(2) Women’s team competition: Contest between Romania, USA and Russia...?
Between Sydney 2000 and the WCh in Anheim 2003 there have been some major changes - almost like a landslide. Who would have predicted prior to the qualification WCh that Russia’s silver team would place at the WCh behind Spain on rank 6 only, even though they had been defeated at the Olympics 2000 by the Romanians by two tenths only and placed second ahead of the Chinese by some tight 4 tenths...?

US girls 2003: Gold in Anaheim << Romania:    Olympic Champion Sydney 2000

Some will remember the awkward judging drama of the Olympic team competition. Then, the Romanians had already left the arena when they learned by computer that the had just won the gold medal... for the second time in history since 1984!
And who would have believed that the Australians would continue their ambitious development since their Olympic appearance in 1992  with the "bronze miracle of Anaheim" - even though they had been rather unhappy with their 7th place at home in Sydney?

Will the Russians redeem themselves for their ignominious performance in Anaheim...? There will be two gymnasts present out of the team in Sydney: Svetlana Khorkina, who will compete at the Games for the third time, as well as the double Olympic Champion Elena Zamolodchikova. And Ezhova, Pavlova, Ziganchina, too, are world-class athletes with already considerable experience and merits...!
Romania starts with a completely new Olympic team. However, Ban, Ponor and Rosu are no greenhorns - they just won the ECh title in Amsterdam.
There is evidence to suggest that the US girls will become again the dream team 2004 after their gold medals at the WCh and will return from Athens as "Golden Girls". However, the Vice-World Champion Carly Patterson is the only member in the present squad in Athens of the former team at the WCh previous year.
In the Australian team Allana Slater and Monette Russo have experience at WCh; the former already competed at the Olympics four years ago!
The Spaniards regained strength and the Brazilians take part in Olympics for the first time with a team. In addition, we can look forward to the team performance of Vice-European Champion Ukraine who will fight for a medal after they had ranked only on the 5^th or 6^th rank at last.

After the test run of the team competition at the Pre-Olympics in Athens past March, we look sceptical at the procedure of this team competition. Then, the delegation moved from one apparatus to the other in a rather aseptic way, for they competed after another, and nobody on the ranks was able to feel any kind of suspense of a sports competition.
(This was achieved in the team competition at the latest European Championships to a much greater extend!)

Women’s-All-Around, the crown of the Olympics! What will Khorkina be able to achieve...?
The "doping scandal" in Sydney, that actually was not a real one and turned the concerned Romanian Andreea Raducan into a heroine at her home, declared in the end Simona Amanar as winner of the all-around ahead of her compatriot Maria Olearu... Romanian dominance four years ago.
The best Russian Elena Lobasnjuk without a medal on rank 4, after Khorkina made a mistake on her special apparatus uneven bars... history.

Then, in 2003 the Russian diva redeemed herself right in the "lionesses’ den" and triumphed over Carly Patterson (USA) and the Chinese Zhang, Nan in Anaheim.... also history!

At the ECh in Amsterdam Khorkina performed vault with a flaw, however, at the end of one of the most impressive careers in the modern times of gymnastics, one would not to begrudged her this great success, provided that she performs flawlessly. However, there are these nitpicking mechanisms of the Code de  Pointage that mercilessly select. Therefore, the dynamic young gymnasts have a mathematical and technical advantage, for there gracile bodies meet the bio mechanical characteristics at the closest. They even have an aesthetic advantage because performing technically well looks also elegant. 
However, mere technique should not outweigh the values of maturity, elegance and personality of a young woman in her mid twenties - at least these should be a rateable and valuable equivalent for the judging of Olympic quality and maturity.
Let us hope that the judges will manage this situation and decide in favour of the future of women’s artistic gymnastics....!

With special attention we will look at the fourth participation in Olympic Games of Oksana Chusovitina.
The 29-year-old (!) already became floor world champion in 1991 at the age of 15, and with the last USSR team in history she won gold in Barcelona in1992. Still, her chances in the apparatus finals are even more interesting....

After the test run of the team competition at the Pre-Olympics in Athens past March, we look sceptical at the procedure of this team competition. Then, the delegation moved from one apparatus to the other in a rather aseptic way, for they competed after another, and nobody on the ranks was able to feel any kind of suspense of a sports competition.
(This was achieved in the team competition at the latest European Championships to a much greater extend!)

Women: Apparatus-Titles - Will Chusovitina surprise with  a miracle on vault...?
>> Vaulting table:   In Anaheim she demonstrated all her abilities once again and became World Champion as an 28-year-old. The new vaulting table, which will celebrate its Olympic premiere as the Dutch model "PEGASES", is the best apparatus of the energetic Oksana Chusovitina (photo >) from Tashkent. Especially for Athens she worked on two vaults with a start value of 10.00 points... However, they must be excellently performed!
Rosu (ROM), Pavlova (RUS), the defending Champion Zamolodshikova (both RUS) and the unexpected Vice-World Champion from North Korea Kang, Yun Mi are strong rivals. With all and light heart we can wish that the Olympic dream of gold comes true for this friendly mother from Tashkent, who fights in an equal hard and consequent way for the health of her son Alisher who fell ill with leukaemia!

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