Jiang wins women's all-around at Olympic gymnastics test

Jiang wins women's all-around at Olympic gymnastics test

Jiang Yuyuan of China competes on the beam during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 29, 2007. Jiang won the champion with a score of 61.225.


It was an almost flawless exhibition for Jiang as she led all four apparatuses in the big names devoid all-around finals.

Russia-born Daria Joura, the top finisher in qualification, earned Australia the silver medal in 59.800, 0.2 trailing her performance in Wednesday's qualifications.

The second-placed qualifier Bridget Sloan of the United States took the bronze, 0.575 adrift of Joura.

Jiang twice fell victim to the beam on Wednesday's qualifying round, but she recovered well to sweep through the finals.

"It's my third international event after the world championships and World Cup, so the result is really good," said Jiang, adding she feels better at the all-around and floor exercise events.

"You feel tense when you come up the apparatus. I try my best to keep calm and think over my routine before each rotation."

Jiang was the sole gymnast to reach the mark of 15 in the floor exercise. Her best score came from the uneven bars with 15.725 points, which was also the highest of the day.

The Chinese teen made her world championships debut this year, winning a team silver medal and placing fourth in the floor exercise.

Jiang's coach Xiong Jingbin rated Jiang's performance 85 points out of 100. "She got a quite difficult action in the beam, but consistency is not that assured. I hope she can improve it from competition with other top gymnasts," said Xiong.

Joura matched Jiang's vault score of 14.875. Joura placed 10th all-around at the world championships.

Jiang Yuyuan of China competes on the beam during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, China on Nov. 29, 2007. Jiang won the champion with a score of 61.225.


"It's a win-win situation. For the Beijing Olympics organizers, they check the stadium and we got a chance to get familiar with the Olympic venue," said Joura, adding she would like to share her Beijing experience with teammates back in Australia.

Sloan was only the alternate (non-competing) member of the American squad that won the team gold medal at this year's worlds.

Joura's teammate Lauren Mitchell, the fifth finisher of the beam at Stuttgart worlds, placed fourth in 57.700.

The 2005 world all-around champion Chellsie Memmel was anticipated to be among the leading contenders, but failed to make comeback announcement in fifth place.

Memmel stepped out of bounds twice in the floor exercise, obviously rusty after a long absence from international competition.

Since winning the 2005 world title, however, Memmel has been bothered by a shoulder injury. At the 2006 world championships, she placed first in all-around qualifications, but had to withdraw from the final because of the sore shoulder.

Memmel had not recovered in time to compete in this year's worlds. The Olympic try-out event was her first international appearance this year, but more needed to be done to prove she is still one of the top candidates for honors at next year's Olympic Games.
Jiang Yuyuan of China competes on the beam during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 29, 2007. Jiang won the champion with a score of 61.225.
Chinese teenager Jiang Yuyuan competes during the women's all-around at the "Good Luck Beijing" Olympic gymnastics test event in Beijing on Nov. 29.
Chinese teenager Jiang Yuyuan competes during the women's all-around at the "Good Luck Beijing" Olympic gymnastics test event in Beijing on Nov. 29.
Jiang Yuyuan of China competes on the vault during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China, on Nov. 29, 2007. Jiang won the champion with a score of 61.225.
Jiang Yuyuan of China competes at the Floor Exercise competition during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 29, 2007. Jiang won the champion with a score of 61.225.
Australian Joura Daria competes on the vault during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China, on Nov. 29, 2007. Daria won the second place.
Sloan Bridget of the United States competes on the Uneven Bars during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China, on Nov. 29, 2007. Bridget won the third place.
Sloan Bridget of the United States competes on the Uneven Bars during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 29, 2007. Bridget won the third place.
Sloan Bridget of the United States competes on the beam during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 29, 2007. Bridget won the third place with a score of 59.800.
Jiang Yuyuan of China prepares for the Uneven Bars competition during the women's individual all-round final of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Gymnastics Tournament in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 29, 2007. Jiang won the champion with a score of 61.225