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Grand Prix Gymnastik Masters
2000, April  7 - 8.  Karlsruhe/ Germany

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Results:

Regarding the gymnastics performed a great Grand Prix -but....

It was a really good event – great gymnastics performances, a crowded gym, a motivated audience, interest of the media and wonderful, in the Olympic year highly motivated gymnasts – like so often before it could have been perfect if not the tiresome topic of judging had spoiled once again (almost) everything….

Unbeatable Alina Kabayeva

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Alina Kabaeeva and her fans

 Her results could not be surpassed, her performances maybe could. The World – and European champion Alina Kabayeva did not present faultless routines. However, she is without doubts the best gymnast at the moment and so everybody tends to overlook the ridiculous situation of so many perfect 10.0’s. But nobody wants to overlook other ridiculous and often discussed situations concerning judging which once again concerned the Ukrainian World-champion Elena Vitrichenko.

She has been only 7. in the all-around and nobody knows why….(???) !

Some of the gymnasts ranked higher than her will definitely have to spend a lot of time in the gym for workouts before they will have reached even only a bit of the charisma from the "Lady" of RSG…. This tiresome problem is not meant to belittle the performances of all these great gymnasts – the whole all-around of Karlsruhe has been on an extraordinary high level of performances – but it is damaging especially concerning public attention. The two Vitrichenkos (mother Nina is also the coach) are highly respected by everyone, taking alone the fact that they can motivate themselves to continue again and again. Although the result seems to be definite again…

Maybe the required new rules of judging, for which a draft is already existing, could help. However, the FIG did not come to a decision concerning them. Among other things the draft includes for judging the difficulty an A1-score which is not limited at the top, only with a limitation of the elements. This could lead to a stress on expression, especially because also risk and originality should be judged higher. 

The fact that an extraordinary gymnast like Irina Tchashina has not appeared in one of the finals explains a lot on the quality of the Russian team. Like at World- or European championships there are only two spots per nation in every final and Irina has always been the No. 3… Everybody has regretted this because Irina is one of the most expressive and popular gymnasts.

Well, is it enough?
Irina Tchashina looking sceptically
and unfortunately she was right… Irina Tchashina (RUS)

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Irina Tschaschina (RUS)

FINAL RESULTS
(Grand Prix)

Finale Rope / Seil

Winners Final
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10

Final
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10
3 Raskina, Yulia BLR 9,950
4 Vitrichenko, Elena UKR 9,933
5 Yerofeeva, Tamara UKR 9,933
6 Asmus, Lena GER 9,933
7 Brandebura, Agnieszka POL 9,916
8 Vatkina, Valeria BLR 9,899
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Alina Kabaeva won the winners final with a great performance – better than the one before. Her speed and her skills are really fascinating!

Rope final:
Being the first gymnast of the day Yulia Barsoukova started with a 10.0. Alina Kabayeva followed with an extraordinary routine, including a slight mistake at the end, and received – as expected – a 10.0.
Lena Asmus, who presented herself with much-improved expression in Karlsruhe, had also some mistakes in this final but she proved that she definitely belongs to this group of elite gymnasts. Compliments for her individual and female way of presenting her routines!
Elena Vitrichenko had been celebrated by the 1,400 persons in the audience for her faultless performance; only the judges saw it differently once again – 9.933. A pity – for the sport!!

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Yulia Raskina (BLR) in all finals
and always with world-class performances

Finale Hoop/Reifen

Kabaeva started with a highly-deserved 10.0. Her routine is fully packed with difficulties which were presented perfectly and in her very one way. Everything suited, Alina could bring it over to the audience easily and with a great smile on her face.

Final Hoop / Reifen

Winners Final
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10
3 Raskina, Yulia BLR 9,983
4 Vitrichenko, Elena UKR 9,958
5 Vatkina, Valeria BLR 9,925
6 Brandebura, Agnieszka POL 9,908
7 Strobl, Monique GER 9,833
8 Yerofeeva, Tamara UKR 9,808
Barsoukova followed with a 10.0, also having been perfect and without mistakes, but her expression can not be compared to the one from Kabayeva.

Yulia Raskina performed her famous hoop routine, which is really tailor-made for her, sovereign and perfect during the whole routine. 
Vitrichenkos new one with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach brought her so much applause, the organisers even had to use some music in between, - and the judges were at least brought to thinking. After thinking for several minutes Yelena received the score of 9.958 – again no winners’ final. The concert of whistles following this decision lasted as long as the applause before…

Final Ball

Winners Final
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10

Final
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10
3 Vitrichenko, Elena UKR 10
4 Raskina, Yulia BLR 9,966
5 Vatkina, Valeria BLR 9,950
6 Asmus, Lena GER 9,941
7 Tokajew, Svetlana ISR 9,916
8 Yerofeeva, Tamara UKR 9,891

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Celebrity: Elena Vitrichenko
Again really celebrated and this time she received a 10.0 – Yelena Vitrichenko with a wonderful, elegant and perfectly performed ball routine.
Final ball
Alina Kabayeva wonderfully performed her Spanish-like routine, however, she made small mistakes which should have been seen by the judges…

Yulia Barsoukova, who often reminds everybody of a ballerina, performed her routine with classical ballet music. No other gymnast can perform like her to this kind of music. Spectacular is also the ending of her routine, staying in a split and balancing the ball on her foot – after more than one minute of an exhausting routine! 9.955

Lena Asmus reached a top position with a very beautiful routine which is probably her best.

Final Ribbon / Band
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Yulia Barsoukova made it – she won a duel with fellow gymnast Alina

Final ribbon/Band

Kabaeva performed her orientalic-like routine of last year’s WCh in a very professional way.

Tamara Yerofeyeva, this time in an all-red leotard ( usually she performs in all-black leotards), performed a technically well-prepared routine but compared to the other gymnasts vivacity was missing.

Yulia Barsoukova, elegant and perfect as always, performed her very nice choreographed ribbon routine. Also Lena Asmus showed a good routine. The great performance and choreography made everyone forget the she reached this final only with a wild card – and without the help of this she reached the other two finals.

The grande dame Elena Vitrichenko was again celebrated for her stylish performance with Spanish folk music ;….but again she did not reach the winners’ final.

Winners Final
1 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10
2 Kabaeva, Yulia RUS 10

Final
1 Kabaeva, Alina RUS 10
2 Barsoukova, Yulia RUS 10
3 Raskina, Yulia BLR 9,983
4 Vitrichenko, Elena UKR 9,983
5 Yerofeeva, Tamara UKR 9,950
6 Asmus, Lena GER 9,941
7 Tokajew, Svetlana ISR 9,891
8 Vatkina, Valeria BLR 9,808

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Monique Strobl & Lena Asmus: (on the right)
(both Wattenscheid/Germany)
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Conclusion: Where will this end….?

….. finally she received a perfect 10.0 for the great performance of her ball routine: Yelena Vitrichenko. It looked like a safe winners’ final because Yulia Barsoukova received a deduction for exceeding the time – she received 9.955.

However, this was changed, the score was corrected to be a 10.0 - and again Yelena was out of the winners’ final, being on 3rd position with the score of 10.0! Apart from the fact that a perfect score should be a perfect score and it should not be possible to make distinctions anymore, it is not necessary to hold fighting in front of the audience.

How can this be explained?? Whoever there is behind such kind of disputes is damaging the gymnasts and the whole, normally that great, kind of sport. Nobody has to be surprised if audience, organisers and media withdraw from RG because of this circumstances.

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Read about the opinions of Vitrichenkos

Reporting from Karlsruhe is Sonia Schmeißer with the friendly support of the team from the "EUROPAHALLE", the Gymnastics Federation of Baden (Gernot Horn), the Swabian Gymnastics Federation (Ingrid Flogaus, Birgit and Achim Roth) and a friendly asisstant: Kerstin Grüger, a 17-year-old gymnast from Karlsruhe

(Translation: Lisa Worthmann/Berlin)

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Kerstin


c) -schm- 09.04.2000