Five titles awarded at International Gymnastics Federation's Cairo World Cup 2024
The first of four World Cup competitions in 2024 brought drama and heartbreak as gymnasts seek Paris 2024 quotas
Artistic Gymnastics
The race to secure Paris 2024 quota spots in artistic gymnastics is officially on, as the first day of finals at the International Gymnastics Federation's Cairo World Cup saw five different gymnasts take the titles Saturday (17 February).
The Republic of Korea’s Ryu Sunghyun, the 2019 junior world floor champion, claimed the day’s first men’s title on the floor exercise, where he displayed his impressive twisting ability. He opened his routine with a unique front full to front triple full combination. His 14.070 was good enough for gold.
Cuba’s Diorges Escobar, 13.900, and Bulgaria’s Eddie Penev, 13.800, rounded out the top three.
Penev, especially, delighted in the result having started the day as the first reserve, but the withdrawal of Japan’s Tanigawa Wataru and a mistake riddled final from other competitors gave Penev the opportunity to earn valuable points toward a trip to Paris 2024.
The men’s pommel horse final was a star-studded affair with several accomplished athletes still seeking their quota to the Games, including Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al Soud, the 2022 world silver medallist on the event.
He delivered under pressure, earning the only score over 15.000 of the day, a 15.070 for the gold medal. Korea's Hur Woong was second at 14.930, with Kazakhstan's Zeinolla Idrissov coming up with a 14.800 for bronze.
It was heartbreak, however, for Filip Ude, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist on the event, who came off the apparatus in the middle of his routine. The error cost him a full point. He finished sixth with a 13.470. Ude is another pommel horse specialist yet to earn a quota to Paris.
That list also includes Tokyo 2020 pommel horse silver medallist Lee Chih-kai, who missed the final, finishing 11th in qualifying. He will look to rebound at next week’s Cottbus World Cup in order to keep his Olympic dream alive.
The first day of men's competition wrapped up on the still rings where the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Jong Ryong Il was the champion, earning a 14.600 for the gold. Armenia's Vahagn Davtyan and Italy's Salvatore Maresca earned matching 14.500 scores. Davtyan won the tie break to finish second, while Maresca settled for third.
The women’s vault final was missing a familiar face: Oksana Chusovitina. The 48-year-old missed the final after finishing ninth in qualifying, narrowing her pathway to a ninth Olympic berth.
Instead, it was a dominating performance from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's An Chang Ok. She took the gold medal with a 14.230 average score, more than .600 clear of second place finisher Valentina Georgieva of Bulgaria. Georgieva averaged a 13.620.
India's Pranati Nayak won the bronze medal.
In the final, An vaulted a clean Yurchenko double twist in her opening vault. Her second effort was a stuck Cheng (round off onto the board, half turn onto the table, front layout with one-and-a-half twists).
Second in qualifying, Denmark's Camille Rasmussen crashed her opening vault, receiving a devasting 0.000 score after the judges determined her feet did not land first. That dropped her to eighth place in the final.
On the uneven bars, the People's Republic of China's Huang Zhuofan was the winner, earning a 14.2300 for her clean and precise routine that featured two catch-and-release elements: a stalder to piked Tkatchev and a Jaeger. Huang finished fourth at the 2023 Worlds in Antwerp.
Teammate Luo Huan was second with a 13.970, while Great Britain's Ondine Achampong finished third (13.870).
Qualification leader Becky Downie of GB, a two-time Olympian, came off the bars on her Hindroff release element. She finished seventh.
Competition in Cairo wraps up on Sunday (18 February) with the men's vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar, and the women's beam and floor finals.