Gymnastics

Kim Zmeskal and Betty Okino of the United States advanced to the women’s finals of the World Gymnastics Championships with superb routines that earned them the top scores in the semifinals of individual events at Paris.

Zmeskal, 16, from Houston, had a 9.937 in the floor exercise to lead the event. Defending champion Oksana Tchusovitina of the Commonwealth of Independent States received a bye into today’s final.

Okino, 16, of Elmhurst, Ill., had a 9.937 in the balance beam to tie for first with Tatiana Lissenko of the CIS. Okino’s program included two full pirouettes as well as two back aerials in a row. However, Lissenko’s routine had a one-arm hand stand, the only one of the night. Lissenko was replacing teammate Rosa Galieva, who had to pull out of three events because of illness.

Okino and teammate Kerri Strug also made the final eight in the uneven parallel bars. Zmeskal had qualified fourth ahead of the other two. However U.S. coaches let Okino and Strug compete because they felt those athletes needed the exposure.