FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup CIII
19ème Internationaux de France
La Roche sur Yon (FRA), March 16-17, 2013
LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, January 29, 2013: The drawing of lots for the first event of the 2013 individual apparatus World and Challenge Cup season, which is scheduled for March 16-17 in La Roche sur Yon (FRA) took place at the FIG Head Office on Friday.
The line-up for both the Men’s and Women’s events is set to include a number of medallists from London 2012. Heading the bill in the Pommel Horse, Men’s Vault and Uneven Bars will be reigning Olympic champions Krisztian Berki (HUN), Hak Seon Yang (KOR) and Aliya Mustafina (RUS) respectively.
In the Men’s Vault, Yang will find himself up against all of his fellow finalists from London, with the exception of Samuel Mikulak (USA). Meanwhile, on the Pommel Horse, Berki is set to renew his battle with Olympic Bronze medallist Max Whitlock (GBR). In the Men’s Floor, London 2012 Bronze medallist Denis Ablyazin of Russia – who will also be competing on Still Rings and Vault – will take on 2011 World Bronze medallist Alexander Shatilov (ISR) and 2010 world champion Eleftherios Kosmidis (GRE). Italy’s Matteo Morandi – the Bronze medallist in London – will be favourite to win the Still Rings.
The host nation France will be placing their hopes on Gael da Silva in the Floor competition and Olympic Bronze medallist Hamilton Sabot on Parallel Bars. Meanwhile, Germany’s Fabian Hambuechen will be competing on three fronts – in the Horizontal Bar, the event in which he claimed Olympic Silver in London, and also on Still Rings and Parallel Bars.
The USA’s Olympic All-around Bronze medallist, Danell Leyva (PH, PB, HB), and his compatriot Jacob Dalton (FX, SR, VT, HB) will be competing on multiple pieces of apparatus during this World Cup, as will Japan’s Ryohei Kato, who helped his team to Olympic Silver, Oleg Verniaiev (FX, VT, PB, HB), a member of Ukraine’s team that finished fourth in London, Emin Garibov of Russia (PH, PB, HB) and Great Britain’s Olympic team member Kristian Thomas (VT, HB).
In the Women’s competition, all eyes will be on members of the Russian and Romanian teams, which claimed Olympic Silver and Bronze in London. Leading the way for the Russians will be Olympic All-around Bronze medallist Aliya Mustafina, who will compete on Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise, and she will be joined by Olympic Vault Bronze medallist Maria Paseka and Kseniia Afanaseva for the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
Romania’s Larisa Andreea Iordache will compete on all four pieces of apparatus, while her team-mates Diana Laura Bulimar and Diana Maria Chelaru will join her on the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise respectively.
Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari (UB, BB, FX), who finished eighth in last year’s Olympic All-around competition, and Elsabeth Black (VT, BB, FX), who helped Canada to a historic fifth place in the Team event in London, will each compete on three pieces of apparatus in La Roche sur Yon, while Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber (VT, BB) and Slovenia’s Teja Belak (FX, BB) are both set to compete on two.
France’s Youna Doufournet will compete on the Uneven Bars, while her compatriots Anne Kuhm and Marine Brevet will feature hors concours on Balance Beam and in the Floor Exercise respectively.
Click here to see the results of the draw. And for more information go to the event website at http://internationaux2013.ffgym.com/.
About 2013 FIG Individual Apparatus Artistic Gymnastics World Cup and World Challenge Cup Series
The 2013 World and World Challenge Cup season for individual-apparatus tournaments features a total of six events. The series starts with the only Individual Apparatus Finals World Cup of the year in La Roche sur Yon (FRA) on March 16-17, and continues with five World Challenge Cups scheduled as follows: Cottbus (GER) on March 21-24, Doha (QAT) on March 27-29, Ljubljana (SLO) on April 26-28, Anadia (POR) on June 21-23, and Osijek (CRO) on September 12-16.
With separate World Ranking lists being established for this series (six for men and four for women), and the Individual Apparatus rankings including combined lists for the World Cup and World Challenge Cups, the overall winners will be crowned in Osijek.
World Cups with Individual Apparatus qualification rounds and finals are open to the apparatus finalists of the 2012 Olympic Games and the best four gymnasts per apparatus from the 2012 World Cup Ranking list for Individual Apparatus. In addition, the organising member federation can grant wild cards to a maximum of one man and one woman.
The World Challenge Cup series is an open category, with participation limited to two gymnasts per country and apparatus, and invitations addressed at least to the apparatus finalists of the 2012 Olympic Games and the best eight gymnasts per apparatus from the 2012 World Cup Ranking list for Individual Apparatus.
The winners of the 2013 Individual Apparatus World Cup & World Challenge Cup Series will be the gymnasts with the highest number of points for each apparatus and the best four results counting after the last event in Osijek.
Consult the 2013 Rules for the FIG Individual Apparatus World Cup and World Challenge Cup Series in Artistic Gymnastics for more details.
