Ross Leads First Day of Worlds Qualification

Ross Leads First Day of Worlds Qualification
Written by Amanda Turner for International Gymnast Magazine \| Tuesday, 01 October 2013 16:29

(6 votes, average 4.33 out of 5)

Olympic gold medalist Kyla Ross (U.S.) grabbed a commanding lead in the all-around as women's qualification began Tuesday at the world gymnastics championships in Antwerp.

Competing in the first subdivision, Ross amassed 59.198 with scores of 15.166 on vault, 15.133 on uneven bars, 14.566 on balance beam and 14.333 on floor exercise.

Kyla Ross (U.S.) on floor in Antwerp

"I think the competition went really well today," Ross said. "My goal is to make the all-around finals, maybe bars and beam finals for my strongest events. I hit all of my routines, and I hope this is a good start for the Americans."

Ross, who competed two events to help the U.S. women win the team title at last summer's Olympic Games, thanked coach Jenny Zhang for keeping her motivated after London.

"She helped me a lot after the Olympics to achieve my goals," said Ross, who currently has the top score on balance beam. "It took awhile to get back into shape."

Chinese Olympian Yao Jinnan, the defending bronze medalist from the 2011 World Championships, competed in the second subdivision and tallied 57.965. Yao impressed on uneven bars with a beautiful routine that earned 15.433 (6.7 Difficulty score), but dropped off beam on her standing full.

Two-time Venezuelan Olympian Jessica Lopez is currently in third. She hit her double-twisting Yurchenko but missed her Tkatchev on uneven bars, her best event.

Lopez, 27, said she she is "frustrated" by a sore Achillies' tendon but more disappointed with her fall on bars. "The routine was going very well," she told IG. "It was much cleaner than in the past, and I think if I hit I could have been around eighth place and gone into the final, so yes it was disappointing."

Russia's Anna Rodionova sits in fourth thanks to an impressive and elegant beam routine, that included a stuck ff, tucked Arabian (14.466). Rodionova had been scheduled to do balance beam only, but competed all-around after a back injury forced Olympic medalist Maria Paseka out of the competition. Two-time world team member Tatiana Nabiyeva, who suffered a fall in training that left her with large bruise on her forehead, may compete uneven bars only on Wednesday.

2008 Olympic champion Hong Un Jong (North Korea) leads the qualification on vault (Amanar and Cheng), while Japan's Mai Murakami has the top mark on floor exercise. Murakami, competing in her first world championships, delighted with a double layout, tucked double-double, quadruple turn and triple twist dismount.

Competition continues Wednesday in Antwerp with three more sessions of women's qualification. Click here for results and start lists.

Follow IG Online on Facebook and Twitter for live commentary from Antwerp!

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Rachel T said:

	So sad the top stars aren't there I'm not trying to belittle the current gymnasts, but this certainly isn't an exciting field of gymnasts with Many of the tops stars being out of commission. I sure miss the 80's and 90's when the talent pool was so deep it could have been anyone's game. This is a boring year in my opinion.
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October 02, 2013
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Margaret said:

	... Kyla did a great job! Her early start in the first subdivision is worrisome but hopefully judging will be consistent throught qualifications. Here's crossing fingers Kyla makes AA, UB, and BB!
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