Europeans Dominate Worlds

Lilia Podkopayeva of Ukraine, who excelled in the floor exercise, became the new world all-around champion, winning her first big international competition at the world gymnastic championships. Svetlana Chorkina of Russia placed second and Lavinia Milosovici of Romania won the bronze.

The American women were paced by Dominique Moceanu, who finished fifth, and Kerri Strug placed a surprising seventh. Shannon Miller, the individual all-around world champion the last two years, finished a disappointing 12th, hurt by a sore ankle and a slip on the uneven bars.

Li Xiaoshuang of China won the men’s all-around championship. The silver medal went to Vitaly Shcherbo of Belarus and Yevgeny Chabayev of Russia won the bronze. The top American finisher was Blaine Wilson, in 25th place.