian teams, who both performed difficult routines consistently. The Ukrainian team, coached by 1989 World Champion Igor Korobchinsky, looked especially strong on floor exercise. Individual highlights came from previous world and Olympic medallists Ivan Ivankov (BLR), Jordan Jovtchev (BUL), Igors Vihrovs (LAT) and Jesus Carballo (ESP), who all looked prepared and worked aggressively. 1996 Olympic floor exercise champion Ioannis Melissanidis skipped floor but trained on vault, working Yurchenko and Tsukahara timers only instead of competition vaults.

The women's podium training begins Friday at 9:00 am. Romania, the defending team champions, have been one of the most consistent teams at the training gym this week. The American women, who hope to reply on consistency rather than high start values in their quest for a team medal, have also looked very strong in training. The Russian team has struggled in practice with Olympic gold medallist Yelena Zamolodchikova apparently suffering from injury. Her leg swollen and wrapped, Zamolodchikova has trained diligently nonetheless. Zamolodchikova's teammate Lyudmila Yezhova, a bars and beam specialist, has trained very consistently on those two events. Yekaterina Privalova (RUS) has submitted a new element to the WTC (Women's Technical Committee): a Stalder with legs together and it has reportedly received a "D" rating. Additionally, Mexico's Brenda Magaña has submitted a triple back dismount from uneven bars, which has received a rating of "Super E."

IG Online will continue to report from Ghent, so check back for updates.

"My athletic career has been defined by my Olympic experience, and I hope to be able to make a contribution to the IOC," she said. The next IOC board elections will probably take place in 2003.

Comaneci said she is eager to meet with new IOC President Jacques Rogge, when she attends the World Championships that begin this weekend in Ghent, Belgium. "Ghent is Mr. Rogges' hometown, and I am glad that he will be able to attend the competition finals," Comaneci said.

IG Online and IG magazine will be in Ghent covering the World Championships, so check back here for updates.

Read more about Comaneci in IG Online's Legends profile on her, by clicking here.

At the time of the crash, Sopper was en route from Washington, D.C. (where she had been working as a lawyer) to California, to begin her one-year coaching assignment at UCSB. She had planned to revitalize and restore the program that had officially been dropped by the university.

Marion Kminek, Sopper's mother, met recently with UCSB athletic director Gary Cunningham and university fundraiser Gil Picciotto to discuss saving the program. Although the university originally said the termination of the program was non-negotiable, Kminek said Cunningham and Picciotto finally agreed to let her try to raise the $5 million (half of which must be committed by March 2002) necessary to maintain the program.

"They were very cooperative," Kminek told IG.

Picciotto commended Kminek's efforts to restore the UCSB women's gymnastics program in the memory of her daughter.

"Should Marion be able to be the catalyst for support at that level, many of the hurdles that face UCSB athletics as a whole will be removed," said Picciotto, "and the department will be able to rethink its position on its ability to sponsor women's gymnastics."

All donations will be made to:

Mari-Rae Sopper Gymnastics Memorial Fund
c/o Harris Bank of Palatine
50 N. Brockway
Palatine, IL 60067
Attn: Eric Eimen

As reported last week, China will send a "B" men's team and only one woman to the World Championships, which will begin next weekend in Ghent. Instead, the country's top gymnasts are preparing for the Chinese National Games, which will be held next month.

"It's very interesting to know that the National Games are more important than the World Championships or World Cup," the source explained. "The reason is that, since each national team member has his or her home team, they will return to their home provinces to represent their home teams. And if they win, the bonus and other material rewards are even more generous than the World Championships and the Olympics. Whenever they are in the year of the National Games, the world championships of individual sports such as track and field, swimming and gymnastics will suffer."

Earlier this year, China entered an inferior team at the World Track and Field Championships, according to the source. The team's mediocre results there were "because most of the top Chinese athletes were not willing to represent their country, and were afraid of being injured so that they would not be able to represent their home provinces," explained the source.

In addition, sports authorities in the athletes' hometowns do not want them to compete for the country in major competitions so close to the National Games "because their victories (at the National Games) will boost the ranking of their home provinces, which will be decisive to the future of the sports authorities after the National Games," said the source. "This is quite 'Chinese,' but it's really the main reason why China is sending only a young team to Belgium."

IG will be reporting from Ghent, so check back here for updates.

For an index of IG Online and IG magazine's coverage of Chinese gymnastics, click here.

"The team has been very cohesive, so although we have some inexperienced girls, they are working well together," said Liz Chetkovich, head of gymnastics at the Western Australian Institute of Sport, where team member Allana Slater trains.

Slater placed ninth all-around at the last World Championships, held in Tianjin in 1999. There, the Australian women placed fifth - their best team finish in Worlds Championships history.

"Allana has found her 'old self' again, and has had a very good preparation for Worlds," Chetkovich told IG.

Reigning Australian national all-around champion Jacqui Dunn is also expected to lead the team in Ghent.

IG will be reporting from Ghent, so check back here for updates.

Kabayeva, winner of yesterday's all-around title, won three more gold medals tonight, taking the titles on rope, ball, and clubs. Kabayeva nearly swept the golds here in Madrid, but when she dropped the hoop at the end of her routine in today's final she ceded that title to teammate Chaschina by .05. On Friday, Russia also took the gold medal in the team competition.

Chaschina won the hoop gold and three silvers behind Kabayeva tonight. In addition, she was awarded the "Prize for Elegance" by Swiss watchmaker and FIG sponsor Longines. (1997 World Champion Yelena Vitrichenko, FIG President Bruno Grandi Paloma del Río of Spanish television station TVE, and Longines president Walter von Kaenel were the jury who decided the winner of the prize, which is awarded to the competition's most elegant gymnast.)

Ukrainian Tamara Yerofeyeva, yesterday's bronze medallist in the all-around competition, won a second bronze tonight when she placed third with the rope. The remaining three bronzes went to Bulgaria's Peycheva, who returned her country to the World Championships medal stand for the first time since 1996.

The FIG announced today that Ukrainian judge Tatiana Litovko has been expelled from the FIG's select pool of judges, having committed what the FIG called "serious judging mistakes." "The Technical Committee, chaired by Mrs. Egle Abruzzini (ITA) has analysed all judges marks given to Tamara Yerofeyeva (UKR), ranked 3rd and Simona Peycheva (BUL), ranked 4th and came to the conclusion that serious judging errors were made," read an FIG press statement. An appeal by Litovko was rejected.

In addition to the red-carded Litovko, three other judges - Bulgarian Giurka Gancheva, Great Britain's Heather Richards and France's Betty Lhoste - received warnings in the form of yellow cards. A second yellow card is equal to a red card, which means automatic expulsion.

"With the exception of the above mentioned case," continued the FIG statement, "the judges present in Madrid have made an excellent job, proving that the new system put in place by the FIG is working and respects the spirit of fair play and the code of ethics. The FIG and its President Bruno Grandi are proud of this attitude. The exemplary sanctions underline the willingness of the FIG in its fight against biased judging and corruption among the judges and to preserve the spirit of fair play and ethics to the benefit of the gymnasts."

World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
Madrid, Spain

Rope Final
1. Alina Kabayeva RUS 27.925
2. Irina Chaschina RUS 27.250
3. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 26.025
4. Simona Peycheva BUL 25.950
5. Anna Bessonova UKR 25.700
6. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 25.000
7. Elizabeth Paiseva BUL 24.575
8. Inna Zhukova BLR 24.400

Hoop Final
1. Irina Chaschina RUS 27.500
2. Alina Kabayeva RUS 27.450
3. Simona Peycheva BUL 26.175
4. Anna Bessonova UKR 25.900
5. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 25.700
6. Almudena Cid ESP 24.750
7. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 24.400
8. Inna Zhukova BLR 24.225

Ball Final
1. Alina Kabayeva RUS 27.950
2. Irina Chaschina RUS 27.275
3. Simona Peycheva BUL 26.625
4. Anna Bessonova UKR 26.100
5. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 25.700
6. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 25.250
7. Laura Zacchilli ITA 24.700
8. Inna Zhukova BLR 23.600

Clubs Final
1. Alina Kabayeva RUS 28.375
2. Irina Chaschina RUS 27.525
3. Simona Peycheva BUL 27.275
4. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 25.725
5. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 25.600
6. Anna Bessonova UKR 25.325
7. Alyona Osyadovskaya BLR 25.325
8. Elizabeth Paiseva BUL 25.000

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

The vocal Spanish audience, made up largely of teenage girls, have been packing the hall at Parc Juan Carlos I since Thursday, when the World Championships began. Their faces painted with the red and yellow flag of Spain, they wave flags and banners and stamp their feet in rhythm. Dozens of stuffed animals and roses are thrown onto the mat when the audience is pleased with a routine - a practice which continues despite announcements saying throwing objects is forbidden. Cheering and chanting, their antics make them likely the wildest gymnastics audience in the world.

With their chanting and rhythmic foot stamping, the noise level steadily builds until it explodes when their favorite gymnasts walk out onto the floor. Alina Kabayeva, who has won the hearts of rhythmic fans around the world, owns the Spanish crowd here in Madrid. On her way to winning her second all-around title Saturday, Kabayeva responded to the screaming audience after her routines, prancing and flirting.

But even surpassing the popularity of stars Kabayeva and Irina Chaschina is that of the home Spanish team, led by the crowd's beloved Almudena Cid. During Friday's team finals (which was held in two separate stands simultaneously in the same hall), throngs of Spanish fans went sprinting across the hall to watch their team perform their final event. With the seats already taken, hysterical fans climbed the stands from the outside and sat on each others' shoulders to get a glimpse of the action.

The crowd appears to be as knowledgable about rhythmic as they are rabid about it. The audience members, many wearing t-shirts with the names of their own home gyms, respond not just to dramatic throws and catches but to simpler moves as well. The exquisite turns of Ukrainian Tamara Yerofeyeva, performed on the tips of her toes, elicited deafening screams yesterday.

The affection of the crowd is not just reserved for competing gymnasts. One more than one occasion, the audience chanted the name of former star Larisa Lukyanenko, now a coach for Belarus, until Lukyanenko responded with a wave. Recently retired gymnasts Eva Serrano (FRA) and Yelena Vitrichenko (UKR) have been similarily serenaded.

FIG President Grandi, touched by the audience interaction, thanked them after Saturday's all-around final. Their record-level antics and passion made them not just an audience but participants, said Grandi, calling them a "show within a show."

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

Kabayeva began with a mistake on rope in the first rotation, eliciting gasps from the audience when she fumbled with the apparatus, scoring 27.850. After she nailed her routine with the hoop - the apparatus she dropped at the 2000 Olympics - Kabayeva performed an impromptu victory dance for the adoring Spanish crowd.

Kabayeva's golden performance also included a 28.250 on ball (where she pumped her fist triumphantly after her final pose) and a 28.550 with clubs in the fourth rotation. Though she didn't perform the spectacular throws and catches Chaschina had done with the clubs, her routine to Russian folk music nevertheless brought the audience (which included her parents) to its feet in ovation.

"Of course I'm very happy with my performance here, but I still have not forgotten the Olympic Games in Sydney," said a thrilled Kabayeva, when asked if she still thought about her bronze medal-winning performance at last year's Olympics. "I again thank my coaches, Irina Viner and Vera Shatalina."

Chaschina, Kabayeva's chief rival for the title, took the first round lead with a strong hoop routine, but committed errors on two events. Looking less sharp than she had in the previous days of competition in Madrid, Chaschina appeared to stumble out of several turns during her rope and ball routines, scoring 26.850 and 26.625 respectively.

With the gold and silver medals spoken for by the dominant Russian duo, the competition for the bronze medal was hotly contested between Bulgarian Simona Peycheva and Ukrainian Tamara Yerofeyeva. In third place after three rotations, Peycheva lost the medal by .075 when her ball routine was given 25.550 and Yerofeyeva's rope routine received 27.125.

Despite extensive efforts by the FIG to curb biased judging in rhythmic gymnastics, the all-around scoring in Madrid was not without controversy. In the third rotation, one judge gave Yerofeyeva's clubs routine a 7.70 in artistic value but marked Peycheva's clubs routine as 9.00 in that category; in the fourth and final rotation, another judge suspiciously gave Peycheva's ball routine a 7.70 for artistic value while awarding Yerofeyeva's rope routine a 9.05 in artistic value. (The nationalities of individual judges were blocked out on the official results; instead, all judges were simply denoted as being from the FIG.)

"Generally I'm very satisfied," said FIG President Bruno Grandi, when asked about the judging. "But after every major FIG event there is always an analysis [of the scores] in order to make improvements."

The competition concludes Sunday with the event finals.

World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
Madrid, Spain

All-Around Final (top 12)
1. Alina Kabayeva RUS 113.025
2. Irina Chaschina RUS 109.750
3. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 106.225
4. Simona Peycheva BUL 106.150
5. Anna Bessonova UKR 103.575
6. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 101.200
7. Elizabeth Paiseva BUL 96.875
8. Inna Zhukova BLR 96.850
9. Almudena Cid ESP 96.775
10. Aliya Yussupova KAZ 96.700
11. Zhong Ling CHN 96.250
12. Laura Zacchili ITA 95.225

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

The Bulgarian team finished fourth yesterday at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Madrid, missing the bronze medal by a little over half a point. Dukova, disappointed that her team was not on the podium, told IG yesterday she felt the judges have forgotten how to put Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts on the medal stand.

The Bulgarian rhythmic program once dominated the sport, sweeping the all-around medals at the 1981, 1985, and 1987 World Championships. Bulgarian rhythmic has suffered with cuts in funding and the departures of many top coaches, and Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have have won all the gold medals at World Championships and Olympic Games since 1995. 1995 was the last time a Bulgarian gymnast won an individual gold medal at the World Championships, when Bulgarian Maria Petrova won her third consecutive all-around title.

Dukova said she hopes Peycheva will lead a new generation of Bulgarian gymnasts capable of rivaling the gymnasts from the former Soviet Union for gold. "We all realize that our only chance is to be consistent," she said of the Bulgarian game plan. "If next year we can present a very high-quality team, I think that sooner or later we can convince the judges that we deserve more in gymnastics."

Peycheva scored the third highest individual total in the team competition in Madrid, and will contest for a medal today in the all-around competition. When asked if she also disagrees with the results, Peycheva replied, "It's not for me to judge the judges."

Hoping Peycheva can win Bulgaria´s first individual gold since Petrova, but unhappy with the scores the Bulgarian team has received in Spain, Dukova told IG, "I don't think it will happen in Madrid at these World Championships."

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

With a score of 275.900, team Russia led a former-Soviet sweep of the medals, sharing the podium with Ukraine and Belarus. Host nation Spain finished fifth.

Kabayeva rejoiced in victory, and said her focus remains on the continuing competition in Madrid. "I'm very glad, and I want to thank our coach Irina Viner," said Kabayeva. "But Irina [Chaschina] and I cannot relax yet, because tomorrow and the day after tomorrow we continue the competition."

Kabayeva qualified first to the all-around and scored the highest in three of the four events. Kabayeva anchored her Russian team on all the apparatus but clubs, where Chaschina took the highest score. Kabayeva managed to take the top score on rope despite struggling with the apparatus, visibly stumbling several times.

Ukraine, fourth after the first day of competition, moved up two spots today to claim the silver medal. When asked if they were nervous about finishing outside of the medals, team captain Tamara Yerofeyeva said, "We don't think about medals, we only think about doing the best we can."

Belarus swiped the bronze medal from a bitter Bulgarian team by a margin of .525, despite the efforts of Bulgaria's Simona Peycheva, who was the third highest scorer of the team competition. Peycheva's coach, Marietta Dukova, was disappointed in the results, saying she felt her team belonged among the medallists. "I think that we deserved to win a medal," a disheartened Dukova told IG. "I also think that, unfortunately, the judges are out of habit of putting Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts on the podium."

Fifth-place Spain was led by two-time Olympian Almudena Cid, who told IG she was happy for her team but disappointed in her own performance today. Cid erred in both her routines today, dropping the clubs in the last rotation and knocking the ball out of the area when she failed to catch it between her legs after consecutive rolls. "I think we did well," she said. "As for me, my performance was not as good today but I hope to do better tomorrow."

Speaking after her clubs routine, Cid was frustrated but pragmatic. "I am very angry because clubs is a routine I have worked on a lot, and that was an element I don't normally miss. I think it was a bit of bad luck; had I missed an element that I sometimes miss in practice I would not be so upset."

A maximum of two gymnasts from each country can advance to the all-around and apparatus finals. The scores of Kabayeva and Chaschina so far in Madrid hint that the only color medal available to other gymnasts will be bronze. With Saturday's all-around finals set up as a Russian duel, Chaschina was asked if she could dethrone the reigning world champ.

"My goal is not to win," said Chaschina, "but just to do everything I'm capable of, and make my coaches proud of me."

World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
Madrid, Spain

Team Competition Finals Results (top 12)
1. Russia 275.900
2. Ukraine 258.875
3. Belarus 254.500
4. Bulgaria 253.975
5. Spain 235.300
6. Kazakhstan 229.375
7. Greece 226.575
8. China 225.350
9. Italy 225.150
10. Great Britain 219.475
11. France 216.425
12. Canada 215.950

Individual Rankings (total of top three scores)
1. Alina Kabayeva RUS 84.775
2. Irina Chaschina RUS 83.325
3. Simona Peycheva BUL 79.325
4. Lyaisan Utyasheva RUS 78.825
5. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 78.600
6. Anna Bessonova UKR 78.300
7. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 77.600
8. Inna Zhukova BLR 76.550
9. Alyona Osyadovskaya BLR 75.500
10. Elizabeth Paiseva BUL 75.050
11. Almudena Cid ESP 74.725
12. Yuliana Naidenova BUL 74.375

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

However, Kryukov was not among the world team members announced by Russian Gymnastics Federation president Leonid Arkayev on Wednesday. At a press conference held at Russia's Round Lake national training center, Arkayev said Russia's world team will consist of Alexei Bondarenko, Georgy Grebenkov, Yevgeny Krylov, Alexei Nemov, Yevgeny Podgorny, and Yuri Tikhonovsky. According to Arkayev, the gymnasts who will compete all events in the team preliminaries in Ghent will be Bondarenko, Podgorny, and Tikhonovsky, while 2000 Olympic all-around champion Nemov will compete only four.

Though China, the four-time defending team world champions in men's gymnastics, has stated its intentions to send only a "B" men's squad, Arkayev told reporters he is concentrating on the women's team.

"Even Arkayev is not thinking about the gold medal in the men's team competition," said IG's source, who attended the press conference. "He will try to fight in the women's competition."

The women's team was announced as Svetlana Khorkina, Yekaterina Privalova, Lyudmila Yezhova, Yelena Zamolodchikova, Maria Zasypkina, and Natalia Ziganshina. Khorkina, Zamolodchikova, and Ziganshina will compete all events in team preliminaries.

IG Online and IG Magazine will be reporting from Ghent, so check back here for updates.

For an index of IG Online and IG magazine's coverage of Russian gymnastics, click here.

Expected to lead the American team in Ghent are reigning national all-around champions Tasha Schwikert and Sean Townsend.

Meanwhile, Japan, which had previously withdrawn its team from the Rhythmic Worlds in Madrid, withdrew its artistic team from Ghent. "The Gymnastics Association announced today that the executive committee had decided to cancel the participation in World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Ghent, Belgium," read a statement on the federation's official website.

IG Online and IG Magazine will be reporting from Ghent, so check back here for updates.

Kabayeva took the highest two scores of the day, catapulting Russia to the top of the standings at the halfway mark of the team competition. With her difficult routines appreciated by both crowd and judges alike, Kabayeva looks set to defend her all-around world title on Saturday. Her teammates Irina Chaschina and Lyaisan Utyasheva were ranked second and fifth respectively as individuals.

Behind the dominant Russian team - ten points back - is the team from Belarus, led by Yelena Tkachenko. In third is the Bulgarian team, which is relying on the strong scores of Simona Peycheva, who is currently ranked third individually.

Ukraine, .325 behind Bulgaria, is currently in fourth place. Ukraine's top scorer was veteran Tamara Yerofeyeva, while Anna Bessonova suffered a break with her rope routine, failing to clear the rope on a jump.

Home team Spain trailed Ukraine in fifth place, with Almudena Cid in eleventh as an individual.

The team competition concludes Friday in Madrid, and serves as the qualification for Saturday's all-around competition and Sunday's event finals (scores do not carry over).

World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
Madrid, Spain

Team Competition (top 12 teams after one day)
1. Russia 164.325
2. Belarus 154.200
3. Bulgaria 152.500
4. Ukraine 152.175
5. Spain 141.175
6. Italy 137.250
7. Kazakhstan 135.375
8. Greece 135.250
9. Canada 131.600
10. Great Britain 131.425
11. France 131.025
12. China 130.900

Individual Rankings (top 12 after one day)
1. Alina Kabayeva RUS 56.850
2. Irina Chaschina RUS 55.225
3. Simona Peycheva BUL 52.975
4. Yelena Tkachenko BLR 52.500
5. Lyaisan Utyasheva RUS 52.250
6. Tamara Yerofeyeva UKR 51.875
7. Inna Zhukova BLR 51.300
8. Anna Bessonova UKR 51.050
9. Alyona Osyadovskaya BLR 50.400
10. Elizabeth Paiseva BUL 50.200
11. Almudena Cid ESP 49.975
12. Laura Zacchilli ITA 49.400

Click here for IG Online's special event coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

CGA chief Zhang Jian explained that the top gymnasts were tired after a long season of competitions, including the East Asian Games, World University Games and Goodwill Games. Zhang advised that the Chinese team preferred to concentrate their efforts on the National Games which follow Ghent, according to the source.

Instead, China intends to send a "B" men's team and only one female gymnast, Sun Xiaojiao, to Ghent.

IG will be reporting from Ghent, so check back here for updates.

For an index of IG Online and IG magazine's coverage of Chinese gymnastics, click here.

Carballo said he is looking to Moro, 17, to take the role from Martinez, who seriously injured her knee earlier this year and is beginning rehabilitation after surgery. According to Carballo, Esther Moya, who finished fourth on floor exercise at the 2000 Olympic Games, is not in top shape and may not compete that apparatus in Ghent.

At a workout at the Spanish national team training center in Madrid today, Moro appeared in excellent shape; she worked double-twisting Yurchenko vaults on the new vaulting table, and a new balance beam combination of back handspring, layout stepout, Rulfova. Moro said her goals for Ghent are good results from her team, as well as a strong all-around showing for herself.

The Spanish women's team will consist of Moro, Moya, Alba Planas, Anna Parera, Marta Cusido, and Elena Gomez.

Women's assistant coach Almudena San José said she couldn't predict where her team would finish in Belgium. "I don't know what to expect," said San José. "This is a post-Olympic year, and a lot of our older girls are a little injured."

Carballo, whose son Jesus Carballo Jr. is the reigning world champion on high bar, said he feels the FIG should have considered holding individual World Championships this year instead of having a full team competition. "I think most teams aren't ready for Worlds," he said.

Representing the Spanish men's team will be Carballo Jr., his younger brother Manuel Carballo, Victor Cano, Alex Barrenechea, Saul Cofino, Andreu Vivo, and Oriol Combarros. Absent from Ghent will be 2000 Olympic vaulting gold medallist Gervasio Deferr, who is suffering from a shoulder injury.

IG will be reporting from the World Rhythmic Championships that begin tomorrow in Madrid, as well as the World Artistic Championships in Ghent, so check back for updates.

Read more on the Spanish gymnastics program in a future issue of International Gymnast Magazine.

"Romania will participate with full teams for men and women," said Adrian Stoica, Secretary-General of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, and President of the FIG Men's Technical Committee. "Life is complicated and not nice sometimes, but must go on."

IG will be reporting from the World Rhythmic Championships that begin Thursday in Madrid, as well as the World Artistic Championships in Ghent, so check back for updates.

For an index of IG Online and IG magazine's coverage of Romanian gymnastics, click here.

"The Australian teams will be competing in Ghent unless there are any major developments between now and next week when they depart Australia," said Jane Allen, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Gymnastics Federation.

Expected to lead the Australians are reigning all-around national champions Jacqui Dunn and Philippe Rizzo, and 2000 Olympian Allana Slater

As reported on IG Online on Saturday, concern for athletes' safety was among the reasons for USA Gymnastics' withdrawal from the World Rhythmic Championships that begin October 18 in Madrid.

IG will be reporting from Madrid and Ghent, so check back here for updates.

Read about Rizzo as IG Online's Spotlight Gymnast for October 2001 by clicking here; and in a profile in a future issue of IG magazine.

The U.S. is still planning on sending a delegation to the artistic World Championships in Ghent. American coach Tim Garrison told IG earlier this week that "there was a renewed sense of patriotism" among the coaches and athletes. Garrison, who coaches World Championships team member Rachel Tidd, attended a training camp with Tidd at Bela Karolyi's ranch prior to the recent Pan American Gymnastics Union championships.

"The U.S. team is totally pulling together," observed Garrison. "Everybody was feeling that at the camp. The kids all pulled together, and the coaches were doing the same thing. Everybody seemed to be working for the best for the team. It didn't seem like anyone was looking out just for themselves."

The U.S. also cancelled planned training camps in Belgium and France for its artistic teams, which were scheduled to be held prior the World Championships in Ghent.

Inge Doens of the Belgian Gymnastics Federation told IG today that extra security precautions will be taken. "Belgian authorities are working hard on the safety of this event," said Doens. "There is permanent security for each delegation. The competition hall will be screened completely."

Watch for more updates on the World Gymnastics Championships, direct from Madrid and Ghent, here on IG Online.

According to a USA Gymnastics statement, Deci was training in Colorado at the Junior National Team Training Camp. While training pommel horse on October 11, Deci collapsed. He was taken to the hospital where efforts to resuscitate him failed. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed today.

"Ricky was a talented and promising young athlete who was full of life," said Dennis McIntyre, U.S. Junior National Team Coordinator. "He was a joy to be around."

"This is a real tragedy and loss for the USA Gymnastics family," said USA Gymnastics President Bob Colarossi in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky's family and friends at this difficult time."

"Russia has it all at the moment - a Queen: Alina Kabayeva, a Princess: Irina Chaschina, and a New Weapon: Lyaisan Utyasheva," said Marinova-Atkinson. "The quality of the Russian routines improved a lot after Sydney 2000; this became apparent in their scores wherever they have competed over the 2001 season. All they need is to be reasonably stable."

Marinova-Atkinson, a native of Bulgaria who now resides in Great Britain, said few nations will pose a threat to the Russians in Madrid, where the World Championships will be held October 18-21.

"As a class, closest to Russia is Ukraine," said Marinova-Atkinson, who earned a gold medal with the Bulgarian group at the 1971 World Rhythmic Championships in Havana. "Belarus will struggle without Yulia Raskina. The Bulgarians, with Simona Peycheva in particular, will show a stormy development of their new generation."

Like artistic gymnastics in 2001, a new version of the Code of Points is in place for rhythmic gymnastics. "The whole approach to evaluating routines and even the maximum score a gymnast can achieve have changed," explained Marinova-Atkinson. "The ultimate difficulty according to the old Code was 'D'. Now we see 'E' and even 'F' and 'G' elements."

Controversial scoring at the 2000 European Rhythmic Championships, held in Zaragoza, Spain, led to year-long suspensions for several judges. In an effort to prevent further judging scandals, a rigorous examination for judges was held in Moutier, Switzerland, this past July. From that exam, a selected group of judges was formed; only these judges will be allowed to judge at official FIG-sanctioned events.

"I don't expect any of those who were nominated to judge in Madrid to be as bold as many judges were in Zaragoza [in 2000]," said Marinova-Atkinson. "There might be some problems, but such problems as [seen] in Zaragoza are not likely to be seen in Madrid. The judges should have learned their lesson by now."

Watch for coverage of the 2001 World Rhythmic Championships, direct from Madrid, here on IG Online.

For a complete index of IG Online and IG magazine's coverage of rhythmic gymnastics, click here.

At last mmonth'sRomanian National Championships, Raducan was bumped to third place behind first-year seniors Sabina Cojocar and Silvia Stroescu, who tied for the gold medal.

1976 Romanian Olympian Anca Grigoras, now a Brevet judge, told IG it will be Raducan who fulfills the role as team leader for the young squad. Raducan, who turned 18 on September 30, is the oldest and most experienced member of the Romanian team, which also includes 15-year-old Carmen Ionescu, 17-year-olds Andreea Ulmeanu and Loredana Boboc, and 16-year-olds Stroescu and Cojocar (who turns 16 on October 23). Monica Sabou, 16, is the alternate.

Romania will attempt to win its fifth consecutive team title at the 2001 World Championships, which begin October 28 in Ghent, Belgium. It will be difficult to predict the outcome, says Grigoras. "This world championships will be an experiment with the new Code of Points," she said. "Like everybody else, we want to stay on the podium."

Watch for coverage of the 2001 World Championships from Ghent here on IG Online.

Read a feature on Sabina Cojocar in the November issue of International Gymnast Magazine. For a complete index of IG Online and IG magazine's coverage of Romanian gymnastics, click here.

López Rios, three-time winner of the larger Pan American Games, scored 55.475 to win the gold over his teammate, Charles Tamayo León (53.900 ). Winning the bronze was Puerto Rican Luis Vargas (53.875). The Cuban men were also victorious in the team competition, topping the USA and Puerto Rico.

The American women dominated the competition, winning the team title and finishing in the top three places in the all-around. Schwikert (37.765) led the American sweep of the all-around medals, finishing ahead of silver medallists Mohini Bhardwaj (37.398) and bronze medallist Tabitha Yim (37.165).

Pan American Union Championships
Cancun, Mexico

Women's Team Competition
1. USA 112.862
2. Brazil 111.362
3. Cuba 107.798
4. Mexico 106.629
5. Venezuela 105.596
6. Argentina 105.547
7. Canada 101.678

Women's All-Around
1. Tasha Schwikert USA 37.765
2. Mohini Bhardwaj USA 37.398
3. Tabitha Yim USA 37.165
4. Daiane Dos Santos BRA 36.898
5. Daniele Hypolito BRA 36.833
6. Heine Araujo BRA 36.382
7. Katie Heenan USA 36.350
8. Camila Comin BRA 36.149
9. Janerki De La Pena Zamora CUB 36.016
10. Eddylin Zabaleta VEN 35.782

Men's Team Competition
1. Cuba 163.625
2. USA 158.900
3. Puerto Ric 156.175
4. Brazil 154.975
5. Venezuela 154.250
6. Colombia 150.900

Men's All-Around
1. Eric López Rios CUB 55.475
2. Charles Tamayo León CUB 53.900
3. Luis Vargas PUR 53.875
4. Guard Young USA 53.150
5. Jorge Giraldo COL 52.800
6. Todd Thornton USA 52.000
7. Michel Conceicao BRA 51.950
8. Alexander Jeltkov CAN 51.700
9. Carycel Briceno VEN 51.700
10. Michel Brito Ferre CUB 51.600

"I have worked on this new vault since April," said the 28-year-old Zimmermann, who has won the Austrian all-around title six times. "First I tried to do the normal Roche (double front) with the half turn at the end of the jump, but I had a better feeling with the half turn after the first somersault. So, this new jump was born."

Zimmermann said he performed the vault at the Swiss Championships two weeks ago (where he competed as a guest), and again at last weekend's tri-meet among Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia. At the tri-meet, he scored 9.25 on the vault and won the all-around.

"I knew that it would be possible for me to do this new vault, since I made the first one this year in April," said Zimmermann.

Zimmermann, who has competed nine times at the World Championships, plans to compete at the 2001 World Championships that begin at the end of the month in Ghent.

For an index of IG Online and IG Magazine's coverage of Austrian gymnastics, click here.