By Sportswriter Chen Yu
BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's all-conquering gymnast Yang Wei won the men's all-around title with a convincing 94.575 points here Thursday at the
Beijing Olympics.
Yang, a three-time Olympian with two world championships all-around golds under his belt, stormed to his first Olympic all-around victory by beating runner-up Kohei Uchimura by 2.60 points. Caranobe Benoit of France settled for bronze.
It's also China's second gymnastics men's all-around title after Li Xiaoshuang's at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
Yang Wei of China performs on the floor during gymnastics artistic men's individual all-around final of
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>>
Surviving his nearly-failed last apparatus of horizontal bar, his weakest of all six apparatus which produced his lowest 14.775 points in Thursday's final, a jubilant Yang celebrated even before his final score was accumulated, waving the Chinese national flag to the cheering home fans.
Yang, well-known for his awesome preciseness of movements, started with a comparatively plain start on floor exercise when he stepped outside the marked area and ended with a below-average 15.250 points.
He pushed two notches up from 10th to 8th after pommel horse routine. On rings, the 28-year-old launched a strong surge, amid deafening cheers and applause from home fans for his unbelievable straightness.
Rings produced 16.625 points and took Yang up to second place only after Yang Tae-young of South Korea. Vault sent him further to top when he scored 16.550, and a 16.100 points on parallel bars further expanded his lead.
But horizontal bar nearly brought Yang a last-minute defeat as he was seen on the verge of losing grip of the bar. When he survived, the crowd burst into cheers and chants "Yang Wei, Yang Wei". Broad smile came to his face for the first time.
"I had experience such as excelling on five apparatus but failed the last. I also had experience of losing the first but succeeding on the remaining five. Things of such kind cannot affect me any more," said Yang.
"The gold medal is meaningful because it's China's second men's all-around gold and also the second under the guidance of coach Huang Yubing," he said.
Yang and China's first men's all-around gold medalist Li Xiaoyuang are both from China's Hubei province. "I am happy as it's the second men's all-around gold medal from Xiantao city of Hubei province," he said.
Yang's teammate Chen Yibing, a rings specialist, tried hard to pull back from a crushing start on pommel horse.
He dropped shortly after his mount and placed 23rd. But the highest 16.650 points on his specialty sent him to 10th and he even made it to 3rd with consistent efforts.
But a fatal blow came after he fell from the horizontal bar. He even did not finish his routine and finished in last place.
Kohei Uchimura also nearly ruined his chance after a disastrous performance on pommel horse. He dropped twice and scored as low as 13.275 points. But his stable performance throughout the rest of the competition brought him to second berth among the 24 finals.
"I exhausted myself in the team competition and also has injuries. I can feel weakness and injuries during my pommel horse routine. So I gave up today's competition. I must save my energy for my individual titles, " said Chen Yibing after the competition.
He also said his teammate Yang is above the field and deserves the gold. "He trained so hard for so many years and the gold should be his," he said.
Yang Wei of China celebrates after performing on the parallel bars during gymnastics artistic men's individual all-around final of
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2008. Yang Wei claimed the title with a score of 94.575. (Xinhua/Ren Long)Photo Gallery>>>
Yang Wei of China celebrates after performing on the parallel bars during gymnastics artistic men's individual all-around final of
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2008. Yang Wei claimed the title with a score of 94.575. (Xinhua/Ren Long)
