This is the most dominant performance of a women’s team at a world championships in recent history. In 1987, Romania claimed nine medals, four gold, one silver and four bronze (includes one tie for first and one for third). Prior to limiting the number of athletes from one country in the final rounds, the Soviet Union garnered 13 medals in 1974, four gold, five silver and four bronze (includes one tie for first and two who tied for third).

For the event, the women’s nine-medal haul is a record for a U.S. Women’s Team at a World Championships, bettering the five medals collected in 1993 (three gold and two silver).

"The accomplishment of our women's team represents an historic moment for USA Gymnastics,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “Having such a strong performance the year after the Olympic Games is very encouraging."

Liukin led the squad’s medal collection with two gold (uneven bars and balance beam) and two silver medals (all-around and floor exercise), followed by Memmel with one gold (all-around) and two silver (bars and beam). Sacramone claimed one gold (floor) and one bronze (vault).

On Sunday, Liukin, who won the balance beam title with a 9.612, was last in the rotation and executed her routine filled with high split leaps and excellent tumbling. Memmel’s routine, which scored a 9.512, featured a number of difficult elements, including her piked barani and an Arabian somersault. This was the USA’s third, one-two finish at the event. Olympic beam champion Catalina Ponor of Romania claimed the bronze medal with a 9.500.

"I feel great,” said Liukin, immediately following her performance and prior to competing in the floor exercise. “I know I did a good routine. I knew I could pull it off. After that it was just up to the judges. It's great to win but I have to keep focused (because) I still have my floor routine."

Memmel said, "I'm very happy (with the silver). My focus was on the all-around so to get second is great. Nastia had a real clean, smooth routine, no wobbles and that's why she won. I'm really happy with how I did."

A powerful tumbler, Sacramone won the USA’s fourth gold medal with a near flawless display of acrobatics and tumbling, which included a soaring Arabian double-front somersault in the opening pass of her floor routine. Her 9.612 topped teammate Liukin’s 9.425 for the USA’s fourth one-two finish at the 2005 championships. The Netherlands' Suzanne Harmes won her first World Championships medal at 9.212.

"Oh, I'm ecstatic,” said Sacramone, who is just the third U.S. woman to win a world floor exercise title. “I was so nervous at first that I couldn't even watch Nastia, although I wanted to. I was sitting in the corner. I was praying for her, I was praying for me, but you know I'm just so happy right now.

"I didn't have any expectations. I just came here to do my best and, you know, it happened. I just tried to make my passes consistent, make clean jumps and just do the best that I could,” said Sacramone.

Liukin said, "It was a great result. The floor (exercise) is not my strongest event. I was just so pleased to be able to participate in the floor final. Alicia’s getting gold is amazing. She executed her routine so well.

“The whole experience has been great,” said Liukin. “Our team has done very well overall. Another USA one-two finish, four medals at a World Championships myself -- there is nothing else I can ask for."

For the men, both Todd Thornton of Pearland, Texas, and Jason Gatson of Mesa, Ariz., competed in final rounds for the all-around (20th) and parallel bars (7th), respectively.

"I am proud of our entire team -- the athletes, coaches and staff. The women’s achievements are incredible. Our men’s team demonstrated that despite the transition to a new group of athletes, they will continue to be a factor on the world stage. This is a good beginning to the next quadrennium, and we feel confident that the journey to Beijing will be filled with more bright moments such as these."

The men’s world champions that were crowned on Sunday were: Mitja Petkovsek of Slovenia, parallel bars; Alijaz Pegan of Slovenia, high bar; and Marian Dragulescu of Romania, vault.

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States, encourages participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

#

A quick summary of the U.S. women’s achievements

• Nine medals (four gold, four silver and one bronze)

• Four 1-2 finishes (all-around, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise)

• First U.S. all-around title since 1994 (Shannon Miller, 1993-94)

• First U.S. 1-2 finish in the women’s world all-around

• Memmel’s 0.001 margin of victory over Liukin is the closest finish since 1985 when two Soviets tied for the title

• Sacramone’s bronze is the USA’s second world vault medal; Brandy Johnson was the silver medalist in 1989.

• Ties most medals won by a country at a single World Championships at nine (Romania had nine in 1987 with four gold, one silver and four bronze) since countries are limited to two athletes in a final

2005 World Championships

Individual event finals

Melbourne, Australia

Nov. 27, 2005

Women

Balance Beam

1. Anastasia Liukin (USA) 9.612, 2. Chellsie Memmel (USA) 9.512, 3. Catalina Ponor (ROM) 9.500, 4. Nan Zhang (CHN) 9.487, 5. Monette Russo (AUS) 9.462, 6. Anna Pavlova (RUS) 8.762, 7. Yulia Lozhechko (RUS) 8.350, 8. Ye Fan (CHN) 8.025.

Floor Exercise

1. Alicia Sacramone (USA) 9.612, 2. Anastasia Liukin (USA) 9.425, 3. Suzanne Harmes (NED) 9.212, 4. Elena Zamolodchikova (RUS) 9.162, 5. Monette Russo (AUS) 9.100, 6. Emilie Le Pennec (FRA) 8.887, 7. Daiane Dos Santos (BRA) 8.837, 8. Isabelle Severino (FRA) 8.625.

Men

Parallel Bars

1. Mitja Petkovsek (SLO) 9.700, 2. Li Xiaopeng (CHN) 9.675, 3. Yann Cucherat (FRA) 9.662, 4. Valeri Goncharov (UKR) 9.575, 5. Manuel Carballo (ESP) 9.387, 6. Vasileios Tsolakidis (GRE) 8.450, 7. Jason Gatson (USA) 8.375, 8. Tae-Young Yang (KOR) 5.987.

Horizontal Bar

1. Aljaz Pegan (SLO) 9.662, 2. Yann Cucherat (FRA) 9.650, 3. Valeri Goncharov (UKR) 9.637, 4. Fabian Hambuechen (GER) 9.625, 5. Vlasios Maras (GRE) 9.562, 6. XIAO Qin (CHN) 9.362, 7. Damian Istria (AUS) 8.737, 8. Hiroyuki Tomita (JPN) 8.475.

Vault

1. Marian Dragulescu (ROM) 9.693, 2. Leszek Blanik (POL) 9.587, 3. Alin Sandu Jivan (ROM) 9.575, 4. Anton Golotsutskov (RUS) 9.568, 5. Eichi Sekiguchi (JPN) 9.474, 6. Filip Yanev (BUL) 9.362, 7. Evgeni Sapronenko (LAT) 9.256, 8. Jeffrey Wammes (NED) 9.099.