Great Britain's Harry Hepworth upsets Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat on first day of Cottbus World Cup finals
Algeria's history-maker Kaylia Nemour impressed in the uneven bars to take the title, while Oksana Chusovitina's Paris 2024 dreams continue to be in peril.
Last to compete in the men’s floor exercise final, Great Britain’s Harry Hepworth snuck past reigning Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel to take the title Saturday (24 February) at the International Gymnastics Federation's Cottbus World Cup in Cottbus, Germany.
Hepworth's 14.900 was just enough to take the win over Dolgopyat's 14.866. The Brit tumbled a double-double to open and followed it up with a full-twisting, double layout. He closed his routine with a stuck triple full. Dolgopyat, who competed in the first half of the rotation, stepped out of the area, incurring a .100 penalty, enough to make the difference and force him to settle for silver.
Ryu Sunghyun of the Republic of Korea finished third with a 14.366.
The men’s pommel horse title went to Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov, who delivered a spectacular routine for a massive 15.433, enough to hold off Ahmad Abu Al Soud of Jordan (15.300), a two-time world medallist on the event and the winner last week in Cairo. Korea’s Hur Woong also earned a 15.300 but lost the tie-break based on execution score and finished third.
Nikita Simonov grabbed the last men's title up for grabs on Saturday, earning a 14.700 for his routine on the still rings that included a stuck layout full out dismount. France's Samir Ait Said, 14.666, and Vahagn Davtyan, 14.600, rounded out the podium.
Kaylia Nemour wins uneven bars title for Algeria
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s An Chang Ok was victorious again, claiming her second gold on vault in as many weeks after also taking the title in Cairo. She vaulted a double-twisting Yurchenko and a Cheng for a 13.999 final average.
Valentina Georgieva of Bulgaria was second with a 13.399 average, while Karla Navas of Panama vaulted into third with a 13.383 average as the final’s last competitor.
Eight-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina's bid for a ninth Olympic Games remains in peril after she sat down her opening vault, a front handspring, front full, and finished sixth in the final. After finishing ninth at the World Cup in Cairo a week ago, Chusovitina will need spectacular performances in the final two events in Baku and Doha to earn a quota to Paris 2024.
Algerian history-maker Kaylia Nemour, the first African woman to win a World Championships medal in gymnastics, was in spectacular form Saturday. She executed her signature non-stop routine on the uneven bars, flowing from bar to bar with ease and power. Nemour dismounted with a stuck double layout to earn a 15.433 score and the event title.
Alena Tsitavets, an Individual Neutral Athlete, was second after scoring 14.100. Belgium's Maellyse Brassart finished third with a 13.700.
Competition in Cottbus continues Sunday (25 February) with the men's vault, parallel bars and high bar finals and the women's finals on the balance beam and floor exercise.