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Monica Rosu of Romania scored 9.656 points to take the women's vault title at the Athens Olympic Games in Athens Sunday (August 22) evening.
The silver medal went to American veteran Annia Hatch in 9.481 points. Anna Pavlova of Russia was third in 9.475 points.
Romania's Monica Rosu performs on her way to winning the gold medal during individual gymnastics vault final at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 22, 2004. [Reuters] |
Rosu got a surprising 9.737 points with a solid landing on her second attempt at a start value of 10.
The 17-year-old student, making her debut in 2000, has never won a World Championships title but is a two-time World Cup champion on vault.
Her gold medal is the second for Romanian gymnastics in Athens.
Rosu and her teammates claimed the women's team title, beating the United States to second.
"Rosu made mistakes in qualification, but she was concentrated tonight and that's why she got the champion," Romanian coach Octavian Bellu said.
"I am very happy with my achievement. I also hope to win the World Championships next year. My first jump was not so good, but the second was and it got me the medal," Rosu said.
Hatch is a dual citizen of both Cuba and the United States. She moved to the United States in 1997 and became a US citizen in 2001.
"It is unbelievable and very exciting. I never dream that I would win two medals. Actually, I never thought I would win one in the first place. Winning these medals is a very special accomplishment for me, as I had a very hard year," Hatch said.
Pavlova, 17, who was fifth on vault in the World Championships last year, said that "any medal in the Olympic Games is very important. I would like to dedicate this medal to my mother and my coach. Today I am very happy and I am not crying. Last time I was fourth in the all-around and was very sad about not winning a medal. But today I made it."
DPR Korean Kang Yun Mi, runner-up in 2003 World Championships, staggered on landings in both of her attempts. She scored 9.381 to rank fifth.
Uzbekistan's veteran Oxana Chusovitina, current world champion, failed to enter the final.
Editor: Cai Yingbo
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