U.S. silver medallist gymnast McKayla Maroney gestures during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's vault finals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
U.S. silver medallist gymnast McKayla Maroney gestures during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's vault finals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney botches her dismount during the artistic gymnastics women's vault final at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Chinese gymnast Zou Kai and his coach hold a banner which reads "Five Gold Crown Nine Provinces" after Zou Kia won the gold for the men's floor exercise finals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura performs during the artistic gymnastics men's floor exercise finals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
LONDON (AP) ? This time, a tiebreak cost Louis Smith even more.
Four years after a tiebreak dropped him from second to bronze, Smith had to settle for second instead of gold in pommel horse. He and Krisztian Berki finished with identical 16.066 scores, but Berki got the gold because his execution score of 9.166 was a mere .10 points better. With the Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, sitting in the front row, just a few feet away from him, Smith stared at the scoreboard with a look of astonishment.
Still, it wasn't a bad day for the British. Four years after Smith gave them their first individual gymnastics medal in a century, they got another ? two, actually, with Max Whitlock taking the bronze. As the two left the arena, Smith flashed a "V for victory" sign at a TV camera.
Earlier Sunday, McKayla Maroney's rare mistake cost her a gold medal on vault that everyone had been certain was hers. Maroney appeared to land her second vault on the backs of her heels. Her feet slid out from under her, and she plopped on the mat, a look of shock crossing her face.
"I already knew that I pretty much only had the silver medal. I really didn't deserve to win a gold medal if I fall on my butt," Maroney said. "I was still happy with a silver, but it's still just sad."
Sandra Izbasa of Romania won the gold. Also, Zou Kai won his fifth career gold medal, defending his title on floor exercise. He already had one gold from China's victory in the men's team competition last week, and has three more from the Beijing Games. He's got a chance to duplicate his Beijing three-peat on Tuesday, when he tries to defend his Olympic title on high bar.
Maroney was considered all but a lock for the gold medal, which would have given the U.S. women three in the first three gymnastics events. She won her world title last year by almost a half-point, and topped qualifying here by a similar margin. She was so impressive in Tuesday night's team final that U.S. coach John Geddert suggested they rename her vault "The Maroney."
"Man, that thing is beast!" all-around champion Gabby Douglas said earlier Sunday. "How she gets so high, I'm so amazed. When she does it at camp, the table literally shakes."
Her first vault was the Amanar ? a roundoff onto the takeoff board, back handspring onto the table and 2.5 twisting somersaults before landing ? and she did it better than the woman for whom it's named. She got such great height off the table the folks in the first few rows had to look up to see her, and her form was perfect in the air, legs pencil-straight, body tightly coiled.
She took a hop on her landing, and came down out of bounds. But even with that 0.3 deduction, she still scored 15.866, including a whopping 9.666 for execution.
Another vault like that, and the gold was hers.
But she appeared to land the second one on the back of her heels. Her feet slid forward and she dropped to the mat with a loud "plop!" The crowd gasped, and Maroney looked stunned. She's as consistent as a Swiss watch on vault, never making errors in training or in competition.
She scored just a 14.3, giving her an average of 15.083. Coach Arthur Akopyan tried to console her, but Maroney simply stared straight ahead, knowing her chance to add an individual gold to the one she won with the Fierce Five was gone.
"I still walked out of the Olympics with a silver medal so I'm really happy," Maroney said.
Associated Pressian stewart odom vt vt los angeles angels los angeles angels lindsay lohan’s playboy cover leaked online
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.