By Vera Atkinson, FIG Editor.
Madrid (ESP) - FIG Office, 12 December 2008: Last day for preparations and adjustments before the start of the World Cup Final tomorrow, at 6.00pm at the Telefonica Arena in the Spanish capital. All gymnasts qualified to take part in this major event, as announced in the last update from 10th December, have arrived and tested the podium in the morning training session.
However, one more gymnast is about to board a plane and arrive in Madrid late this evening- this is the fresh British Champion Kristian Thomas, 19, next in the World Ranking List on Floor. He is coming to replace the Bulgarian Jordan Jovchev, who pulled out of this apparatus final and will compete only on Rings.
'This was a really nice surprise for us! Kristian is very keen to take part in this top-class event and he is in a very good form. Over the last two months, apart from winning the National Senior All-around title for the first time he also won silver medals at the World Cup Qualifiers in Glasgow and in Stuttgart DTB Cup. With Louis Smith and Daniels Keatings already in the Pommel Horse Finals, we now have three good chances for medals and I wish our gymnasts have a good day tomorrow', said the British Men's Technical Director Eddy Van Hoof.
Two days' finals
Saturday, 13 December will see the Men's Finals on Floor, Pommel Horse and Rings and the Women's Finals on Vault and U. Bars.
The remaining apparatus Finals: Men's Vault, P. Bars and High Bar and Women's Beam and Floor will be held on Sunday December 14.
'Having seen the first Podium training today I expect a very strong competition in all apparatus in the Men's side, and an event dominated by the Chinese gymnasts for the Women. The year 2008 was extremely difficult for the world's elite with all those Continental Championships, Olympic Games, World Cup events, Friendly Internationals and National Championships. Those who will compete here seems to be the toughest and I hope to see some good gymnastics in the World Finals, in spite of the enormous fatigue for all', said Zoltan Jordanov, the Women's National Coach for Switzerland, whose Ariella Kaeslin is hoping to medal on Vault following her 5th place in Beijing and gold medal in the Szombathely (HUN) World Cup.
Most exiting and difficult to predict still seem the Men's Finals on Rings and High Bar.
The 'Lords of Rings' line-up is really impressive: 2005 World Champion Yury Van Gelder (NED) who won but Gold in the last three World Cup events, the Chinese YAN Mingyong who tied for the Gold with Gelder in Stuttgart; Olympic Bronze medallist Olexander Vorobyov (UKR); 2004 Olympic Silver medallist and former twice World Champion Jordan Jovchev (BUL) and Dimosthenis Tampakos (GRE), the Athens' Champion who deprived him from the Gold in 2004; Russian master Konstantin Pluzhnikov and Irodotos Georgalas (CYP).
The same refers to the High Bar
The 2004 Olympic Champion Igor Cassina (ITA), 2005 World Champion Aljaz Pegan (SLO), 2006 World Champion Philippe Rizzo (AUS), Olympic and World Finalists Epke Zonderland (NED), up-and-coming Brazilian force on High Bar Mosiah Rodriguez and two gymnasts for whom Madrid will be a farewell to competing : the 2004 Olympic Team Champion and 2005 Individual All-around Champion Hiroyuki Tomita (JPN) and Christoph Schaerer (SWI) twice European and many times World Cup medallists on High Bar.
