China claims first women's team title

时间：2006-10-19 06:14:09

（单词翻译:单击）


Gymnasts from China celebrate their gold medal win in the women's team final at the 39th Artistic1 Gymnastics World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, October 18, 2006. (Photo: Reuters)

 

AARHUS, Denmark, Oct. 19 - China claimed their second gold medal of the world gymnastics championships when they won their first women's world team title.

 

Defending champions the United States, led by all-around world champion Chellsie Memmel, had to settle for silver with Russia claiming bronze after the eight-team final.

 

It was the second gold for China in as many events and augurs2 well for their preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics after their men successfully defended their team title on Tuesday night.

 

The Chinese, bronze medallists at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, pulled ahead after their third rotation3 of four, the beam, when Zhang Nan and Pang4 Panpan went 1-2 to carry a 0.850 lead into the final round on floor where Cheng Fei gave the top performance of the night in that discipline.

 

Cheng, 18, admitted that the fact they had not been favourites had helped.

 

"Before the championship there was a gap between us (and the US)," said Cheng. "This was a good thing as it allowed us to practice without any pressure.

 

"With little pressure we were able to give a good performance and pull out all our best techniques."

 

China, whose previous world best was silver in 1981, finished just seventh at the 2004 Athens Olympics and fourth at the last world championships.

 

The Chinese scored 182.200 points after the four apparatus5 with the United States finishing on 181.350 and Russia on 177.325.

 

Olympic champions Romania finished fourth with 175.450.

 

The Americans, who won the title for the first time at home in Anaheim in 2003, had looked dominant6 in qualifiers but they struggled from the outset in the finals as they competed in the same group as the Chinese.

 

They competed with just four gymnasts - Memmel, Jana Bieger, Alicia Sacramone and Anastasia Liukin - with Liukin being limited to the uneven7 bars because of an ankle sprain8.

 

And the Americans paid dearly for errors by both Memmel and Bieger.

 

Bieger, 17, opened their defence by landing on her bottom during the vault9.

 

Sacramone pulled them back by scoring highest on the apparatus (15.575) ahead of world vault champion Cheng (15.275).

 

China were in third after the vault behind Romania and the US with Cheng, Zhou Zhuoru, Zhang Nan stepping forward on their landings.

 

But they began to make up ground when world silver medallist on uneven bars Memmel fell on her face and Bieger also made errors during that rotation.

 

Liukin pulled the US into the lead in the uneven bars with less than a point separating the Americans, Chinese and third-placed Romania.

 

And the Chinese surged10 ahead after Zhang, 20, and Pang, 18, went 1-2 on the beam when Memmel slipped, with China taking a 0.875-point lead into the final round on floor.

 

There their only error was a minor11 one by Zhang on a dance element.

 

Taking to the floor last the Americans could not afford to slip-up only for Bieger to step out of limits.

 

Cheng took top marks of the floor (15.650) ahead of Memmel and Pang and it was enough to seal victory.

 

"Team spirit is an important factor here," said Cheng.

 

"I'm satisfied with the Chinese team performance but especially the way we fought to the end."

 

The Chinese had lined out with six athletes Zhou, Zhang, Cheng, Pang, He Ning and Li Ya. Li did not however compete on any of the apparatus.

 

Meanwhile, Memmel could be in danger of losing her all-around title.

 

The 18-year-old had been uncertain to compete after suffering an ankle injury last week but looked to have come back strong by leading qualifiers.

 

"I guess I was just a little bit off today. On the beam I had a few wobbles and I was disappointed with the bars but I came back strong on the floor and I was really happy with that," said Memmel.

 

The competition continues Thursday with the men's and women's all-around finals where Japan's Hiroyuki Tomita and Memmel will be defending their respective titles.

 


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1 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的
参考例句：
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
2 augurs fe7fb220d86218480f31b16b91ecabd5     
n.（古罗马的）占兆官( augur的名词复数 )；占卜师，预言者v.预示，预兆，预言( augur的第三人称单数 )；成为预兆；占卜
参考例句：
  • This augurs well for the harvest. 这是丰收的好兆头。 来自辞典例句
  • Higher pay augurs a better future. 工资高了，前程会更美好。 来自辞典例句
3 rotation LXmxE     
n.旋转；循环，轮流
参考例句：
  • Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
  • The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。
4 pang OKixL     
n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷
参考例句：
  • She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
  • She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。
5 apparatus ivTzx     
n.装置，器械；器具，设备
参考例句：
  • The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
  • They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。
6 dominant usAxG     
adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因
参考例句：
  • The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
  • She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。
7 uneven akwwb     
adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的
参考例句：
  • The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
  • The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。
8 sprain CvGwN     
n.扭伤,扭筋
参考例句：
  • He got a foot sprain in his ankle. 他脚踝受了严重的扭伤。
  • The sprain made my ankle swell up. 我的脚踝扭伤肿了起来。
9 vault 3K3zW     
n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室
参考例句：
  • The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
  • The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
10 surged 4757cba388338cc5ee7645931d51d2fa     
v.（波涛等）汹涌( surge的过去式和过去分词 )；（人群等）蜂拥而出；使强烈地感到
参考例句：
  • The gates opened and the crowd surged forward. 大门打开了，人群向前涌去。
  • The great Atlantic rollers surged in. 大西洋的巨浪翻滚到岸边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修
参考例句：
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

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