Soviet Gymnast Shows Perfect Balance : Mostepanova Earns a 10 at World Championships in Montreal

Olga Mostepanova scored a perfect 10 on the balance beam Tuesday night to lead the talent-rich Soviet women’s team to the top of the team standings after the women’s compulsory exercises at the World Gymnastics Championships.

Mostepanova, 17, also dislodged Olympic silver medalist Ecaterina Szabo of Romania from atop the individual standings after required exercises on the beam, the floor, the uneven parallel bars and the vault.

But for a pair of falls on the bars, Soviets Natalia Yurchenko, the defending world all-around champion, and Elena Shoushounova also might have been ahead of Szabo going into Thursday’s team optionals.

Mostepanova finished the four compulsories with a composite score of 39.275 of a possible 40.0. Szabo had a 39.175, and Oksana Omeliantchik was right behind her at 39.125. Irina Baraksanova was fourth at 39.100, and Yurchenko, hurt by a 9.400 after she fell from the bars, was fifth with a composite score of 39.000 in the individual standings.

The Soviet women rolled up 195.90 points to take over the lead from Romania, the Olympic team champions, who finished an earlier session with 193.450 points.

Gabriele Fahnrich of East Germany also received a 10 from the judges Tuesday, making up for a fall from the beam with a perfect performance on the bars.