Nemov Wins Gymnastics All-Around

S Y D N E Y, Australia, Sept. 20, 2000 -- Russia’s Alexei Nemov is going to have

a bright, shiny souvenir for his baby boy.

Nemov, who became a father for the first time Sept. 2, today won the all-around title that eluded him in Atlanta. He took the gold with 58.474 points.

China’s Yang Wei won the silver, finishing 0.113 points behindNemov. Oleksandr Beresh of Ukraine took the bronze.

Top American Finishes Eighth

Five-time national champion Blaine Wilson finished eighth,continuing America’s all-around drought. The United States hasn’twon an all-around medal since Peter Vidmar’s silver in 1984.

Paul Hamm, who performed like a grizzled veteran for most of theteam competition, finally showed the jitters of a 17-year-old. Hefell off the high bar, his first event, and made a series of othersmall mistakes to finish 14th.

Still, his finish was mighty impressive for a guy who’s only asenior in high school and bodes well for the future of U.S.gymnastics.

‘Sexy Alexei’ Has Eight Medals

But the present belongs to Nemov, who finished just 0.049 pointsbehind Li Xiaoshuang of China in 1996. With his silver from theteam competition Monday, the gymnast dubbed “Sexy Alexei” now haseight Olympic medals.

Watch him for one routine and it’s easy to see why. He’s simplybetter than everyone else on the floor. His lowest score of thenight was a 9.65 on the vault, better than some gymnasts’ highestscore.

While other gymnasts worry about how many flips and twists theycan throw into their routines, Nemov remembers that the name ofthis sport is “artistic gymnastics.”

His toes are always perfectly pointed, his legs extended so theylook about five feet long and his body so straight you could use itas a ruler. He’s one of the few gymnasts who can draw the kind ofgasps from the crowd usually reserved for only the ugliest ofcrashes.

He looks like a trapeze artist on the high bar, drawing oohs andaahs with his soaring flips. On one, he throws himself high abovethe bar and does a somersault, slapping his thighs in a move thatlooks more suited for Cirque du Soleil than the Olympics.

On the floor, his favorite exercise, he moves with power andpurpose and makes it look effortless at the same time. When he doeshis flares — swinging his body around on his hands while hescissor-kicks his legs — he throws in a little turn on hisshoulders that looks like something out an early ’80s MichaelJackson video.

One Slight Stumble

His only stumble of the night came on the vault, when he landedshort and had to take a step forward to keep from falling on hisface. Still, the judges gave him a 9.65, prompting one fan to yell,“Just give Nemov the gold now!”

After he finished his parallel bars, his last routine, Nemovappeared to be holding back tears as he waved to the cheeringcrowd. He hugged coach Leonid Arkaev and then sat down to wait outYang, who needed a 9.863 on the pommel horse to pass Nemov.

Yang came through with a solid routine, punching the air intriumph and exchanging high-fives with his coach when he finished.But he earned a 9.75, only enough for the silver.

Nemov breathed a sigh of relief and then acceptedcongratulations from his coaches and fellow competitors.