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Europeans 2002 - Patras, Greece

I know that I've been MIA for ages and I'd like to apologize for neglecting this site. I've been really busy, but don't worry, I'll still keep this site running. It's just that the updates will be very infrequent and I've been thinking of getting someone to co-host this site. Any help will be appreciated. Just email me!!!

Even though I'm currently preparing for the June SAT, I still couldn't resist keeping up to date with the Europeans and since I'm taking time to get re-informed about gymnastics stuff, being out of the circle for months, I thought that I should post a report on the Europeans as well. It will not be as comprehensive as my Ghent coverage last year or live (that's obvious), but hopefully it will suffice. Just a note though, this is the only thing new on the site. Other updates will come later when I've got the time.

Being the first gymnast to compete in 5 consecutive Europeans, Svetlana Khorkina also has the chance to equal Nadia Comaneci's record of being a 3-time European all-around champion. Whether Svetlana can repeat her feat of 4 gold medals in Paris (Team, All-Around, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam) during the last Europeans will also be revealed. Just follow me as I take a journey through the 2002 European Championships in Petras, Greece. Sorry to those who watch the juniors too but this time I'm not covering the juniors due to time constraint. I'm already typing as fast as I can. Excuse my typo errors =).

Preview

Russia enters Patras, the main western port of Greece, as the defending champion in most of the competition's major categories. At the 2000 competition, Russia placed first in the senior women's team and all-around; junior women's team; senior men's team; and junior men's team and all-around.

Leading the Russian senior women in Patras is two-time European all-around titlist and reigning world champion Svetlana Khorkina. Favored to rule again in Patras, Khorkina is one of only five women in history to win two European all-around titles.

- Svetlana's Chances -
"I consider my three European all-around titles among my biggest successes," Comaneci told IG. "In order to win three all-around titles, you must be at your best over a five-year period. The last title for me, in 1979, was the hardest, because I had grown up and there were many good young challengers."

Five women, including Khorkina, have won two European all-around titles. The other four women are Ukraine's Larisa Latynina (1957 and 1961); Czech Republic's Vera Caslavska (1965 and 1967); Russia's Lyudmila Turischeva (1971-tie and 1973); and Belarus' Svetlana Boginskaya (1989 and 1990).

Comaneci said she believes Khorkina could join her as a three-time all-around winner.

"I think Svetlana has a great chance again, and I wish her luck," said Comaneci. "If she is in her best shape, she should win. She continues to adapt her gymnastics to keep competitive. She amazes me and nearly everybody else in the gymnastics community."

About her own chances, Svetlana is confident though she had not taken part in previous tournaments due to illness. This article below states how Svetlana rates herself and her competitors.

"My Biggest Rival Is Myself"
Two-time defending champion Svetlana Khorkina has her sights set on retaining her all-around title this week at the European Championships in Patras, Greece, declaring that she is here to win.

"I am even more determined [to win the 2002 European Championships] now as I am the world all-around champion again," Khorkina told the press in Patras. "I love winning; when it happens I am overcome by emotions."

Khorkina, who won the European championships in St. Petersburg in 1998 and in Paris in 2000, has a chance to join Romania's Nadia Comaneci as the only gymnasts to have won three European all-around crowns.

Russia, the defending European champion, is the heavy favorite to win the senior team title. Romania, the five-time world team champions, did not send a senior team to Patras.

"I was surprised to not see [the Romanians] around," admitted Khorkina of the absence of Russia's usual rivals. "However, I must admit that all teams go through crises as a result of athletes growing up. But we are looking forward to having them with us again."

The Russians are also the defending champion in the junior women's competition, which concludes tonight. Russian coach Viktor Gavrichenkov, .coach of senior Natalia Ziganshina and junior Gulnara Ziganshina, told IG that Anna Pavlova and Yelena Anoshina are slated to compete on all four events tonight.

Khorkina and Natalia Ziganshina are the senior all-around competitors for Russia. Yelena Zamolodchikova, the 2000 Olympic champion on floor and vault, said she will compete on vault only.

As for who will stand in her way in the all-around competition, Khorkina didn't mince words.

"There are always athletes with very good performances," declared the Russian star, "but my biggest rival is myself."

(Source: International Gymnast)

- Romanian Senior Team -
Romania, the 1994, 1996 and 1998 senior women's team champion, announced last month that it would not field a senior team in Patras. Citing injuries and lack of readiness to many of its top gymnasts, Romania will only send one senior gymnast, Oana Petrovschi.

Day 1 - Team Final & Individual Qualifications

The women's team from The Netherlands is looking for its first senior team medal at the European Championships. "We've worked hard, we're here, we're ready," Dutch coach Frank Louter told IG.

The Dutch team had the disadvantage of competing in the very first subdivision and started on floor with some good tumbling from Gabrielle Wammes – 1 1/2 twist through to double pike; tucked front full through to triple twist and 2 1/2 twist. Suzanne Harmes stepped out of bounds on her 2 1/2 twist to punch front full and slipped back on her opening tumble of piked full-in.

Suzanne Harmes started well on bars and then Renske Endel followed with a nearly flawless routine which highlighted her excellent stalder and Endo work but received only a surprisingly low 9.300 (10 SV). Verona van de Leur was going very well until she crashed her piked Jaeger.

She also tumbled a handspring to double twisting front to front layout; 2 1/2 twist punch front full and capped it off with a whip to triple twist on floor. The team continued confidently on vault with a RO-full-twisting ff on, back piked off from Harmes, a handspring front layout with a 1/2 twist from Wammes and a double twisting Yurchenko from van de Leur.

Monique Nuijten, who like Endel competed one event only, was first up on beam and nailed her impressive new combination of ff-Arabian but Suzanne Harmes had a few wobbles on the way to a 8.787 (9.6 SV). Verona van de Leur then committed her second serious error of the day by falling on a leap.

After the first session of the women's team competition at the European Championships in Patras, Greece, The Netherlands is first with a score of 107.635. Bulgaria is currently second with 101.011, followed by the Czech Republic (96.760), Hungary (96.710), and Slovakia (92.784).

The Netherlands' Verona van de Leur is the top individual scorer so far, totalling 36.036 despite falls. She earned the highest score of the day so far on vault with a 9.375. Van de leur was a member of the Dutch team that had a breakout performance at the 2000 Junior European Championships, earning a team bronze. In Paris, van de Leur also earned an individual bronze on the uneven bars.

The second highest score so far in the women's competition belongs to Dutch gymnast Renske Endel, who earned a 9.300 on uneven bars. Endel made history for the Dutch team at last fall's World Championships by winning a silver medal on bars.

The Netherlands' Suzanne Harmes earned the second highest total so far (35.749). Bulgaria's Evgenia Kuznetsova is ranked third currently (35.074). Kuznetsova, who won the 1998 European title on balance beam as a member of the Russian team, scored only 8.537 on beam here (struggled on Kochetkova) but earned her highest score of the day, 9.225) on vault (Yurchenko full-on, back pike off).

Ukraine vaulted solidly and scored well with Tatiana Yarosh showing a 1 1/2 Yurchenko (a little tucked, a little low), Natalia Sirobaba a 1 1/2 tiwsting Tsukahara (low landing) and Alyona Kvasha a handspring full-twisting front layout. They also competed bars well, anchored by Irina Yarotskaya, who opened with a nice combination of stalder full on low bar into immediate straddled hecht to high bar but started to falter on beam with two falls from Natalia Sirobaba (handspring-front tuck and her dismount) and one from Irina Yarotskaya (front pike mount). On floor, Natalia Sirobaba wrecked Ukraine's medal chances by falling to her hands on her Arabian double front and additionally went out of bounds a 2 1/2 twist punch front.

France suffered on beam when Marlene Peron put her hands down on her double front dismount and Delphine Regease wobbled after a ff-layout combination. They had mixed luck on vault with Clelia Coutzac overrotating her 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko and Regease sticking her handspring front pike 1/2 cold.

Over on floor Italy's Ilaria Colombo sat down her Arabian double front while Monica Bergamelli went out of bounds on her opening full-in but nailed all of her other tumbles. Gargano navigated her full-in; whip through to 2 1/2 twist punch front and triple twist well. On vault, they gained momentum with Gargano's full twisting ff on back pike off, Colombo’s 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko and Bergamelli's double twisting Yurchenko, all landed well. Ending on the bars, the Italian girls did well enough for bronze.

In the end, only one team managed to better The Netherlands. With the highest totals on each of the four events, Russia easily won its second senior women's European team title, followed by the teams from The Netherlands and Italy.

Injuries caused the Romanian and Spanish teams to send individuals only, leading to a depleted team field in Patras. However, Russia was nearly flawless in its domination of the team competition, with the two highest scoring individuals and the top score on each of the events.

Russia began on vault, with 2001 World Vaulting champion Svetlana Khorkina opening with a 9.262 (tucked Khorkina I). Natalia Ziganshina, looking much more confident and clean since last fall's World Championships, followed with a terrific, stuck double-twisting Yurchenko (9.537). 2000 Olympic Vaulting champion Elena Zamolodchikova earned a 9.487 for a double-twisting Yurchenko of her own (one hop forward).

In the second rotation, Russia whizzed through three great bars sets. Ziganshina earned 9.337 for a routine that included a giant-full to Shushunova and a full-twisting double tuck dismount. Lyudmila Ezhova followed with a 9.437 for her intricate set, and Khorkina anchored with her famous routine for a 9.787.

Ziganshina led off on balance beam with 3 great wobbles, earning a 9.137 (front on mount; flip flop layout; tucked front; standing Arabian; tucked double dismount). Khorkina saved a near fall on a switch leap/tucked jump-full combination and slow connections (9.150 out of a 9.600 start value). Ezhova anchored with a near perfect routine, scoring a 9.625 (Onodi, front aerial, side somi combination; 2 1/2 twist dismount).

Russia's only fall of the day came from Ekaterina Shuster on floor exercise, who crashed to her face on her tucked full-in dismount (piked full-in mount, arabian double front, 2 1/2 punch front). Ziganshina tumbled a tucked full-in, 2 1/2 punch front-full, whip-triple full and a double pike for 9.337. Khorkina followed with a new routine. Her tumbling was less difficult than she is capable of (whip-triple full mount, double pike, double full to immediate split leap), but she performed flawlessly for a 9.325 (9.600 start value).

Svetlana Khorkina earned the highest total (37.524), as well as the highest score of the competition so far. Khorkina, the five-time World champion and the four-time defending European champion on uneven bars, garnered the top score of the competition on that event, on which she rarely fails to produce anything but magnificently well-crafted routines.

Following Khorkina in the all-around standings was teammate Natalia Ziganshina with 37.398. Ukraine's Alyona Kvasha earned the third highest total (36.086).

Women's Team (top 12)
1. Russia 111.833
2. Netherlands 107.635
3. Italy 105.948
4. Ukraine 105.858
5. France 104.047
6. Great Britain 102.722
7. Bulgaria 101.011
8. Belarus 100.559
9. Czech Reoublic 96.750
10. Hungary 96.710
11. Switzerland 95.712
12. Finland 95.223

Day 2 - All-Around Finals

The question on everybody's lips will be if Svetlana Khorkina can defend her all-around title and be only the second women ever to win 3 consecutive all-around titles. Will the other contenders challenge her or will they just fall apart?

The competition started with a mild confusion even before the gymnasts marched in as the announcer introduced the wrong judges – the announcer had the list from qualifications and some judges looked very puzzled when they were announced on the wrong event.

The first rotation began with Svetlana Khorkina landing her RO-1/2 on 1 1/2 twisting tuck off on her knees and taking a big lunge forward on her 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko. Natalia Ziganshina then also took a very low landing on her double twisting Yurchenko followed by a big hop forwards. She bounced back on her second attempt. Beginning on her best event, bars, Britain's Beth Tweddle was great for a 9.100 to set her up nicely for the competition.

Alyona Kvasha took a big step on her handspring front layout and added a full twist for the second one, also with a big lunge. Verona van de Leur nailed both her double twisting Yurchenko and the RO-full-twisting ff on back layout off for the highest vaulting score of the first rotation. Team mate Suzanne Harmes was equally confident in her two vaults. Evgenia Kuznetsova put her hands down on her double layout dismount off bars. In the final routine of the first rotation, Belarussian Yulia Tarasenka took the lead with a great bars set that featured fantastic stalder work (10 SV). Oana Petrovschi was ninth after rotation one with a solid but not brilliant bars set.

Natalia Ziganshina climbed back up the ranks in the second rotation with an excellent bars set highlighted by a Shushunova. Alyona Kvasha muscled her way through her bars set (Jaeger; front 1/2 out dismount) but couldn't match Ziganshina's class. Elena Gomez showed a beam set packed with difficulty but had to take a step to the side on her 2 1/2 twist dismount. Over on bars, van de Leur scored a 9.537 for her strong set that started from a ten and ended with a stuck double-double. Oana Petrovschi demonstrated best Romanian tradition with a solid beam set that included a nice combination of one armed ff to ff. First round leader Yulia Tarasenka wobbled on her full-twisting tuck jump and sat down her double front dismount on beam. Suzanne Harmes caught her Jaeger well and then got stuck in handstand on a full-twisting front giant but pulled off her double front dismount just the same. Beth Tweddle had a few wobbles on beam but over on floor Rebecca Owen put in a strong routine nicely choreographed to a tango for a 9.062. Svetlana Khorkina went into the lead with another great set on bars including all her trademark skills.

In the third rotation, Kvasha got off to a shaky start on beam with a few wobbles and her full twisting tuck jump stopped after three quarters. Evgenia Kuznetsova competed a solid floor routine which was very well received by the crowd, as was Elena Gomez original dance and clean tumbling. Oana Petrovschi went sideways on her opening tumble of 2 1/2 twist punch front full and finished with a triple twist. Van de Leur showed a row of twisting combinations full-twisting tuck jump to full-twisting ff and a 2 1/2 twist dismount. Maria Teresa Gargano also stayed on beam with a nice combination of front aerial – ff-layout. Harmes wobbled on her ff layout sequence but brought her triple twist all the way around. A few wobbles on beam – new combination of full-twisting ff to full-twisting ff to straddle - didn’t keep Khorkina from keeping the lead after this rotation. Young team mate Ziganshina was going really well until she landed her standing Arabian on one foot and slipped off.

Verona van de Leur got off to a flying start in the final round with a super floor routine with every move being cheered by the Dutch supporters. She worked well to the music and her tumbling was as clean as a whistle – piked full-in; handspring double twisting front front layout; whip 2 1/2 twist punch front full and whip triple twist. Oana Petrovschi's first vault was a 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko, which she stuck. She showed a RO–1/2 on front pike off for a second vault and took a hop forward.

Natalia Ziganshina and Alyona Kvasha still had the chance of a medal. Ziganshina was first up and stepped out of bounds on her 2 1/2 twist punch front full but was very clean elsewhere for a 9.250. Kvasha then stepped up looking confident and nailed all of her four tumbling runs – piked full-in; handspring double front; 2 1/2 twist to punch front and tucked full-in to delighted screams of her Ukrainian team mates. They screamed even louder when the score showed her in third place.

Then Khorkina took to the floor, still with a chance of taking the gold. She needed a 9.338 or better on her final event, the floor exercise, to pass Verona van de Leur of The Netherlands. She opened with a whip triple twist, continued with a double pike and finished with a 2 1/2 twist as opposed to the double twist she had shown in the team competition. The judges took a long time before coming up with her score but Khorkina, who had fallen on her first vault in the first rotation, scored a 9.387 on floor to become the first three-time European all-around champion since Romania's Nadia Comaneci. When the 9.387 was flashed and her name appeared in first place on the score board, a lot of spectators booed loudly. Except for a few missed connections on balance beam, Van de Leur was near perfect throughout the evening, earning a well-deserved silver medal. Third place Alyona Kvasha overcame a wobbly beam routine to claim the bronze medal with a near-perfect floor routine in the last rotation for 9.375.

Moreover, Svetlana Khorkina not only received the gold medal this time, but was also awarded by The Union Europeénne de la Presse Sportive (UEPS) for being voted as best european athlete of 2001 in the UEPS annual referendum.

Women's All-Around (top 12)
1. Svetlana Khorkina RUS 37.592
2. Verona van de Leur NED 37.542
3. Alyona Kvasha UKR 36.405
4. Natalia Ziganshina RUS 36.280
5. Oana Petrovschi ROM 36.274
6. Suzanne Harmes NED 36.061
7. Elena Gomez ESP 36.011
8. Evgenia Kuznetsova BUL 35.810
9. M. Teresa Gargano ITA 35.499
10. Rebecca Owen 35.198
11. Jana Komrskova CZE 35.086
12. Monica Bergamelli ITA 35.086

Day 3 - Event Finals

Ukraine's Alyona Kvasha won the floor exercise today to prevent Russia from sweeping the golds at the senior women's European Championships in Patras, Greece.

Kvasha, who was third in yesterday's all-around competition, nailed four difficult tumbling passes on floor to win the gold medal with a 9.500, topping Russia's Natalia Ziganshina.

Ziganshina, who finished fourth in yesterday's all-around competition, started the competition today with the gold medal on vault.

All-around European champion Svetlana Khorkina, owner of five World Championship and two Olympic titles on the uneven bars, added a fifth European title here on this event, though looking at her score, I wonder if she lowered her SV for the event finals like at Ghent. I'll let you know after I watch it =) or get some news on it. [Just as I expected, the SV of her bars routine was 9.8 instead of the usual 10. She either took some elements out (like in Ghent where she took out some low bar elements) or changed some of her connections. Hopefully I can give you more news on it soon.]

Lyudmila Ezhova, runner-up on balance beam at last year's World championships, came back to win that event after falling on the uneven bars.

On Friday, Russia won the team competition.

Vault
1. Natalia Ziganshina RUS 9.443
2. Verona van de Leur NED 9.387
3. Oana Petrovschi ROM 9.131
4. Alyona Kvasha UKR 9.043
4. Elena Zamolodchikova RUS 9.043
6. Elena Gomez ESP 8.999
7. Ilaria Colombo ITA 8.993
8. Monica Bergamelli ITA 4.575

In the vault final, gymnasts had to perform two vaults from different families with the scores being averaged. Spain's Elena Gomez landed her RO-full-twisting ff on back pike off well but could only manage a full-twisting Yurchenko as a second vault. Joana Petrovschi, competing in her only final here, opened with a 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko (bent knees) and took a large hop forwards on her RO-1/2 on front pike off. Ilaria Colombo followed with the same two vaults but could land neither properly. Verona van de Leur then took the lead with a double Yurchenko that was beautifully twisted but went off centre on the landing. She stuck her second vault of RO-full-twisting ff on back layout off. Monica Bergamelli was way off centre on her double twisting Yurchenko and then scored a zero when she landed her second vault on her hands and knees. Alyona Kvasha had a major arm bend going into her handspring full-twisting front layout and messy legs throughout but nailed it. She fell to her hands on her 1 1/2 twisting Tsukahara. Elena Zamolodchikova went into the lead briefly after her double twisting Tsukahara but then totally crashed her double twisting Yurchenko. Natalia Ziganshina picked up the slack by standing up both her double twisting Yurchenko and her RO-1/2 on pike 1/2 off (layout position in the first half).

Uneven Bars
1. Svetlana Khorkina RUS 9.550
2. Renske Endel NED 9.450
3. Beth Tweddle GBR 9.287
4. Suzanne Harmes NED 9.187
5. Monica Bergamelli ITA 9.112
6. Alyona Kvasha UKR 9.025
7. Lyudmila Ezhova RUS 8.700
8. Irina Yarotskaya UKR 7.487

Uneven Bars provided unexpected drama with two of the favourites faltering. Suzanne Harmes got things going with a powerful routine (nice stalder to 1 1/2 to Jaeger). She was overtaken by Britain's Beth Tweddle, who had swung her set with ease and style, catching her Markelov and Gienger. Alyona Kvasha was clean, but not overly exciting, showing a nice full pirouette on the low bar. Monica Bergamelli was very dynamic to outscore Kvasha. Renske Endel glided through her stalder work with ease and caught her Jaeger, but overarched a handstand on high bar to leave some room. Her routine was the only one with a ten start value. In the first shocker, Lyudmila Ezhova lost her swing on a giant and jumped off in a routine that seemed to be going well. Next, Irina Yarotska fell three times, meaning that Tweddle had a medal for sure. The colour was decided by Svetlana Khorkina, who put another bars title under her belt with her excellent work (9.8 SV).

Balance Beam
1. Lyudmila Ezhova RUS 9.562
2. Svetlana Khorkina RUS 9.262
3. Verona van de Leur NED 9.187
4. Ilario Colombo ITA 9.100
5. Suzanne Harmes NED 8.850
6. Delphine Regease FRA 8.650
7. Elizabeth Tweddle GBR 8.550
8. Elena Gomez ESP 8.525

Beam brought a long awaited gold for Russia's Lyudmila Ezhova. Last up, she competed her difficult routine (Onodi-front aerial-side somi) calmly and with confidence before breaking into a delighted smile after her 2 1/2 twist dismount. Off the podium, she was greeted with a huge hug from Svetlana Khorkina. Khorkina navigated her mount sequence RO-full-twisting ff–ff layout well for second place. Verona van de Leur brought home another medal for her routine that included a RO-layout mount and finished with a 2 1/2 twist. Ilaria Colombo wobbled on her ff-layout but was solid elsewhere for fourth. Suzanne Harmes had a big wobble on her full-twisting tuck jump. Delphine Regease posted the lowest start value of the final – 9.3 and wobbled on her full-twisting ff. Fresh off her bars medal, Beth Tweddle skidded along the beam after a ff to layout to two feet but stayed on. Elena Gomez nearly fell on her RO-layout mount and had to put her hand on the beam.

Floor Exercise
1. Alyona Kvasha UKR 9.500
2. Natalia Ziganshina RUS 9.450
3. Verona van de Leur NED 9.400
4. Elena Gomez ESP 9.362
5. Dimitra Kastritsi GRE 9.062
6. Svetlana Khorkina RUS 9.037
7. M. Teresa Gargano ITA 9.000
8. Tatiana Yarosh UKR 8.800

Maria Teresa Gargano got the last final of the competition underway with a full-in; 2 1/2 twist punch front and a triple twist (9.5 SV). Motivated by the deafening cheers of the home crowd which for once half filled the arena, Dimitra Kastritsi tumbled a double layout, a handspring double twisting front to punch front and two whips through to a double pike. Tatiana Yarosh fell forward on her closing double pike and looked a bit uninspired throughout the routine. Verona van de Leur looked on track to finally break into the gold but stepped out of bounds. Elena Gomez was back on track for Spain with a tucked full-in, 2 1/2 twist punch front full; triple twist and double pike. Riding on a high since winning bronze AA, Alyona Kvasha gave nothing away in her tumbling during her Arabian style routine with rock solid landings. Svetlana Khorkina returned to her double twist to split jump dismount and took a step to the side after her whip triple twist. Natalia Ziganshina could have still taken a second gold, but when she came up short on her whip triple twist, the gold was Kvasha's.

Four medals for Svetlana, a feat only bettered by Verona van de Leur, who has five medals. But on another note, Svetlana had 3 gold medals to go together with her silver while Verona managed 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Svetlana matched her four medals 2 years ago in Paris, but fell short of the beam gold, getting silver as compared to the gold in Paris. However, it's still a good outing for her, showing that she is still a top gymnast at her age, and moreover, winning her tenth European gold medal - all together 15 European medals like nobody before. I'm also happy for Natalia Ziganshina. A fall on the beam caused her a medal in the all-around but she rebounded back to grab her first individual senior European gold on vault, to go with the gold she received for the team final.

Russia's domination of these European Championships came as no surprise after the Romanian withdrawal. Except for the floor, where the Ukrainian Alona Kvasha won the gold medal, Russia dominated in the vault with Natalia Ziganshina, in the beam with Lyudmila Ezhova and the uneven bars with Svetlana Khorkina, who for the 5th consecutive time was awarded the gold medal in the European competition. Khorkina was second in the beam as well. With team and all-around medals as well as a medal in each of the apparatus finals, Dutch gymnastics has finally made the transition from underdog to European powerhouse. Holland has arrived. Alyona Kvasha's success was able to undo some of the damage the Ukrainian women's programme had received after their dismal showing in Ghent 2001. My ride here has come to an end. I might add some new stuff to this page in the next few days but otherwise, until next time, goodbye.

Quotes

Event Finals
Natalia Ziganshina (vault): "I am gratified for the gold medal and satisfied with my performance; equally satisfied were the spectators and my coach".

All-Around Finals
Svetlana Khorkina: "I'm delighted with this gold medal but also very tired". I haven't yet realized that I drew level with Comaneci's record of 3 gold medals. Anyway, I'm very happy."
Boris Pilkin (Khorkina's coach): "I am really happy for Svetlana as shortly before the competition her health was preoccupying and very few people believed she would be on the top. She finally made it and won; I'm very happy that she got the gold medal even though her programme was simpler than usual."