Reigning Olympic all-around bronze medalist and European Champion Svetlana Boginskaya faced off in a rematch against reigning Olympic and European AA silver medalist Daniela Silivaș at the 1989 World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart 🇩🇪.
Their Battle in Brussels at 89 Europeans had been EPIC, with Boginskaya edging out the Romanian by 0.013 on the very last rotation. That result was also controversial in that Boginskaya got credit for Special Requirements on beam that did not exist.
However, there would be no controversy in Stuttgart. Or a close finish either. Boginskaya had clinched gold with the 10 she received on vault. The best Silivaș could hope for was a silver, and she promptly fell off beam in response.
Instead there would be a Soviet Sweep of the Podium, with Natalia Lashchënova and Olga Strazheva winning silver and bronze. Cristina Bontaș was fourth with Yang Bo fifth and Chen Cuiting sixth.
Boginskaya's all-around performance in Stuttgart wasn't her best, but it got the job done. Most exciting was her new floor routine to the music of Raffaella Carra's Fiesta. An abstract work of art, it really solidified Boginskaya as the most exciting floor worker of her generation.
26 авг 2024
