August 12, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 9, 1429

BEIJING, Aug 11: China’s gymnasts will play it safe on their bogey apparatus, the horizontal bar, when they seek to justify their billing as hot favourites to dethrone champions Japan in the men’s team final on Tuesday.

Technically supreme on other apparatus, the world champions and 2000 Olympic gold medallists always look uncomfortable on the 2.8 metres-high bar and most of the team have been performing less challenging routines to avoid mishaps.

“Stability is my goal, so I cancelled some of my difficult transition movements in order to ensure a strong team performance,” triple world pommel horse champion Xiao Qin.

No one has more trouble with the bar than twice world all-round champion Yang Wei.

At the 2004 Olympics, he led the all-round competition with one apparatus to complete but dropped off the bar to finish out of the medals. He also fell off at the 2007 worlds but had built such a good lead that it did not matter.

They are determined not to allow the bar to stand in the way of what they believe is their destiny of winning gold on home soil.

The Chinese tribulations must amuse apparatus world champion Fabian Hambuechen, whose dynamic swings and daring catch and release moves are exciting to watch and score highly for a German team hoping to challenge for a bronze.

“China and Japan will fight for gold and silver and it’s up to the rest to fight for a bronze medal,” Hambuechen, who helped Germany finish third at the 2007 worlds, told reporters.

Among those also likely to be in contention for the other podium spot are a resurgent Russia, who qualified third, and South Korea.

Russia were out of the medals at the last worlds after a series of injuries but seem to have found their rhythm. Consistent team work rather than individual brilliance means their best chance of a medal is in the team event.

Athens bronze medallists Romania will need to raise their game after only just squeezing into the final.

The United States and France are the others in the eight-team final, which starts at the National Indoor Stadium.

Two days later, the top 24 gymnasts return to the arena to battle it out for the prestigious all-round crown.

With Athens champion Paul Hamm absent through injury, the main challengers to Yang are Hambuechen, South Korea’s 2004 silver medallist Kim Dae-eun and Japanese duo Kohei Uchimura and Koki Sakamoto.—Reuters