16 Dec 2008

Australian Institute of Sport gymnast Lauren Mitchell (WAIS/AIS) has become the first Australian female gymnast to win a World Cup final, defeating a stellar field on the balance beam in Madrid, Spain overnight.

Mitchell only received the call-up to the beam final ten days ago, and had already returned to Australia following two successful competitions in Europe last month. Competing at the DTB Cup in Germany, Mitchell won silver on the beam and floor, and collected two more silvers (bars and beam) and a bronze (team) at the Massilia Cup a week later.

Her outstanding victory in Madrid comes as some consolation for failing to quality for the beam final at the Beijing Olympic Games.

In Madrid, the 17-year-old out-performed a talented trio of Olympic gold medallists — Cheng Fei (China), Li Shanshan (China) and Sandra Izbasa (Romania) — to win gold with the most difficult routine of the final.

Mitchell’s steady performance, which included her signature ‘world double turn’ move, was awarded a score of 15.250 from the judges. Russia’s European champion Yulia Lozhecko collected the silver medal with 15.200, followed by China’s 2008 Olympic gold medallist Li Shanshan, who scored 15.150.

Mitchell’s victory caps off an outstanding weekend for the Australians in Madrid after 2006 world champion Philippe Rizzo (AIS) secured the silver medal on the high bar (15.825) and Prashanth Sellathurai (NSWIS/AIS) collected the bronze on the pommel horse (16.025).

Unfortunately, Rizzo and Sellathurai watched the Beijing Games from their lounge chairs after the Australian men’s team failed to qualify a team or an individual after finishing 19th at last year’s world titles in Stuttgart.

The qualifying criteria has now been modified ahead of London 2012. The 2011 world championships will no longer be the sole qualifying opportunity and all world championships medallists from the preceding year will automatically qualify — changes that will greatly assist Rizzo and Sellathurai.

Mitchell joins an exclusive seven-member club of Australian gymnasts who have won gold at a World Cup series event — Prashanth Sellathurai (pommel horse, Doha 2008), Daria Joura (floor, Stuttgart 2007), Philippe Rizzo (high bar, Stuttgart 2001; Cottbus 2002; Glasgow 2005), Jacqui Dunn (uneven bars, Stuttgart 2001), Allana Slater (bars, Stuttgart 2000; floor, Cottbus 2002) and Hollie Dykes (beam, Stuttgart, 2006).

Mitchell returns to Perth on Tuesday afternoon and after a short break will turn her attention to the 2009 world championships which will be held in London in October 2009.

2008 World Cup Final - Balance Beam Results

1 201 MITCHELL Lauren AUS 6.600 8.650 15.250
2 219 LOZHECKO Yulia RUS 6.400 8.800 15.200
3 209 LI Shanshan CHN 6.300 8.850 15.150
4 218 IZBASA Sandra Raluca ROU 5.900 9.025 14.925
5 225 ZGOBA Dariya UKR 5.300 8.700 14.000
6 205 CHENG Fei CHN 6.400 7.525 0.1 13.825
7 203 HYPOLITO Daniele BRA 6.100 7.325 13.425

2008 World Cup Final – High Bar Results

1 132 ZONDERLAND Epke NED 6.900 9.275 16.175
2 101 RIZZO Philippe AUS 6.800 9.025 15.825
3 128 TOMITA Hiroyuki JPN 6.800 8.525 15.325
4 116 CUCHERAT Yann FRA 6.600 8.250 14.850
5 105 RODRIGUES Mosiah BRA 6.000 8.475 14.475
6 136 SCHAERER Christoph SUI 6.000 8.200 14.200
7 126 CASSINA Igor ITA 5.200 7.525 12.725

2008 World Cup Final – Pommel Horse Results

1 110 ZHANG Hongtao CHN 6.800 9.575 16.375
2 124 BERKI Krisztian HUN 6.700 9.400 16.100
3 102 SELLATHURAI P. AUS 6.700 9.325 16.025
4 120 SMITH Louis GBR 6.700 8.900 15.600
5 119 KEATINGS Daniel GBR 6.500 8.575 15.075
6 111 SELIGMAN Robert CRO 6.200 8.225 14.425
7 143 BERTONCELJ Saso SLO 5.800 8.225 14.025
8 103 TRUYENS DonnaDonny BEL 5.600 7.175 12.775