No Russian roulette this, as Playboy girl sets stage afire

Russia paced team qualifying with 154.630, 0.639 better than the reigning world team champion Romanians with China third at 153.388 in advance of Tuesday’s team duel. "It will be a tense, strenuous atmosphere," Arkaev said. "I feel we did all we could in certain areas, but not everything. There were small errors, jumps off the floor, slips like that, little mistakes."But that’s what determines medals." Khorkina did not speak to reporters and Elena Zamolodtchiko walked from the arena in tears after placing seventh overall but fourth among the Russians, meaning the woman who placed third in last year’s world all-round cannot compete for the all-round crown.

The six highest-scoring nations advance to Tuesday’s team finals, the top 36 individuals advance to Thursday’s all-round final and the top eight in each discipline reach apparatus finals, which start next on Sunday.

Qualifying scores do not carry over. But no nation mayhave more than three women in the all-round final or more than two in any apparatus final. Romania served notice they will be hard to beat. World all-round champion Maria Olaru led balance beam qualifiers with a 9.787. Simona Amanar, second on the floor at the 1996 Olympics and 1999 worlds, led floor qualifiers at 9.800 with Khorkina second at 9.762.

Andreea Raducan, the reigning Olympic floor champion, paced vault qualifiers at 9.743 with Khorkina second at 9.731. Raducan was also third in floor qualifying. China’s tumbling teen titans fared well also, although a left knee injury on the vault left veteran Kui Yuanyuan doubtful.