ROTTERDAM
Rebecca Bross and Alexandra Raisman will be gunning to restore US pride and scupper Russian star Aliya Mustafina’s bid for a gymnastics double in the women’s all-around final at the world gymnastics championships here on Friday.
Mustafina helped Russia to their first ever women’s team gold by a narrow margin ahead of the US at the Ahoy Arena on Wednesday night, and is now a favourite for all-around gold after leading qualifiers.
World silver medallist Bross is carrying US hopes as reigning champion Bridget Sloan is not competing in the all-around as she was hampered by injury and will only compete in the uneven bars final.
The 17-year-old Bross claimed her first national title this year and looks set to be Mustafina’s leading challenger for gold. Raisman, 16, is hoping for an upset as she competes in her first worlds.
US teammate Alica Sacramone admitted it would be hard to beat the Russian, who is strong on all four apparatus — vault, beam, uneven bars and floor — and sealed her team’s gold medal success on the final rotation.
A mistake in the final second of last year’s worlds cost Bross the title, but she is hoping to put that behind her this year. Chinese duo Jiang Yuyan and Huang Qiushuang, winners of the team bronze, are also looking to win the title after placing fourth and fifth respectively in qualifying just ahead of Romanian Ana Porgras.
Olympic team champion Jiang, 19, has however been less than solid in Rotterdam, tumbling off the uneven bars during the team final, while this is the first major championship for 18-year-old Huang. Porgras, meanwhile, is hoping to make up for her team disappointment after they finished just off the podium in fourth.
Australia’s Lauren Mitchell is also a challenger after finishing fourth in last year’s all-around in London where she claimed two silvers on the beam and floor. The 19-year-old Commonwealth Games champion qualified seventh best.
