The 2009 World Cup series drew to close at the DTB Cup in Stuttgart on November 14. China dominated the event finals, taking four gold medals but Russia and the Netherlands were the most successful countries in the final World Cup rankings.
The men's competition offered some truly world class gymnastics, notably from the Chinese. Two recently crowned world champions made the trip to Stuttgart. Wang Guanyin (parallel bars) and Zhang Hongtao (pommel horse) as well as rings master Cheng Yibing all coasted to the gold on their respective events with beauty, style and skills. Diego Hypolito took the floor gold with an opening tumble of whip to immediate Arabian double front piked. "I had shoulder surgery a few months ago and am still having physiotherapy for shoulder problems. I am happy to be competing here, and that the World Cup season finished so well for me," he said afterwards. Epke Zonderland wowed the crowd with a spectacular high bar routine that included a Cassina and a Kolman. Zonderland and Aljaz Pegan had both come to Stuttgart with a chance of winning the series on high bar. Pegan failed to make the final after falling twice in qualifications. "It would have been a lot more spectacular if we had both been in the final and had had a good match," Zonderland regretted.
The overall winners are determined based on the number of points gathered at various World Cup meets during the year with only the top four results counting towards the final ranking. While all of the men's winners were in Stuttgart to receive their trophy, Sui Lu was the only women's winner present making the final of the series very anticlimactic and perhaps mirroring the lack of importance attached to it. The level of the women's competition was very low even considering it came at the end of a long post Olympic season. Hardly a gymnast stayed on the beam in the final, and there were next to no high class vaults performed. Local hero Kim Bui was the most successful gymnast of the meet with a gold on bars, silver on floor and bronze on vault. "I know it's not a world championship but it is something," she said. "It feels good." Head coach Ulla Koch stated she was pleased with her gymnasts' performances but was quick to put the results in perspective. "This was just a normal performance. We definitely need to upgrade our routines and improve the level of execution if we want to qualify a full team to the 2012 Olympics."
2009 World Cup Champions
MAG
FX: Diego Hypolito (BRA)
PH: Krisztian Berki (HUN)
R: Konstantin Pluzhnikov (RUS)
V: Jeffrey Wammes (NED)
PB: Mitija Petkovsek (SLO)
HB: Epke Zonderland (NED)
WAG:
V: Yekaterina Kurbatova (RUS)
UB: Yekaterina Kurbatova (RUS)
BB: Sanne Wevers (NED)
FX: Sui Lu (CHN)