Scherbo, Miller Prove They Belong at Top : Gymnastics: Belarus’ champion wins two more golds and American earns second gold.

Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus and American Shannon Miller confirmed their status Sunday as the world’s top gymnasts.

Scherbo won two gold medals on the final day of the World Championships to finish with three golds and a bronze in the competition. Miller earned her second gold, winning the women’s beam, after having won the all-around gold Friday.

Scherbo, winner of six gold medals at the 1992 Olympics and three at last year’s World Championships at Birmingham, England, added the vault and horizontal bar titles to the floor exercise gold he won Saturday night.

The 22-year-old from Minsk got 9.674 points in the vault. Li Xiaoshuang of China finished second with 9.618 points and Yeo Hong-Chul of South Korea was third with 9.600.

Scherbo then capped his performance by winning the horizontal bar title with 9.687 points. Zoltan Supola of Hungary was second with 9.537 and Ivan Ivankov of Belarus third with 9.500. Chainey Umphrey of Los Angeles finished fourth.

Ivankov dethroned Scherbo as all-around champion Thursday night, but Scherbo, regarded as the greatest gymnast of his generation, rebounded impressively after winning only a bronze in that event.

“I was very disappointed that I made two big mistakes in the all-around competition,” Scherbo said. “That was unbelievable. After that I told myself I had to win a couple of gold medals.”

Scherbo said he hoped the four-medal haul would help secure his financial future.

“Maybe this will help me for sponsorship and marketing,” he said. Scherbo is paid a grant of $70 a month by the Belarus government.

Huang Liping of China won the men’s parallel bars title with 9.775 points. Rustam Charipov of Ukraine won the silver with 9.612 and Alexei Nemov of Russia the bronze with 9.575.

Miller won her second gold, taking the women’s balance beam event with 9.875 points. She fell in the beam final last year.

Miller’s composed, fluid routine gave her a clear victory over silver medalist Lilia Podkopayeva of Ukraine, who had 9.737 points, and bronze medalist Oxana Fabrichnova of Russia, with 9.712.

“Last year did cross my mind, but I tried to keep being positive,” Miller said.

Lavinia Milosovici of Romania, winner of the beam at Birmingham, finished fifth behind teammate Nadia Hategan, while American Dominique Dawes was sixth.

Miller’s victory continued a remarkable return from injury for the 17-year-old from Edmond, Okla., who sat out two weeks of training in early March after suffering strained stomach muscles.

“It was the best routine Shannon has done since we got here,” Coach Peggy Liddick said.

Liddick said Miller had not felt any pressure after winning three gold medals at Birmingham.

“What we teach Shannon is that pressure is only how you perceive it,” Liddick said. “We tell her she’s prepared and she knows she’s prepared.”

Miller could not, however, win a third medal in the women’s floor exercise, in which she was the defending champion.

Dina Kochetkova of Russia, the final competitor to perform, won with 9.850 points. Milosovici was second with 9.837 and vault gold medalist Gina Gogean of Romania third with 9.762. Miller finished fourth with 9.687 after stepping out of bounds.

“I was still pleased overall,” Miller said. “I tried new skills in almost every event and I made most of them.”

Kochetkova finished with one gold and two bronze medals, Milosovici with two silvers and one bronze and Svetlana Chorkina of Russia with two silvers.