INDIANAPOLIS — Meaghan Muller (Roswell, Ga.) narrowly missed advancing to the individual all-around finals during qualifying competition at the 1997 Rhythmic World Championship in Berlin, Germany, Thursday.

 

Muller posted a score of 37.298, placing her 37th overall. The top 30 advance to the finals, with a limit of two athletes per country. With six countries placing their third athlete ahead of Muller, she ended up missing advancement by only one place, with a margin of less than three-tenths of a point. Her best event was clubs, where she scored a 9.541. She did not score lower than a 9.229 in the four events.

Muller competed in two prior international events, both this year: She placed 29th in all-around at the XI International Tournament of Thiais in France, then won the bronze medal with John Roethlisberger and Shannon Miller at the International 3 on 3 Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth. She won the hoop and was seventh all-around at the 1997 Rhythmic National Championships. She is coached by Marina Davidovich of Atlanta International Rhythmic Gymnastics Center.

Alicia Albe (Germantown, Md.) placed 54th with a score of 36.814, recording a best of 9.528 with the clubs. Tara McCargo (Jacksonville, Fla.) was 58th with a 36.627; her best event also was clubs with a 9.416.
In team competition, the United States placed 21st with a score of 92.703. Russia led the field with a 99.011. The other seven countries advancing to the team finals were (in order of finish) Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy and Japan.
Russia placed its three athletes in the top four to dominate the qualifying competition. Natalia Lipkovskaia led the field with a 39.615. Ukraine’s Elena Vitrichenko was second with a 39.549, while Russians Yanina Batyrchina and Amina Zaripova were third and fourth with 39.530 and 39.373, respectively.

Individual All-Around Qualifying (to 15 plus USA finishes)

1, Natialia Lipkovskaia, RUS, 39.615. 2, Elena Vitrichenko, UKR, 39.549. 3, Yanina Batyrchina, RUS, 39.530. 4, Amina Zaripova, RSU, 39.373. 5, Magdalena Brzeska, GER, 39.351. 6, Edita Schaufler, GER, 39.331. 7, Eva Serrano, FRA, 39.265. 8, Teodora Alexandrova, BUL, 39.181. 9, Almudena Cid Tostado, ESP, 39.152. 10, Eugenia Pavlina, BLR, 39.131. 11, Tatiana Popova, UKR, 39.114. 12, Boriana Guineva, BUL, 39.081. 13, Viktoria Danova, BUL, 38.947. 14, Susanna Marchesi, ITA, 38.722. 15, Alba Caride-Costas, ESP, 38.555. 37th, Meaghan Muller, Roswell, Ga., 37.298. 54, Alicia Albe, Germantown, Md., 36.814. 58, Tara McCargo, Jacksonville, Fla., 36.627.

Team Standings (top 25)

1, Russia, 99.011. 2, Ukraine, 98.166. 3, Belarus, 98.044. 4, Germany, 98.027. 5, Bulgaria, 97.844. 6, Spain, 97.074. 7, Italy, 96.464. 8, Japan, 95.554. 9, Israel, 95.345. 10, France, 95.295. 11, China, 94.623. 12, Poland, 94.601. 13, Hungary, 94.332. 14, Canada, 94.243. 15, Romania, 94.039. 16, Czech Republic, 93.910. 17, Greece, 93.797. 18, Finland, 93.355. 19, Australia, 93.200. 20, Kazakhstan, 92.672. 21, United States, 92.703. 22, Korea, 92.535. 23, Estonia, 92.366. 24, Portugal, 91.834. 25, Brazil, 91.828.