China Takes Eight Tianjin Titles
The Chinese swept the women's competition, with superstar Cheng Fei taking golds on vault, balance beam and floor exercise.
Top uneven bars qualifier He Kexin withdrew from finals, citing exhaustion after two World Cup victories this season and the Chinese National Championships over the weekend. Teammate Yang Yilin, second in qualification, stepped up to win the title by a healthy 1.6-point margin of victory.
Canada's Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs won the silver, her fourth World Cup medal this year. Russia's Ksenia Afanasyeva, second to Cheng on vault, won the bronze (Shaposhnikova-half).
Cheng won beam over Russia's Kristina Goryunova, the bronze medalist on vault, and 2006 world champion Irina Krasnyanskaya (Ukraine).
Goryunova picked up her third medal of the day on floor exercise, finishing third behind Cheng and Yang.
Chen Yibing won still rings in TianjinThe Chinese men won all but two titles. Top floor exercise qualifier Zou Kai erred on floor exercise, leaving the title to Japan's Kohei Uchimura. Canada's Brandon O'Neill won the silver over France's Gael da Silva.
Three-time world champion Xiao Qin won pommel horse with a 16.375 (6.6 A Panel). Croatians Robert Seligman and Filip Ude, both medalists Sunday at the European Championships, finished second and third.
Two-time world rings champion Chen Yibing was also untouchable on his forte, scoring a 17.000 to win the title. North Korea's Ri Se Gwang won the silver with 16.525, and teammate Kim Jin Hyok tied Russia's Konstantin Pluzhnikov for the bronze with 16.350.
On men's vault — the only event the Chinese did not enter — Ri won the gold for North Korea. France's Raphael Wignanitz won the silver over reigning world and European champion Leszek Blanik.
The Chinese men finished first and second on parallel bars and high bar. Veteran Li Xiaopeng won parallel bars (16.775) over teammate Huang Xu and North Korean Kim.
"It is a fantastic feeling for me to hear the national anthem on the top podium once again," Li said. "I just cannot believe I am here competing on home soil again because I've been out of action for such a long time.
"I thought fans had already forgotten about me, but they just cheered for me and cried my name today. For me this is just like a dream and I feel I was reborn after coming back to the mat this time."
On high bar, Zou topped Li, who tied with Korea's Kim Ji Hoon for the silver.
The next stop in the World Cup circuit is in Moscow, May 29-30.
Click here to download detailed results.
2008 Tianjin World Cup
May 15, 2008
Women's Vault
1. Cheng Fei CHN 14.975
2. Ksenia Afanasyeva RUS 14.350
3. Kristina Goryunova RUS 14.062
4. Kang Yong Mi PRK 13.950
5. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs CAN 13.875
6. Nansy Damianova CAN 13.850
7. Dorina Boczogo HUN 13.825
8. Hiu Ying Angel Wong HKG 13.600
Uneven Bars
1. Yang Yilin CHN 16.925
2. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs CAN 15.350
3. Ksenia Afanasyeva RUS 15.075
4. Svetlana Klyukina RUS 14.825
5. Marta Pihan POL 14.800
6. Daiane dos Santos BRA 14.550
7. Koko Tsurumi JPN 14.500
8. Kristina Vaculik CAN 14.075
Balance Beam
1. Cheng Fei CHN 15.925
2. Kristina Goryunova RUS 15.675
3. Irina Krasnyanskaya UKR 15.525
4. Xiao Sha CHN 15.425
5. Ksenia Afanasyeva RUS 15.275
6. Kristina Vaculik CAN 15.000
7. Sanne Wevers NED 14.225
8. Koko Tsurumi JPN 13.575
Women's Floor Exercise
1. Cheng Fei CHN 15.550
2. Yang Yilin CHN 15.275
3. Kristina Goryunova RUS 14.400
4. Daiane dos Santos BRA 14.375
5. Kyoko Oshima JPN 14.350
6. Nansy Damianova CAN 14.275
7. Kristina Vaculik CAN 13.900
8. Daniele Hypolito BRA 13.075
Men's Floor Exercise
1. Kohei Uchimura JPN 15.925
2. Brandon O'Neill CAN 15.850
3. Gael Da Silva FRA 15.750
4. Zou Kai CHN 15.425
5. Kim Soo Myun KOR 15.375
6. Ri Se Gwang PRK 15.350
7. Wajdi Bouallegue TUN 14.550
8. Filip Ude CRO 14.425
Pommel Horse
1. Xiao Qin CHN 16.375
2. Filip Ude CRO 15.825
3. Robert Seligman CRO 15.725
4. Huang Xu CHN 15.550
5. Hoshi Yosuke JPN 15.100
6. Koen Van Damme BEL 14.675
7. Soo Myun Kim KOR 14.200
8. Alexander Kalabin RUS 14.075
Still Rings
1. Chen Yibing CHN 17.000
2. Ri Se Gwang PRK 16.525
3. Kim Jin Hyok PRK 16.350
3. Konstantin Pluzhnikov RUS 16.350
5. Samir Ait Said FRA 16.175
6. Alexander Kalabin RUS 15.650
7. Koen van Damme BEL 15.575
8. Jared Walls CAN 14.650
Men's Vault
1. Ri Se Gwang PRK 16.125
2. Wignanitz Raphael FRA 16.037
3. Blanik Leszek POL 15.787
4. Hung Shek Wai HKG 15.750
5. Alexander Kalabin RUS 15.712
6. Nguyen Ha Thanh VIE 15.525
7. Hau Trung Linh VIE 15.400
8. Mohammad Ramezanpou IRI 15.050
Parallel Bars
1. Li Xiaopeng CHN 16.775
2. Huang Xu CHN 16.525
3. Kim Jin Hyok PRK 16.075
4. Hoshi Yosuke JPN 15.775
5. Gael Da Silva FRA 15.500
6. Soo Myun Kim KOR 15.475
7. Phuoc Hu Pham VIE 15.125
8. Ha Than Nguyen VIE 15.050
High Bar
1. Zou Kai CHN 16.275
2. Li Xiaopeng CHN 16.100
2. Jihoon Kim KOR 16.100
4. Hoshi Yosuke JPN 15.750
5. Raphael Wignanitz FRA 15.350
6. Gael da Silva FRA 15.200
7. Aljaz Pegan SLO 15.075
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