Yang Wei finally finds that winning attitude
Chinese gymnast Yang Wei has admitted that he has finally found that winning attitude after having to settle for second best so often in individual events at worlds.
The 26-year-old from Hubei achieved China's third gold of the world gymnastics championships when he claimed the men's all-around gold ahead of title-holder Hiroyuki Tomita of Japan and German Fabian Hambuechen.
"I've been waiting for this world championship for a long time. These years have been more important than the medal I won today," said Yang.
It was the first major individual success for Yang, who helped the Chinese men's team defend their title earlier in the week with their women completing the double by clinching their first world crown on Wednesday.
Yang had to settle for silver in the all-around at the 2000 Olympics and 2003 world championships.
He has had more success with the Chinese team winning the team gold at the 1999 worlds, the Sydney Games, the 2003 worlds in addition to this week's title.
"This world championship helped me realise that the last moment can be the most important. Your attitude is also important. You should be calm," he explained.
Yang achieved the highest scores on three apparatus - the pommel horse (15.350), vault (16.625) and parallel bars (16.000).
After moving into pole position after the second rotation, the pommel, Yang held his lead to take a 1.650 advantage on teammate Chen Yibing going into the final apparatus, the high bar, with Tomita third 1.825 behind the leader.
There he decided to play it safe.
"I was keeping my eyes on the points from the beginning," explained Yang.
"I did change my performance on the high bar. I wanted to make sure I was world champion at last.
"This world championships helped me to focus on those last moments in the competition. These last moments are the most important and during the last few minutes you should not get too excited."
Yang, a bronze medallist on the high bar in the 1999 worlds, placed sixth on that appartus, but it was enough to seal victory.
Chen did not play it safe and dropped out of the medals into overall fourth position after placing ninth on the high bar.
Yang scored 94.400 points after the six apparatus with 26-year-old Tomita 1.225 behind (93.175) as 19-year-old Hambuechen scored 92.975.
It is the third time China have won the men's all-around title after Li Xiaoschuang in 1995 and Feng Jing in 2001.
Tomita, meanwhile was bitterly disappointed with losing his title after his team, the Olympic champions, had also to settle for bronze behind the Chinese.
"I tried hard and did what I could, but I feel I missed a chance here," said the 26-year-old from Chiba.
Hambuechen was delighted with his first major medal and the fact that he scored highest on the floor (15.725) and high bar (15.675).
"This is my first big medal in a major competition and I just hope it goes on like this. I want to be in China (Olympics) so next year is going to be a very important one for me," said the German.
Italy's Vanessa Ferrari, however, spoiled China's bid for a title sweep as she claimed her country's first women's world title by winning the all-around, as Chinese gymnasts Pang Panpan dropped to sixth and Zhou Zhuoru 12th.
Pang had put a fall from the beam behind her to take a fractional 0.125 lead on Ferrari, who had also fallen from the same apparatus, going into the final rotation.
But the 18-year-old threw it away when she fell forward on her vault only to see gold disappear as she dropped to sixth position.
Zhou, meanwhile, had been trailing after also falling from the beam.
AFP
