Tuesday, 7 August 2012

Deng rises to claim gold on the beam

Getty Images / Getty Images Europe
Gymnastics News: Deng Linlin.


China's Deng Linlin saw off the challenge of team-mate and reigning world champion Sui Lu to claim Olympic gold on the beam.
Deng scored 15.600 to claim the title ahead of Sui in silver with 15.500 with American Alexandra Raisman claiming bronze following an appeal.
Raisman was the last gymnast to compete and scored 14.966 to put her in fourth place behind Romanian Catalina Ponor before her difficulty score was upped after an appeal.
It left Raisman and Ponor tied with 15.066, but the American claimed the bronze due to a higher execution score.
The result spelled heartbreak for Ponor, the 2004 Olympic beam champion, who retired in 2007 but returned to training last year in a bid to regain her title.
Reigning world champion Sui Lu of China was the first to compete ahead of Ponor and put together a smooth and controlled performance to set a big early marker of 15.500.
The Romanian challenger was up next and the 24-year-old looked assured before a distinct wobble left her with 15.066 despite a huge dismount.
In contrast, China's second gymnast, the diminutive Deng, looked rock steady and leapt to the top of the leaderboard with a beautiful routine.
Romanian Larisa Andreea Iordache took a tumble to end her medal hopes before Russia's Kseniia Afanaseva moved into fourth after an assured display.
New Olympic all-around champion Gabrielle Douglas looked hesitant then slipped off the apparatus in a below-par routine to finish in seventh place with Viktoria Komova also falling off the beam to finish last with 13.166.
American Raisman was the last to compete and mounted a strong challenge, finishing off with a double Arabian.
As Deng celebrated her win, Raisman launched an inquiry into her score, with the resulting increase in her difficulty tariff enough to snatch the bronze from Ponor.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Followers

Visitors

free counters

  © Blogger template AutumnFall by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP