Gymnastics: Gold for Russia

Russia took gold in the women's team final for the first time at the world gymnastics championships on Wednesday.

Russia took gold in the women's team final for the first time at the world gymnastics championships in Rotterdam on Wednesday. The Russians edged out defending champions the United States with Olympic champions China pushed down into the bronze medal position. Things looked to have gone badly wrong when both Anna Dementyeva and Tatiana Nabieva tumbled off the uneven bars, but they regained ground as China lost points on the beam following a fall by Sui Lu. American Mattie Larson then struggled on the floor routine allowing the Russians to overhaul them and they maintained that advantage after a closing vault by Aliya Mustafina. Great Britain's women were forced to settle for seventh place as early mistakes cost them dear. "It was a really nerve-wracking experience and after a disappointing start I think it shows how strong the team is that we could pull ourselves together and produce some good performances," said Britain's Hannah Whelan. "We have great team spirit and the scores on vault and floor in particular show why we belong in the top eight nations in the world."