Khorkina cracks a smile with asymmetric gold

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Sydney: After an Olympics filled with bitter disappointment, Russia's Svetlana Khorkina was finally able to crack a smile after successfully defending her gymnastics asymmetric bars gold medal on Sunday.

Khorkina, who saw the team and individual all-round gold medals disappear after disastrous errors on her signature event, came back with a vengeance, recording a winning mark of 9.862.

The Olympic, world and European champion, Khorkina has not lost a major competition on the apparatus since 1994.

China took the other two places on the podium, Ling Jie grabbing the silver with a mark of 9.837 and Yang Yun the bronze with 9.787.

Hungarian Csollany takes gold in rings

Hungarian Szilveszter Csollany stole gold in the men's gymnastics rings at the Sydney Olympics on Sunday when he put in an amazing display of strength and stamina in the final performance of the day.

Csollany, the silver medallist at Atlanta, came to the rings the only man who could better Greece's Dimosthenis Tampakos, after he had performed an impressive routine, which ended with a double somersault and perfect landing.

But Csollany looked dangerous from his opening rigid headstand and then drew applause as he slowly lowered his body horizontally to display the strength the judges were looking for.

The blond Hungarian gymnast, who now lives and trains in the United States, knew he had the gold won when he landed and so did the crowd, which began a slow clap. Csollany posted a 9.850, with the Swiss judge awarding a 9.9, to overtake Tampakos.

The Greek took the silver with a score of 9.762, while Bulgarian Jordan Jovtchev took the bronze with 9.737.



(c) Reuters Limited.