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information: PRESS RELEASE |
24/3/2000 |
ROMANIA ADDS POTENTIAL TO GREAT COMPETITION
Simona Amanar - 1996 Olympic Vault Champion and many times World
Gold medallist, Andreea Raducan - the
uprising star who won the title on Floor at the 1999 Tianjin World Championships, and Marius Urzica- the Pommel Horse
master past-master, current World Cup holder on his crown discipline and many times World
and European medallist, will all represent Romania in Glasgow.
With Romania’s entry received at British Gymnastics, the number of Nations to be
represented at the 2000 Glasgow Grand Prix & World Cup competition grew to24.
(7/3/2000)
Russia are coming with their Mega Stars
Alexei Nemov, Evgeny Podgorny, Svetlana Khorkina and
Elena Produnova will compete in the 4th Glasgow Grand Prix in Scotland in
a competition that will be "the best ever" weeks prior to its beginning. Alexei
Nemov is Olympic Champion on Vault and with the Russian Team in Atlanta’96, bearer of
5 World titles and unanimously recognised audience favourite worldwide. His last victory
in the overall of the "World Stars" competition in Moscow (4th March) proved his
excellent form and readiness to
stay on the top of the scale throughout this important Olympic season.
Evgeny Podgorny is a 1996 Olympic Champion with the Team and excelled with victories on
Floor and Parallel Bars in the "World Stars" competition.
Svetlana Khorkina’s worldwide image is relevant to the one of Nemov. The Olympic and
four times world Champion on U.Bars, 1997 World Overall and 1998 European Overall
Champion, Svetlana, added a new touch of charisma in her last Floor exercise, that
provoked a number of comments and unanimous
excitement fom the spectators.
Elena Produnova is the female powerhouse of World gymnastics who dared to perform
(successfully!) the first ever Handspring double front on Vault (Tianjin’99 ). She
was the 1997 World Overall and Floor, Bronze medalist. Elena begun the new century with
remarkable victories in the American Cup
(February) and the "World Stars" (March)
The classy Bulgarian Jordan Jovtchev, 1999 World Bronze medallist in the Overall and
Winner on Floor in Glasgow Grand Prix’99 will this time be supported by the freshest
Bulgarian talent Christian Ivanov (4th place on High Bar at the 1998 European
Championships and Bronze medal at the 1999 Zurich
Grand Prix) and by the stable Vassil Vetzev (member of the Team in Atlanta’96 when
Bulgaria enjoyed 6th final position)
The names of two very strong gymnasts on Vault also appeared in List of Participants for
Glasgow Leszek Blanik (POL), European Silver medallist and 6th in the 1998 World Cup
Finals and Evgeny Sapronenko (LAT)- World Silver medallist on Vault (Tianjin’99).
The Ladies Judges group in Glasgow will grow even prettier with the Russian Lubov Burda-
Andrianova on place. She is 1972 Olympic Champion with the Team andmany times World and
European medallist.
UPDATE : 1/3/2000
China and France will take part in the Glagsow Grand Prix
competition for the first time since it was first organised in 1997; Ukraine
and Hungary will be represented by their top gymnasts. Confirmations of participation keep
coming to British Gymnastics and it seems that 2000 Glasgow Grand Prix & World Cup
Gymnastics will gather one of the most impressive fields so far.
China have confirmed the entries of the 1999 World Men’s Team Champions Lu Yufu (5th
in the overall at the last World Championships in Tianjin) and Huang Xu, together with the
up and coming talent Xiao Junfeng. Fanxiao Dong and Huang Mandan, who were the top female
gymnasts in the overall for their country in Tianjin (6th and 7th respectively), will also
compete in the Kelvin Hall, 14th-16th April 2000.
Ukraine’s line up is no less impressive with Victoria Karpenko - Overall Silver
medallist in the World Championships last October and one of the strongest competitors in
the world on Ubars. The new Ukrainian prodigy Olga Roschupkina, who won Bronze on Beam in
Tianjin.The current World Students Champion Oleksander Beresh together with Roman Zozulya
and Valery Pereshkura.
Hungary will once again aim for Gold on Rings with the 1998 World Cup holder and European
Champion on this apparatus-Szilvester Csollany and on Vault with Adrienn Varga, the 1998
European Champion in her crown discipline.
Nelly Kim, one of the brightest gymnastics stars in the past (she was the 1976 Olympic
Champion on Vault and Floor) will represent the FIG Women’s Technical Committee as a
Judge, as will the Canadian Hardy Fink (President of the FIG Men’sTechnical
Committee)
For updated information, please check the relevant page on the British Gymnastics
Web site: www.baga.co.uk or call British
Gymnastics on Tel: 01 952 820 330 |
