U.S. Is Flying Higher in Women’s Gymnastics

Don Peters predicts the interest brought on by last year’s Olympics will make the United States a force in women’s gymnastics by the 1992 Games.

Peters, coach of the U.S. women’s national team, said the children who were influenced to take up the sport after the exploits of Mary Lou Retton in last summer’s Olympics could turn out to be a bumper crop for 1992.

“It’s a numbers game,” Peters said a week ago after the women’s indivual all-around competition at the World Gymnastics Championships. “The Soviets train their kids well, but they also have more children in gymnastics than any other country.

“But our future looks bright. Thousands of little kids in the U.S. went into gymnastics after the 1984 Olympics. We’ll be able to draw on them by 1992.”

None of the three U.S. gymnasts managed to finish in the top 10 last Saturday.

Sabrina Mar was No. 14 with 76.725 points, followed by Marie Roethlisberger at 17 with 76.538 and Kelly Garrison at 18 with 76.400.

Soviets Elena Shoushounova and Oksana Omeliantchik finished tied for the gold with 78.663 points, followed by bronze winner Dagmar Kersten of East Germany at 78.325.