Xiao Sha, Deng Shudi Win Chinese Championships 2009
Guizhou gymnasts Xiao Sha and Deng Shudi won the all-around titles at the Chinese Gymnastics Championships, which concluded Sunday in Xiantao.
Xiao, an alternate to the Chinese women’s gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, defeated Olympic team member Deng Linlin to take the all-around gold medal. Huang Qiushuang, who won the all-around title at the Japan Cup on July 18, won the bronze medal.
Deng Shudi scored 85.500 to win the men’s title in a weak all-around field.
Several of China’s gymnastics stars from the 2008 Olympics were absent in Xiantao, but Olympic champions He Kexin and Zou Kai each debuted new routines on their specialties.
He performed an uneven bars routine worth 7.2 in preliminaries, and easily won the event title (15.775) over Olympic teammate Jiang Yuyuan (14.850). Newcomer Wu Liufang won the bronze with 14.800.
Zou, who won individual titles on floor exercise and high bar in Beijing, debuted a new floor exercise worth 6.8 in difficulty. In the final, he edged veteran Liang Fuliang 15.200-15.175 to win the title.
Xiao won a second gold in the balance beam final with 15.525. Tang Sixin won the silver (14.800) over top qualifier Deng (14.650).
Sui Lu won women’s floor exercise with 14.100. Hu Yuhong and Chen Yixin tied for second (13.750).
Other event winners included Jiang Tong on women’s vault (13.950) and Zhang Hontao on pommel horse (16.250).
Olympic all-around bronze medalist Yang Yilin competed vault and uneven bars. Yang, who is still not fully returned from back surgery in January, finished fourth on uneven bars (14.400).
