GYMNASTICS AMERICAN CUP : Okino, Zmeskal Lead Near-Perfect U.S. Meet

Betty Okino scored a perfect 10 on vault and Kim Zmeskal scored a 10 on floor exercise as U.S. gymnasts dominated athletes from 13 nations in the American Cup competition Saturday.

Okino and Zmeskal finished 1-2 in the women’s all-around competition and fellow Americans Trent Dimas and Chris Waller claimed the gold and silver in the men’s all-around in perhaps the top U.S. international gymnastics success since the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

This success came on the 10th anniversary of the defection of U.S. Coach Bela Karolyi from Romania.

Okino’s score of 39.787 broke the Cup record of 39.750 established by another Karolyi disciple, Nadia Comaneci of Romania, in 1976. The perfect scores for Okino and Zmeskal, both 15, were the first at the Cup since 1984 when Mary Lou Retton, on vault, and Julianne McNamara, on uneven bars, scored 10s.

Only two Americans could qualify for the final eight under the Cup format. Bronze medalists and $2,000 winners were Liudmila Stobvtchataia of the Soviet Union in women’s and Miguel Rubio of Spain in men’s.

Okino and Dimas qualified to win $5,000, and Zmeskal and Waller $3,000 under the new prize-money format. But under U.S. amateur rules that money must either be placed in a trust fund or not be accepted.

Saturday’s performance contributed to a growing realization that U.S. gymnasts will be a force in the 1991 World Championships at Indianapolis in September.

“This is incredible,” Dimas said of his teammates at the winner’s table. “This hasn’t happened in a long time. This is wonderful.”