All-Around Finals University Games Shenzhen, China 2011
Doha (QAT), AGU office August 17, 2011: China’s Xiao Kangjun and Ukraine’s Nikolai Kuksenkov won the all-around titles at the University Games, held Monday in Shenzhen, China.
Xiao stopped Japan’s Mai Yamagishi and Russia’s Alyona Polyan to win the women’s gold medal Monday afternoon.
The 18-year-old Xiao, a former member of China’s national team, began on vault with a piked-down Yurchenko full. She earned the high score of the day for her routine on uneven bars (elgrip fulls into Jaeger; Pak; full-twisting double tuck dismount; 15.00). On beam, she threw a beautiful barani, a high piked front into Korbut and a clean double pike with one step (14.20). She clinched the title on floor exercise (triple twist; 1 1/2 to layout front full; triple turn; stuck double pike; 2 1/2 twist), landing her final pass in a deep squat.
The mini Mai, who led Japan to the team gold medal on Saturday, had the high score of the day on balance beam (switch ring; front aerial to two feet; side somi; switch leap, back tuck, Korbut; double pike; 14.35.)
The powerful Polyan brought the top score on floor exercise, despite replacing her double layout mount with a triple twist (14.20).
South Korea’s Jo Hyunjoo, a finalist on vault at the 2010 Worlds, suffered a frightening fall from uneven bars. Jo was taken to the hospital on a stretcher but was not seriously injured, a Korean team official confirmed later.
Kuksenkov took the men’s title over Japan’s Koichi Yamamoto by a mere .15. Kuksenkov, 22, had the top score of the day on pommel horse (14.90), while Yamamoto bested the field on parallel bars (15.550)
2008 Olympian Nathan Gafuik (Canada) won the all-around bronze with the top scores of the day on vault (16.05) and high bar (15.15).
WAG All-Around Podium
1- Xiao Kangjun CHN 56.70 pts
2- Mai Yamagishi JPN 56.10 pts
3- Alyona Polyan RUS 55.35 pts
MAG All_Around Podium
1- Nikolai Kuksenkov UKR 89.05 pts
2- Shoichi Yamamoto JPN 88.90 pts
3- Nathan Gafuik CAN 88.35 pts
