BEIJING 2008: Russia's Kapranova tops individual event

(BEIJING, December 5) -- Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium saw the first day of competitions of the 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics International Invitational Tournament Wednesday afternoon. The rope and hoop exercises were presented, with Russia's Olga Kapranova topping the list of athletes, earning a total score of 36.450 points.

The 2005 World All-around Champion also achieved the highest individual score of the day in the hoop exercise, scoring 18.275.

In the competition, Anna Bessonova of Ukraine grabbed second place, scoring 18.000 points for her rope exercise and 18.250 points for her performance with the hoop. She was followed by Aliya Garaeva of Azerbaijan with a total score of 34.025. Spain's Olympic veteran Almudena Cid placed in the sixth position with 16.075 points for the hoop and 16.500 for the rope exercises, while China's Ding Yidan came in ninth with a low hoop score of 16.000 points.


Anna Bessonova
Sixteen gymnasts participated in the individual event competition of the 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics International Invitational Tournament. As one of the events of the "Good Luck Beijing" sport series, the tournament will take place from December 5 to 7, 2007.

Among these gymnasts, twelve have already qualified for the Olympics through the World Championships in Patras, Greece, which took place in September. The Olympic host country, China, sent three gymnasts, two of whom will not be ranked in this tournament.

According to the schedule, the gymnasts will compete in Clubs and Ribbon events on the second day of individual qualifications. The final will be staged Friday afternoon.