The national Russian Championchips of artistic gymnastics took place at Sunday in Moscow.
To the first time the Junior European all-around bronze medallist (2004, in Amsterdam) Yulia Lozhechko won the national Russian title, followed by Elena Zamolodchikova.
Defending women's Russian champion Anna Pavlova, who placed first during Saturday's qualifications, made mistakes on uneven bars and on floor exercise (12th place)....

Anton Golotsutskov (Seversk) won the all-around men's title.
Second place went to veteran Yuri Kryukov, Sergei Khorokhordin won the bronze medal....

All-Around, MEN
1. Anton Golotsutskov (Seversk) 53.250
2. Yuri Kryukov (Moscow) 53.100
3. Sergei Khorokhordin (Barnaul) 53.000
4. Timur Kuzmin (Vladimir) 52.400
5. Ruslan Nigmadzhanov (Vladimir) 52.050
6. Dmitry Barkalov (Barnaul) 52.050

2005 Russian Cup for Apparatus
Moscow, March 7

Women's Vault
1. Anna Pavlova (Orekhovo-Zuevo) 9.350
2. Nadezhda Chikhirova (Moscow) 9.112
3. Tatiana Kazantseva (Volgograd) 9.094

Uneven Bars
1. Yelena Kokareva (Volzhsky) 9.387
2. Yulia Lozhechko (Bryansk) 9.212
3. Anna Pavlova (Orekhovo-Zuevo) 8.700

Balance Beam
1. Yulia Lozhechko (Bryansk) 9.325
2. Alyona Zmeu (Kogalim) 9.225
3. Anna Pavlova (Orekhovo-Zuevo) 9.188

Women's Floor Exercise
1. Nadezhda Chikhirova (Moscow) 9.050
2. Ksenia Afanasyeva (Tula) 8.813
3. Anna Pavlova (Orekhovo-Zuevo) 8.775

Specially the American women dominated the first artistic gymnastics world cup in history, which was held in the USA.
In absence of the stars from Romania and Russia three of five winners came from the host: Alicia Sacramone (vault), Chellsie Memmel (bars) and the former U.S. junior champion Nastasia Liukin, together with the Chinese top star Zhang, Nan on beam.
The only one European success went to the Spaniard Patricia Moreno (floor).
In men's category two Dutchmen surprised with three victories...

<< Nastasia Liukin's debut had been widely anticipated. Her father (Valeri) was a double gold medalist at the Seoul Olympics, her mother was the 1987 world champion in rhythmic gymnastics, and she's inherited their dazzling talents.
She ran away with the U.S. junior title the last two years, and likely would have been on the Athens Olympic team if she'd been old enough. The 15-year-old Liukin was first in prelims on both bars and beam, but she got off to a rough start Saturday. Going first on uneven bars, she fell on a release move. Throwing herself back and away from the top bar, she did a twisting somersault before catching the bar again.But she couldn't grab the bar with both hands, falling to the mat below. She scored an 8.875, finishing sixth.

Friday's Qualification Round
Americans dominated the women's competition of the 30th American Cup (Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY/USA), taking the top two qualifying slots in three of four events: Nastia Liukin (USA) earned held off teammate Chellsie Memmel to qualify 1-2 in both the balance beam and uneven bars finals.
Teammate Alicia Sacramone topped the list of qualifiers on vault. Other top qualifiers include Olympic bronze medalist Patricia Moreno of Spain who qualified first with a 9.475 on floor.

On the men's side the former U.S. junior champion Justin Spring (USA) qualified first to the men's high bar final .....Best on still rings and vaulting table are the two Dutchs, the specialist Yuri van Gelder, who got the highest score of the first day (9,675, rings) and the newcomer Geoffrey Wammes.
The other top gymnasts of men's qualifications were Tomislav Markovic (CRO) on floor, together with Olympic team gold medalist Hisashi Mizutori of Japan ,
Krisztian Berki (HUN) on pommelhorse and the Japanese Kazuja Ueda on parallel bars.

The 30th American Cup, to the first time a FIG World Cup competition, features more than 70 of the world's best gymnasts from 27 nations competing in an event finals only format. The top eight athletes from Friday's prelims advance to Saturday's finals. Athletes are competing for World Cup points to qualify to the bi-annual World Cup Final and for more than $46,000 in prize money.
source: us-gymnastics

R E S U L T S
>> Qualification:
Results, Women's Qualification

Results, Men's Qualification

fig-info--- After four days of meeting, both Men's and Women's Technical Committees have reached a decisive step in the formulation of the new Code of Points for Artistic Gymnastics. Although it has not yet been finalized, but it can already see the outcome.

Elements / Value
A= 0,10; B = 0,20; C = 0,30; D = 0,40; E = 0,60; F = 0,80; G = 1,00 value.

Jury A adds the value of these 10 elements, and moreover will award a 'credit' for each group of elements, also taking into account the connections that are applied only to specific apparatus. This total becomes score A.

Table of Difficulties - for elite and beginners!
It is interesting to note that both Presidents confirm that the Table of Difficulties will contain basic elements, in order to satisfy universal criteria, thus allowing the Code to be used both by the elite and beginners!

On the other hand, Jury B, made up by 2 or maybe 4 judges, will evaluate the routine according to its technical and artistic aspects, its execution, its composition, its aesthetics.
The judges will 'start' from a 'Magic 10.00' score, from which they will deduct penalties. At the end, they will introduce into the computer a score which will be added to the A score. Magical Formula
Gymnastics keeps its 'Magic 10'! This 'Oscar' will be awarded by Jury B to the gymnasts who will reach perfection, meaning that he or she has performed perform without any deduction.

Even better, Artistic Gymnastics is adding to its judging system a totally new dimension filled with emotion, that of the World Record!
In the future, the addition of scores A and B will be entered in a record book, just as in Track and Field.
The notion of 'a record to break' is born!
During the next Cycle, Artistic Gymnastics competitions will be emotionally charged with a double challenge for each gymnast: to reach the '10' in Execution and break a new World Record.
An expectation that will be shared by the spectators and the Medias.
Source: fig website

Just now the organizers of the next world cup '29th TOURNAMENT OF MASTERS' in Cottbus registered the signing up of all the Romanian superstars, like double Olympic champion Catalina PONOR, Olympic vault champion Monica ROSU and the members of the men's Olympic bronze team and 'Number ONE' of the GYMmedia World Ranking List Marian DRAGULESCU, pommelhorse legend Marius URZICA., but also Ioan SUCIU....

So more than 130 athletes from 44 countries will come to Cottbus...
>>... read more on www.turnier-der-meister.de

fig-info --- The FIG Authorities will meet in Zurich (SUI) February 20- 27 to work on the first agenda of the new Executive Committee of the 2005-2008 Olympic cycle. On the occasion of this first meeting on routine business, President Bruno Grandi (ITA) will urge each of his colleagues to show wisdom, common sense, and creativity. He will also remind them that, in response to the events that have marred the OG 2004 in Athens, the FIG has publicly made serious commitments, which must now be honored.
>> Read more on the F.I.G. website

Romania's gymnastics federation won't hire another head coach to replace Octavian Belu amid hopes he'll return, officials said.
“We'll keep the head coach position vacant until Belu solves his problems,'' said Adrian Stoica, the federation's secretary general.
Belu and his assistant, Mariana Bitang, resigned one week ago....

Ponor and Rosu continue their training...
Two top gymnasts who threatened to quit the sport after Belu's resignation – triple-gold medallist at the Athens Olympics Catalina Ponor and double-gold medallist Monica Rosu – have decided to continue their careers and are training at the team base in Deva, Stoica said.

Belu has coached the team since 1981, taking over after famed coach Bela Karolyi defected to the United States.
He coached Romania to 272 medals – including 104 golds – in Olympic, world, European and other top competitions.
The embattled coach has been questioned by prosecutors over claims by former gymnast Oana Petrovschi that he took some of her winnings from exhibitions events.
Belu has acknowledged taking the money, saying that it was customary for coaches to earn a share gymnasts' winnings when they took part in exhibition events.
source: the star

First FIG World Cup event in USA
International artistic gymnastics stars continue to throw their names in the ring for the 2005 American Cup at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Long Island) on February 26. The 30th anniversary of the American Cup is one of the most traditional international top sport event with different formats in history....

The men’s line-up received a boost with the addition of athletes from Japan, Slovenia, Finland, Spain and Hungary.

Olympic all-around fifth-place finisher Rafael Martinez of Spain is joined by five-time World Cup rings gold medalist Yuri Van Gelder of the Netherlands, nine-time World Cup parallel bars gold medalist Mitja Petkovsek of Slovenia, World Cup Final floor bronze medalist Robert Gal and two-time pommel horse World Cup gold medalist Krisztian Berki of Hungary, former high bar world champion Jani Tanskanen of Finland, five-time World Cup floor gold medalist Diego Hypolito of Brazil, and Olympic team gold medalist Hisashi Mizutori of Japan.

>> Participating Athletes

>> Women's working order

Previously announcing their participation were Olympic all-around bronze medalist Zhang Nan and Olympian Cheng Fei of China, and Olympian Soraya Chaouch of France, along with two-time Olympic medalist Jordan Jovtchev of Bulgaria, and Olympians Pierre Yves Beny and Yann Cucherat of France, and Evgeni Sapronenko of Latvia.

The event launched the international careers of many world-class competitors, such as Bart Conner, Kurt Thomas, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar, Shannon Miller, Blaine Wilson, Kerri Strug and Carly Patterson.

... more information
>> Date, Location, Schedule

WORLD CUP Cottbus 2005
At the end of January already gymnasts from 41 countries and from all continents gave their announcement and declared their coming to the third worldcup of the new circuit (after DTB Cup 2004 and American Cup 2005)
- the '29th TURNIER DER MEISTER 2005', the first top event in Europe this year..

Tournament Director Sylvio KROLL is shure, that also the stars from China and Japan will come to Cottbus, also like the gymnasts of Romania and Ukraine.

February the 18th is the last date for the official announcement.

The number 9 of the 2004 US all-around championships, David Durante was the winner of the 2005 USA national start event of artistic gymnastics, the WINTER CUP, held in Las Vegas last weekend.
The 24 years old Durante (USOTC) topped Minnesota's Guillermo Alvarez and Houston's Todd Thornton.

International Gymnast reported, that the competition followed the updated FIG Code of Points, with each routine starting from a base score of 8.4. ...

FIG asks: 'WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!'
From now on, FIG is going to ask the specialists and insiders of modern artistic gymnastics on a regular basis what they think of certain current gymnastics issues : a decision, an event, a result, a change.
No matter what the issue - the general opinion interests the FIG....

REMEMBERING:

3 x 10 at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal :

The perfect score for Nadia Comaneci (Beam, Bars) and Nellie Kim (Floor).
Both the Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Codes of Points are currently being re-examined by the two respective Technical Committees.

F.I.G. is considering opening up difficulty, favouring execution and abolishing the mythical 'perfect 10'.
Source: fig