Men's Individual Event Final/Vault
NEMOV Wins Gold on the Vault
Alexei NEMOV of Russia averaged 9.787 for his two vaults to win his fifth medal, and second gold medal, of the 1996 Olympic Games. NEMOV has already earned a gold medal with the Russian team, plus the silver medal in the individual all-around and bronze medals in both the floor exercise and pommel horse. NEMOV, who vaulted second in the lineup, waited through the performances of six other gymnasts before being assured of the vault title. His victory margin was narrow, as he placed ahead of YEO Hong-Chul of Korea at 9.756 and Vitaly SCHERBO of Belarus at 9.724.
Individual Medal Winners: Gold - Alexei NEMOV, (RUS) 9.787;
Silver - YEO Hong-Chul (KOR) 9.756; Bronze - Vitaly SCHERBO (BLR),
9.724.
MILLER Wins Gold with Stellar Routine
The balance beam is only four inches wide, but it was a difference of less than an inch that separated the gold from silver medals in the balance beam event finals. Shannon MILLER of the USA completed a spectacular and precise routine to score a 9.862. Immediately following MILLER, Lilia PODKOPAYEVA of Ukraine landed just slightly off-center after a backflip and wobbled almost imperceptibly in an otherwise flawless routine. That one tiny miscue was the difference, as PODKOPAYEVA scored a 9.825. It was the second gold medal of these Olympic Games for MILLER, who lifted the USA to the team title, but it was the first individual Olympic title of her illustrious career.
Individual Medal Winners: Gold - Shannon MILLER (USA), 9.862; Silver - Lilia PODKOPAYEVA (UKR), 9.825; Bronze - Gina GOGEAN (ROM) 9.787.
"I don't know what else to say but it feels
great," said MILLER. "It was a great note to end on.
That was one of the best beam routines I've ever done. It was
just as good (as winning the team gold medal). I was so excited
to do the good routine I knew I could. It was great to win the
gold. I was pleased with the routine, and I wanted to end on a
good note. I felt more calm tonight because I knew I could do
the routine. "
SHARIPOV Takes P-Bars Gold
Rustam SHARIPOV of Ukraine won the gold medal in the parallel bars in the men's event finals, scoring a 9.837 to edge Jair LYNCH of the USA. LYNCH finished with a score of 9.825. SHARIPOV was also the 1996 world champion in this, his specialty event. Vitaly SCHERBO, gold medal-winner at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona (one of six gold medals he won in 1992), took the bronze for his second bronze of the evening's competition. SCHERBO's score was a 9.800.
Individual Medal Winners: Gold - Rustam SHARIPOV (UKR), 9.837; Silver - Jair LYNCH (USA), 9.825; Bronze - Vitaly SCHERBO (BLR), 9.800.
"I was very, very surprised," said silver-medalist LYNCH. "I thought I'd won. I thought my set would go 9.85. I'm very satisfied. I did everything I was supposed to do. I didn't see Rustam's routine, so I don't know if he did better."
Grace and Elegance Win on the Floor Exercise
Veteran athletes whose routines combined grace and elegance with athletic ability took home the medals in the women's floor exercise event finals. The event produced the highest scores awarded of any event in the competition. Lilia PODKOPAYEVA of Ukraine exhibited pure style along with a series of difficult tumbling passes to win the gold medal with a score of 9.887, the highest in the women's event finals. She was followed closely by Simona AMANAR of Romania at 9.850 and Dominique DAWES of the United States at 9.837. All three provided flowing routines that bettered, but not by much, the fast-moving routines of the other competitors. The energetic exercise of the USA's Dominique MOCEANU placed her fourth at 9.825.
Individual Medal Winners: Gold - Lilia PODKOPAYEVA (UKR) 9.887; Silver - Simona AMANAR (ROM) 9.850; Dominique DAWES (USA) 9.837.
WECKER's Daring Routine Earns Final Gold Medal of 1996
In the final event of the men's individual apparatus championships, the differences between the competitors were so imperceptible that just .050 points separated first place from third, and three athletes tied for the bronze medal. Germany's Andreas WECKER's consecutive somersaulting release moves and perfect dismount earned him a 9.850 from the judges and the gold medal. Just .025 behind was high bar specialist Krasimir DOUNEV of Bulgaria. Three men tied for the bronze medal at 9.800: Alexei NEMOV of Russia, FAN Bin of China and Vitaly SCHERBO of Belarus. NEMOV won a medal for the sixth time in the 1996 Olympic Games. For SCHERBO, who won six gold medals in 1992, it was the third bronze medal of the night and his fourth for the 1996 Olympic competition.
Individual Medal Winners: Gold - Andreas WECKER (GER), 9.850;
Silver - Krasimir DOUNEV (BUL), 9.825; Bronze - FAN Bin (CHN),
Alexei NEMOV (RUS) and Vitaly SCHERBO (BLR), 9.800.
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