Teenager Simone Biles won two more gold medals to finish with four and leave the United States as the top team ahead of China as the world gymnastics championships ended Sunday.
The 17-year-old, who earlier retained her all-around title and powered USA to a second straight women's team gold, stole the show as she beat China's Bai Yawen by just 0.067 points on the beam and blew away the field to keep her floor crown.
Biles' heroics accounted for all four of the United States' gold medals at the 10-day event in Nanning, China, ahead of the hosts on three and North Korea in third place with two.
"Oh, it feels just amazing," Biles said of her two more golds on Sunday. "And it is an honour to get here representing the United States."
Asked what was in her mind before each performance, she said: "Just get there and hit all my routines, that's about it, and have fun."
Veteran Ri Se-Gwang doubled North Korea's haul as he won his first ever global title in the men's vault, with South Korea's defending world and Olympic champion Yang Hak-Seon, nicknamed the "god of vault", falling twice on landing.
Ri's triumph followed his compatriot Hong Un-Jong's victory in the women's vault Saturday.
The 29-year-old Ri, who grabbed the 2007 world vault bronze and the Asian Games title in 2006, pulled off two technically demanding vaults to collect 15.416 points.
"I am very happy and satisfied with my performance today," Ri said, expressing sympathy for his South Korean rival Yang.
"Mistakes are inevitable in athletic competitions," he said. "Actually (Yang) had a injury, so his performance was not so good. I hope he will recover soon and be better."
- Flying Dutchman -
Olympic and world high bar champion Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands dominated the apparatus with 16.225. Japan's Kohei Uchimura, who won a record-extending fifth straight men's all-around title on Thursday, finished second 0.5 points adrift with Croatia's Marijo Moznik third on 15.000.
Zonderland, known as the "Flying Dutchman," wowed a near-capacity crowd at the 4,000-seat Guangxi Gymnasium with two sets of breathtaking aerial skills.
"My own routine was so flawless. I don't know if it could have been any better at this stage," said the 28-year-old, adding that his weaknesses were "getting fewer and fewer.
"My weakness was execution (artistry) but I think it's getting much better and I will keep working on that," he said.
Ukraine's Oleg Verniaiev, the European parallel bars champion, won the event with 16.125 points to take his first world title. American Danell Leyva came second with 15.933 and Japan's Ryohei Kato was third with 15.666.
"I have been told not to try and bite off more than I can chew. I just wanted to do my level," said Verniaiev, 21.
Source: AFP
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Unified Korean team delivers historic medals, hopesMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
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