PARIS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Zilu ranked seventh in the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around final at the Paris Olympics on Friday, the best Olympic result ever achieved by a Chinese athlete in this event.
Wang, 21, who had qualified tenth on Thursday, delivered an outstanding performance in the first rotation of hoop with a score of 35.250 points, placing her third among the 10 athletes. She continued her momentum to score 32.700 in the second rotation of ball and 34.300 in the third rotation of clubs.
However, in the last rotation of ribbon, the Olympic debutant made errors and scored 29.300 points, finishing her competition with a total score of 131.550 at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
"The errors in the ribbon routine were the same ones I've had during practice. I was a bit nervous, and my movements were slightly off. I didn't handle it well at the time," Wang said after the competition. "It left some regrets about the final."
She said her goal has always been to "surpass herself", aiming for "perfection in all four rotations" or at least "fluidity in all four". However, she failed to reach the level through the Paris Games.
"I believe I can improve, but I'm relieved to have made a breakthrough in China's Olympic ranking in this event," she said.
Previously, Chinese athletes Pang Qiong and Deng Senyue had ranked 11th in the event at Seoul 1988 and London 2012, respectively.
Wang said that the Paris Games had given her valuable experience on dealing with pressure and nerves in major competitions, which would help her stay calmer and less anxious in future competitions.
Germany's 17-year-old Darja Varfolomeev won gold with a total score of 142.850, 2.250 points ahead of Bulgaria's Boryana Kaleyn who took silver, and 6.550 points over top qualifier and bronze medallist Sofia Raffaeli of Italy.
Varfolomeev thus became Germany's first Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics.
"It's the result of years of hard work and it really is a dream come true. I can't really describe my feelings, I'm just overwhelmed with emotions. I'm so happy," said Varfolomeev after winning the title.
Earlier on Friday, China's rhythmic gymnastics team scored a total of 67.900 in the two rotations in five hoops and in three ribbons plus two balls during the group all-around qualification, placing fifth out of 14 teams.
Bulgaria topped the field in the group all-around qualification, ahead of Italy and Ukraine. The top eight teams advanced to the group all-around final, which will be held on Saturday.
