Moceanu Edges Miller For Gymnastics Title

Dominique Moceanu had the crowd - and the senior women’s all-around title - in her pocket by the time she finished her floor exercise Friday night at the National Gymnastics Championships.

Moceanu, at 13 the youngest woman ever to win the title, was appearing in her first seniors event. She scored 78.450 points.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Moceanu said. “I was ready for this and it was fun.”

Moceanu’s championship was all but assured when Shannon Miller, the leader after the compulsories, fell from the balance beam during the first rotation of the optionals.

Miller wobbled early in her beam routine. Then, after a backflip followed by three layouts, she could not right herself at the end of the beam and stepped backward to the floor. She returned to the beam instantly and finished strong, drawing a huge cheer from the crowd but a 9.375 from the judges.

The fall dropped her into third place behind Moceanu, who opened the optionals with a 9.9 on vault, and Jaycie Phelps.

Miller moved back into second place when Phelps fell on her beam dismount, but despite solid performances after that, could not catch Moceanu. Miller finished at 78.250; Phelps was third at 77.730.

Moceanu’s floor exercise was the final performance of the evening.

As her coach, Bela Karolyi, paced the sideline smiling and the crowd cheered, the 4-foot-5, 70-pound Moceanu bounced through a fast-paced routine to “Twist Again.”

She received a standing ovation when she finished and waved and smiled at the crowd before jumping into Karolyi’s arms.

When her 9.8 score for the floor exercise was put up, the crowd booed.

Dominique Dawes, last year’s champion who was in sixth place after the compulsories, finished fourth at 77.520.