Russians Take Titles In World Gymnastics

Ivan Ivankov of Belarus returned from an injury that kept him out of the Atlanta Olympics to win his second world overall title in the World Gymnastics Championships on Friday.

Olympic uneven bars champion Svetlana Chorkina of Russia paced herself through a graceful routine on her strongest event to win her first all-around world title.

Both the men’s and the women’s defending champions were absent - Li Xiaoshuong retired and Lilia Podkopayeva was out with an injury - leaving the field wide open.

Ivankov, holder of the 1994 all-around title, skipped Atlanta with a torn Achilles tendon, and was a favorite coming in.

He didn’t disappoint, producing a string of pace-setting performances, including a 9.70 on the parallel bars and a 9.625 on the rings, to finish 0.80 points ahead of Russia’s Alexei Bondarenko.

Blaine Wilson of the United States finished 10th with 54.911.

In the women’s competition, Chorkina turned in a near-perfect routine on the uneven bars, her last event and her personal favorite, to cinch the title with 38.636 points, ahead of Romania’s Simona Amanar - a frustrating .049 points back.

Chorkina’s compatriot, Elena Produnova, took the bronze with 38.549.