AMSTERDAM, 3 May 2004 — Svetlana Khorkina extended her reign as the queen of the asymmetric bars when she captured an unprecedented sixth title on the apparatus at the women’s European championships yesterday.
The Russian majestically outclassed her opponents to extend her 10-year European reign in her signature event.
Khorkina punched the air in delight and blew kisses to the 6,000-strong crowd as she hailed her moment in entering the record books with a score of 9.662.
Romanian Catalina Ponor’s sublime balancing skills earned the highest mark of the day (9.725) and the beam title before she tumbled to victory on the floor.
Her compatriot Monica Rosu vaulted to the top of the podium with a double-twisting Yurchenko as Romania topped the medals table with four gold.
The day, though, belonged to Khorkina.
She had easily qualified for the asymmetric bars in first place, outclassing all her rivals with a near flawless display on Friday.
Ponor, twice a silver medalist at the world championships in Anaheim last August, led the way for Romania.
She impressed the judges on the beam with her four linked tumbling movements, which included a one-armed backflip and a full twisting flip, completed by a double piked back somersault. Her teammate Alexandra Ermia finished second on 9.575.
