ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 29, 1996 TAG: 9607290106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: Associated Press
Amy Chow became the first American to win an individual medal in gymnastics Sunday night, and Greece won its first gold medal since the first modern games 100 years ago.
A shaky Vitaly Scherbo, meanwhile, failed again to win a medal in his best event, the floor exercise.
Ioannis Melissanidis' high-flying floor routine earned him a 9.850 and victory in Sunday's event final. He is the first Greek to win a gymnastics medal since 1896, when the Greeks won six.
``Before I saluted the judges, I said to myself, `I'm not in the United States, I'm not in Atlanta, I'm in Athens,''' Melissanidis said. ``I was not Ioannis Melissanidis. I was Greece.''
Switzerland ended a drought of its own, as Donghua Li won the country's first gold since 1952 with a flawless pommel horse routine. Marius Urzica of Romania won the silver and Russia's Alexei Nemov took home the bronze.
Chow's solid routine on the uneven bars earned her a 9.837 and a tie for silver with Bi Wenjiing of China. Svetlana Chorkina of Russia won the gold. Dominique Dawes of the United States finished fourth.
A judge entered the wrong score, giving Chow a 9.825. When her real score was flashed, the crowd roared and began chanting ``U-S-A'' while the usually stoic 18-year-old grinned.
Chow already has a gold medal from the team competition.
In the women's vault final, Simona Amanar of Romania won the gold, Mo Huilan of China took the silver and Gina Gogean of Romania won the bronze.
Dawes finished sixth after taking big hops on both her vaults. Shannon Miller, who replaced the injured Kerri Strug, landed flat on the mat on her second vault and finished last among eight finalists.
``Hopefully it will make her more hungry for tomorrow,'' said Peggy Liddick, one of Miller's coaches. ``Knowing Shannon Miller, I'm sure it will.''
Miller will compete in the beam finals Tuesday.
When the final floor exercise scores were posted, Melissanidis' coach jumped up and down, and the triumphant gymnast blew kisses to the crowd. He turned serious as the Greek national anthem was played, singing along as he watched the flag being raised during the medals ceremony.
Li Xiaoshuang of China, the all-around champion, won the silver and Nemov took the bronze. Nemov now has a medal of every color after winning a gold with the rest of the Russian team and a silver in the all-around.
Yuri Chechi of Italy won the men's rings with a score of 9.887. He was followed by Dan Burinca of Romania and Szilveszter Csollany of Hungary, who tied for second with 9.812 scores.
Donghua Li's gold was the culmination of a journey that began in his native China more than 20 years ago. He was one of China's best gymnasts, even after suffering a 1984 training accident that left him without a spleen and one kidney.
But he moved to Switzerland in 1988 after marrying Esperanza Friedli, whom he met when she asked for directions while touring Beijing. His wife is now five months' pregnant with the couple's first child.
``I am 29 years old and I've had many injuries, so this wasn't easy for me,'' Li said. ``This medal is for my wife and my child.''
Scherbo failed to medal in his best event for the second Olympics in a row. He had a disastrous routine in the event finals and finished seventh out of eight competitors.
The Belarussian looked shaky during warmups, flying out of bounds on a tumbling pass, and his nerves didn't settle by the time he performed. He took a huge hop backward on his second tumbling pass, when he tried a double-twisting double somersault that he'd yet to do at the Olympics.
He got off-balance on his next pass, taking a big step forward as if he'd tripped over something and nearly falling. He walked off shaking his head, then sat on the floor and buried his head in his hands. He shook his head again as his score of 9.275 was announced.
Li Xioashuang's routine was solid, as he soared high on his tumbling passes and was solid on his landings. But he didn't have Melissanidis' flair, and finished with a 9.837.
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. U.S. gymnast Shannon Miller lands on the matby CNBfollowing her second vault during the individual event competition
Sunday night. Miller, who was substituting for injured teammate
Kerri Strug, finished last among eight finalists.