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Monday, September 25
Spaniard wins gold on vault
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Maybe Alexei Nemov will share one of
his medals with the hapless Americans.
While the all-around winner was adding to his stash of gold,
silver and bronze Monday, Blaine Wilson and Elise Ray faltered,
sealing an 0-for-Sydney finish for the United States.
|  | | Blaine Wilson almost landed on his backside on his first vault Monday. |
Only four years after the U.S. women won gold in Atlanta and
took home plenty of other loot, the Americans got shut out of the
gymnastics medals. That hasn't happened since way back in 1972 --
not including the 1980 boycott of the Moscow Games.
"I don't think we have to have medals around our necks in order
to have pride," Ray said.
No, but they sure do look nice to the fans back home.
The American women finished fourth in the team competition and
the men were fifth. No one came close in the all-around, and Morgan
Hamm finished seventh in the floor exercise final Sunday.
That left it up to Wilson and Ray to end the medal drought, and
neither could do it.
"You always come in expecting to win. You don't come in
expecting second or third," Wilson said. "Whatever. But I'm tired
of explaining the fact that winning a medal doesn't make you a
person. That's all there is to it."
After being so solid on the vault in the team competition and
all-around, Wilson's feet failed him Monday. Most of the other
gymnasts had slipped and slid, leaving a medal for the taking.
Instead, Wilson almost landed on his backside on his first vault
and had to crabwalk backward to keep himself from falling. He
nailed his second vault, but its start value was only a 9.60, not
enough to put him back in the running for a medal.
"I knew this was coming. Vitaly said so many times, `Learn
another 10.0 vault,"' Wilson said, referring to coach Vitaly
Marinitch. "I said, `Yeah, right.' Then, sure enough."
With Wilson done, it was up to Ray. When she missed a connection
between two of her tricks, lowering the difficulty of her routine,
she was out of the running. A shaky landing and huge wobble on an
aerial somersault simply sealed her fate.
"I'm disappointed with how I did," she said. "I went out and
tried to do the best I could. I got a little nervous, but that's
OK. That's what it's all about."
Actually, the Olympics are about medals and no one knows that
better than Nemov. The Russian won six in Atlanta, where his
showmanship and good looks earned him the nickname "Sexy Alexei."
Nemov hasn't lost any of his charm in the last four years. His
skills are just as sharp, too. He won gold on the high bar Monday
and a bronze on the parallel bars, giving him six medals in Sydney.
He also has a silver from the floor Sunday, and bronzes from the
team competition and the pommel horse.
"I came to the Olympic Games hoping that I should try to win at
least one medal, any medal," said Nemov, who was inspired by the
newborn son he has yet to see.
"I didn't not expect to perform so well," he said.
"Everything went my way."
Nemov actually tied France's Benjamin Varonian on the high bar,
but Nemov won on a tiebreaker. Each gymnast had thrown out one
score, and the score Nemov threw out was higher.
That left Varonian with the silver and Korea's Joo-Hyung Lee
with the bronze. Lee also won a silver on the parallel bars.
"I am satisfied with my silver medal," Varonian said.
Gervasio Deferr of Spain won the gold in the vault. Alexei
Bondarenko of Russia won the silver and Leszek Blanik of Poland
took the bronze.
Li Xiaopeng won gold on the parallel bars and was hoisted on his
teammates' shoulders after he won.
Svetlana Khorkina added a silver from the floor exercise to the
gold she won in the uneven bars Sunday. Her teammate, Yelena
Zamolodchikova, won gold on the floor with an energetic routine to
jazz music that had the audience rocking.
Simona Amanar of Romania won the bronze on floor, completing her
medals set. Amanar already had a gold from the team competition and
a silver from the all-around.
On the balance beam, China's Liu Xuan won the gold medal.
Yekaterina Lobazniouk of Russia won the silver, and teammate Yelena
Prodounova took the bronze.
It was China's first gold on the balance beam and a personal
triumph for Liu. Her mother was a high-caliber gymnast, but had to
stop competing during the Cultural Revolution.
"It's possible I realized her dream," Liu said.
Nemov more than realized his dream. After he finished his high
bar routine, he stood on the podium for a few minutes, saluting the
adoring crowd. He smiled and waved as the fans cheered.
At 24, he's not sure if he's got another Olympics in him.
"I must take some time off. I'm not made of steel, I'm not a
robot," Nemov said. "Then we'll launch into a new cycle, and
we'll see."
The Americans' future is just as uncertain.
"I hope this team can help the future teams along," Ray said.
"I don't know if they'll keep the same program as we went through.
But either way, I think they can learn from our experiences here."
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