Shannon Miller almost had too easy of a time during qualifications at the 1993 World Gymnastics Championships in Birmingham 🇬🇧. Following 91 Worlds and 92 Olympics, she'd again made all four Event Finals for the 3rd Major meet in a row. And she cruised to the top of the AA standings, over 0.35 ahead of Olympic AA bronze medalist Lavinia Miloșovici 🇷🇴.
But it would be an entirely different situation when the day of the actual AA Final dawned in the West Midlands. Shannon struggled during the second rotation on beam, missing the third layout in her series. She rushed her fake eponymous skill, failing to show a handstand, and coming down sloppily. She then nearly sat down her new piked full-in dismount. She was more than two and a half tenths back from her prelims score on beam alone.
Miloşovici had crashed and burned from beam and wouldn't be a factor in the AA, but Dominique Dawes had stepped up her game from the first day. She was the surprise leader going into Rotation 4.
Shannon was at a disadvantage ending with her 9.8 FTYs, but she did them near faultlessly--even scoring a perfect 9.8 on her second.
OTOH, Dawes had upgraded to a Yurchenko 1 1/2, which gave her 0.2 in SV ahead of Miller. Her first vault was OK, and as both vaults were now averaged--she was one vault away from becoming the first black World Champion. But in a cruel choke on fate, Dom didn't get enough push from the 🐴 on her 2nd vault and sat it down. Tears streamed down her face as coach Kelli Hill tried to console her, saying she had given it her best shot and never would have known she'd be in that position.
Tatiana Lysenko, still alive following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, had gone OOB on floor--conceding her shot at the crown. She won 🥉.
The only contender left was Gina Gogean, finishing on floor. She needed 9.812 or better for gold, but didn't get credit for her tuck jump double and started out of a 9.9. Her final score was 9.8, good for 🥈.
Shannon Miller won by 0.007 of a point--the smallest winning margin in the sport's history. (05 was a tie!) Definitely not the walk in the park one might have thought, but a first World Title nonetheless 🤲. She took the scenic route.
11 окт 2024
