The 2014 World Championships in Nanning, China continued today with the women’s all-around finals and Simone Biles defended her title and was crowned the 2014 World Champion. Larisa Iordache of Romania earned the silver medal with a 59.765 and Kyla Ross earned the bronze with a 58.232. Biles became the first back to back World Champion since Svetlana Khorkina in 2003 and only the second U.S. woman ever to win back to back World titles, the first being Shannon Miller. 

 

Heading into the final, Biles qualified in first, Aliya Mustafina of Russia in second, and Iordache in third. However, the slate was wiped clean and the gymnasts had to prove themselves once again today. 

 

The top six gymnasts started on vault lead off by Iordache. She performed a strong Yurchenko double and scored a solid 15.066. Mustafina followed with the same vault, a little form break with a bent knee in the air but a great landing with just a tiny hop and scored a 15.1. Biles performed her outstanding Amanar with great height and a hop forward, just like in qualifications and team finals. She scored a 15.866. Vanessa Ferrari of Italy performed another Yurchenko double that was very clean but not as dynamic as the first two we saw and she earned a 14.866. Ross was next with her Yurchenko double that had great height and form and a small shuffle on the landing. She earned a 15.166, a great scored for a 5.8 difficulty vault. Yao Jinnan of China had the weakest Yuchenko double of the rotation with not as much height and low chest on the landing, but she had great form in the air and scored a 14.533.

 

Shang Chunsong of China started on bars but casted over twice and only scored a 12.3. Ruby Harrold of Great Britain also started on bars with a hit routine, executing unique releases, and scored a 14.4. Ellie Black of Canada started on beam, her strongest event, and had a solid routine for a 14.533. Roxana Popa of Spain had a big bars set to start off her meet including a Tkatchev to Pak to score a 14.3.

 

After the first rotation, Biles had the lead followed by Ross, Mustafina, Iordache, then Ferrari. All of these top gymnasts had the advantage of starting on vault. 

 

 

Mustafina started off the bars rotation with an outstanding set including a Maloney half and a Jaeger. She stuck her full in dismount and scored a 15.041. Biles followed with a great routine, hitting all of her connections and also sticking her full in dismount for a 14.533. Ross had a superb bars set with her impeccable form and beautiful, floating releases. She scored a 14.7. Yao performed an exceptional bar routine with gorgeous combinations and nearly flawless form. She had a 6.9 difficulty score and earned a 15.533. Iordache finished up the bars rotation with a solid routine including a Tkatchev to Pak and toe full to Maloney. She finished with a 14.866. 

 

Harrold moved to beam where she hit her beam set with a few minor wobbles for a 13.066. Shang made up for her bar routine with an exceptional beam set that scored a 15.033. Claudia Fragapane of Great Britain also hit her beam routine for a 14.166. 

 

At the halfway point, Biles maintained her lead with a 30.399 followed by Mustafina with a 30.141, Yao with a 30.066, Iordache with a 29.932, and Ross with a 29.866. 

 

Biles was up first for the beam rotation. She looked strong and confident but had a couple balance checks. She finished with her signature full in dismount and scored a 14.766. Ferrari followed with a stylish and solid beam routine that earned a 13.9. Ross performed her first class beam routine that had only the smallest balance checks. She finished with a double tuck and scored a 14.433. Yao performed an outstanding beam routine with a floaty handspring, handspring, layout to two feet series. Her only problem came on her double pike dismount where she landed with her chest very far forward and scored a 14.566.  Iordache performed an exceptional beam routine where she displayed beautiful movement and looked as if she was on the floor, not up on a beam. She finished with an incredible round-off, back handspring, triple twist dismount and scored a 15.1. Mustafina finished the rotation with an elegant routine combining difficult dance and acro elements including a standing arabian and a switch half to onodi. She had a couple wobbles and hesitations but scored a 14.341.  

 

Shang performed a dramatic floor routine opening with a triple twist to punch front pass. She had problems on landing her other passes and scored a 14.166. Giulia Steingruber performed a solid front handspring rudi vault for a 15.033. Fragapane performed her exciting and crowd pleasing floor routine with big tumbling including her layout full in and arabian double front. She earned a 14.266. 

 

With one rotation to go, Biles kept her lead with a 45.165. Iordache moved to second with a 45.032, Yao was third with a 44.632, Mustfina was fourth with a 44.482, and Ross was fifth with a 44.229. 

 

Ferrari kicked off the final rotation with a dramatic, first class routine. She performed a tuck double double, a double layout, and a full in to back tuck. She scored a 14.7, which gave her a 57.166 all-around. Yao started off strong on floor but just couldn’t get her last pass of a double tuck around and she ended up doing a cartwheel out of it. She scored a 12.833 and earned a 57.465 all-around.

 

Ross finished with her gorgeous floor routine, hitting all of her passes beautifully, just lacking in difficulty. She scored a 13.933 and finished with a 58.232, just enough to earn her the bronze medal. 

 

Iordache put on a show with exciting dance and expressive artistry. She opened with a stuck tuck double double and continued with a full in but ended up stepping out of bounds. She finished with a pike full in to earn a 14.733 and a 59.765 all-around to earn her a silver medal. 

 

Mustafina had a shocking fall on her first pass where she sat down her Arabian double tuck. She continued well and stuck her 2 1/2 to front full but it wasn’t enough to recover and she finished with a 13.433 for a 57.915 all-around. 

 

Biles was last up of the entire meet and she needed a 14.6 to win. She performed her typical outstanding routine with sky high tumbling to secure her gold medal. She scored a 15.066 to total a 60.231. 


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