The form was perfect, the dress rehearsal was a complete success – and the primal scream of release followed promptly: Olympic gymnastics runner-up Lukas Dauser gained even more self-confidence in the all-around decision for his Sunday World Championships final on parallel bars in Antwerp.
As in the qualification and in the team final, the vice world champion from Unterhaching achieved the highest mark of all athletes on his special equipment. This time it was 15,400 points, which the sports soldier acknowledged with a beaming smile; in his current condition he will be hard to beat. In the end, the placement across all six devices was secondary, it came in 16th place.
“It was clear that I wouldn’t have much of a chance,” the 31-year-old had explained in advance. Dauser said goodbye to the audience with a friendly wave – until Sunday. The medals in the King’s category did indeed outdo others. After a false start on the ground, Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto successfully defended his title. Illja Kowtun from Ukraine and the American Frederick Richard came closest to the Japanese.
Dauser world class on parallel bars
Dauser, on the other hand, was still in 22nd place out of 24 participants after three of six devices before his absolutely world-class exercise pushed him forward. When the all-around title was awarded, he had long since finished his competition and was just watching with a calm expression. He did an excellent job of all the elements between the spars. The German fans in the Sportpaleis were also enthusiastic and will probably support the two-time Olympian loudly on Sunday. Until then, Dauser now has time to gather new strength.
Before his brilliant performance on the parallel bars, the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) had received bad news. Veteran Andreas Toba suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during World Cup training in Belgium. It is not yet clear how long the Hanoverian will be out, especially since it is still unclear whether an operation will be necessary. The 31-year-old actually wanted to end his career by taking part in the Olympic Games in Paris next summer.
The world title fights continue on Friday (7:30 p.m.) with the women’s all-around competition. The high favorite to win the premier discipline is record world champion Simone Biles from the USA. German starters are the former balance beam world champion Pauline Schäfer-Betz from Chemnitz and Sarah Voss from Cologne.
