GYMNASTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS : Zmeskal Tops in U.S. and Aiming Higher

It’s not only the American public relations people who expound on the merits of U.S. gymnast Kim Zmeskal, predicting she could win the all-around competition at the World Gymnastics Championships.

She really may have a chance.

At 15, she has defeated the top gymnasts in the world, among them Natalia Kalinina and Svetlana Boguinskaia of the Soviet Union, Henrietta Onodi of Hungary and Cristina Bontas of Romania. Zmeskal has won six international titles, scored five perfect 10s and won back-to-back national championships, the latter a rarity for an American gymnast, who often suffers from burnout after so much exposure.

And she hasn’t even changed coaches.

Not surprisingly, Zmeskal is a Bela Karolyi product, having trained with him since he bought his gym in Houston. Zmeskal, then 7, already was training at the gym when Karolyi arrived. And like other Karolyi proteges who have stayed with the practice-minded coach, Zmeskal has become the top-ranked gymnast in the country.

The pressure works in her favor.

“I don’t really feel the pressure of being on top, but (I know it’s there and) I can put it to my advantage,” Zmeskal said. “I will be able to go out and know that people are watching me, and that gears me up.”

She had just turned 14 when she made her mark in international competition by winning the 1990 American Cup. In a virtual tie with Kalinina, Zmeskal demonstrated her control when she performed her final routine, the floor exercise, successfully to win her first major title.

Her goal has been to win at the World Championships. She begins competing in the compulsory portion of the meet today.

“This is the major event of the year, and a lot happens here to prepare you for the Olympics,” she said. “I have been thinking about this for years.”

This summer Karolyi took his top gymnasts--which include four members of the World Championship team--to his farm, about an hour from Houston. He has an Olympic-size pool there, but that benefit was lost on these gymnasts.

There, away from the distraction, the girls trained for more than two months.

“I am really happy because I am healthy now (from a slight stress fracture), and we have had good preparations for this meet all summer,” Zmeskal said.

Other gymnasts to watch:

Betty Okino, United States--One of Zmeskal’s toughest competitors is her 16-year-old teammate, who trains at Karolyi’s and is ranked No. 2 in the country.

She started training with Karolyi in November of 1989 and rose to prominence about nine months later when she finished fourth at a meet in Germany and then won in France a few months later.

Okino also has beaten some of the world’s best, including Onodi, Boguinskaia and Bontas.

Until six months ago, when Okino pulled a hamstring and then fractured her elbow about a month later, she and Zmeskal shared the No. 1 ranking. But those injuries have cost Okino valuable training time, and until the World Championship Trials two weeks ago, she hadn’t competed since she won the American Cup in February.

Still, Okino looked strong at the World Championship team trials two weeks ago, finishing a close second behind Zmeskal. Her style lends itself more to dance than athletics, producing an elegance that is unique in American gymnasts. Okino studied to be a dancer from an early age, but changed to gymnastics after the 1984 Olympics.

Her best event is the balance beam, where there is a move named after her, “the Okino”--a triple pirouette.

Christina Bontas, 17, Romania--She may collect puppets and dolls, but she also is fairly adept at collecting medals. From Onesti, the hometown of Nadia Comaneci, Bontas is the veteran on the team and known throughout her country as the new “Nadia.” Bontas was 1990 national champion and placed fourth in the all-around and won two medals at the 1989 World Championships. Her best event is the floor exercise.

Henrietta Onodi, 17, Hungary--She was allowed to compete as a 12-year-old junior in the 1986 Hungarian national championships and won the meet. In the past two years, she consistently placed third in the all-around in international meets. Onodi loves to play to the crowd. Her best event is the balance beam.

Li Li, 16, China--She has a move on the balance beam that few can describe, but it has helped Li Li bridge the gap between her and the top Chinese gymnast, Yang Bo, who finished fifth at the 1989 World Championships.

Li Li is coming off her biggest victory, the World Sports Fair in Japan, where she not only won the all-around title but the beam and uneven bars, the latter being her best event.

Soviet Union--It’s hard to determine who will emerge on top from this talent-rich squad. Some say Kalinina, 17, and Tatiana Lisenko, 16, are the top contenders for the all-around. Others say to watch for Oksana Tchusovitina, 16, or Tatiana Gutsu, 15, the latter a newcomer to international competition who placed second in the 1990 Soviet Cup.

Only one thing is certain: few are talking about Boguinskaia, 18, the four-time medalist from the 1988 Olympics and winner of the 1989 World Championships. Some say Boguinskaia has lost a step, but as always with the Soviet gymnasts, that remains to be seen. She won the 1990 Goodwill Games and European Championships, where she scored a 10 on the floor exercise and balance beam.

Notes

Bela Karoyli, who is the U.S. women’s team head coach, confirmed the final roster Saturday, making Elisabeth Crandall and Sandy Woolsey the alternates. Named to the team were Kim Zmeskal, Betty Okino, Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller, Hilary Grivich and Michelle Campi.

Campi, 15, from Sacramento, finished 14th at the national championships but made the World Championship team roster by finishing eighth at the team trials, her highest finish in any major competition.

The compulsory competition, both men’s and women’s began Saturday. Led by Grigori Misutin, Valeri Belenki and Alexei Voropaev, the Soviet men took the team lead halfway through the men’s compulsory competition with 173.175 points. Misutin, 20, did not have a score below 9.650 in the six events and was the leader with 58.325 points. . . . China was second and Japan third. The United States was fourth with 170.175 points.