Japan continued their success in Men’s gymnastics, dominating the Men’s All Around Final on Thursday with Hiroyuki Tomita and Hisashi Mizutori winning gold and silver ahead of Belarussian Denis Savenkov. Tomita brought Japan their first victory in the All-Around since Shigeru Kasamatsu won the title in 1974. [ USA’s Todd Thornton placed 20th in the All-Around. ]
The Men’s apparatus finals saw many elite gymnasts win their country’s first-ever World Championships title with stellar performances when it mattered the most – in finals competition.
Brazil won their first men’s World Championships title courtesy of Diego Hypolito who put together the routine of his life to win the Men’s Floor Exercise title in a competitive final. Canadian Brandon O’Neill won the silver medal ahead of bronze medallists China’s Liang Fuliang and Hungary’s Robert Gal – who won Hungary’s first medal on this apparatus in a World Championships.
Olympic Champion Dimosthensis Tampakos (GRE) and co–World Champion Jordan Jovtchev (BUL) failed to qualify for the Men’s Rings Finals, leaving Dutch specialisat Yuri Van Gelder to win the Netherland’s first World Championships gold medal in 102 years. Van Gelder dominated the final with a freakish display of strength and composure during his difficult routine. Russian Alexander Safoshkin and Italian Matteo Morandi were left with the minor medals.
China’s Xiao Qin was able to better the two silver medals he had previously won on the Pommel Horse and win China’s fourth gold medal on the apparatus at a World Championships. In a final where many of the gold medal favorites faltered, Qin was able to stay on the apparatus to win with the highest score in any event at these World Championships – a 9.850.
Romanian Ioan Silviu Suciu won the silver medal, after failing to medal in the last three World finals, while Japan’s Takehiro Kashima added a bronze to his collection – taking over as Japan’s most succesful medallist on this apparatus at World Championships.
Romania continued their dominance of Men’s Vault in the apparatus final, with Marian Dragulescu winning the gold medal while teammate Alin Sandu Jivan took the bronze. Poland’s Leszek Blanik won the silver medal – remaining the only Polish gymnast to have medaled on this apparatus at a World Championships.
Slovenia’s Mitja Petkovsek and Alijaz Pegan won the final two Men’s gymnastics medals on the last day of competition – writing themselves in the record books as the only two Slovenian gymnasts to have won a medal in World Championships history.
Petkovsek, competing first on the Parallel Bars, became the first Slovenia to win a World Championships medal, with thanks to the competition schedule, producing a strong Parallel Bars routine to win his first World title in four finals appearances.
Chinese veteran Li Xiaopeng finished agonizingly short of Petkovsek (a margin of 0.025) denying him his fourth consecutive gold medal in this event, while France’s Yann Cucherat won the bronze medal, his country’s first medal on Parallel Bars since 1950. [ Jason Gatson (USA) placed 7th in this event. ]
In a competitive High Bar Final, Pegan was able to hold his four-release routine together to win his first World title. For the second time, Cucherat finished behind a Slovenian in a final, this time picking up the silver medal while Ukrainian Valeri Goncharov won the bronze.
Many gymnasts completed a first for their country in Melbourne this week – including Botswana’s Kutlwano Mothibi made his World Championships debut and became the first gymnast from Botswana to compete at a World Championships.