Fabian dominated this event. Throughout the competition. He is a sports superstar in Germany. And now the World.
(I don’t understand why there are not more superb High Bar specialists as there are on every other apparatus. )
Fabian Hambuechen’s set of medals is complete.
The German star capped off a stellar week at the world gymnastics championships with his biggest prize yet Sunday, a gold on the high bar. He adds that to a silver from the all-around and a bronze from the team competition.
“I just felt awesome today,” Hambuechen said. “I knew I had a good chance on the high bar, and I showed it. With the team, I never expected that we’d get third. All-around, I also expected three or lower places. Not second.”
Hambuechen and Alicia Sacramone of the United States were the only gymnasts to win a gold, silver and bronze at worlds.“In Beijing, there will be another level than here,” he said. “The Chinese will be much stronger — they are very strong, but they’ll be much stronger than here. It will be very hard to get the same results like here there. We can just try to do our best and prepare and be in the best shape there.”
Regardless of what he does in Beijing, it will be tough to top the stir Hambuechen caused here.
He’s had rock star status in sports-mad Germany since winning the all-around bronze last year. Autograph seekers follow him wherever he goes, and even the volunteers at worlds lined up to get him to autograph their shirts. The tabloids breathlessly report on the latest developments with his girlfriend, and his mere appearance on the podium Sunday was enough to cause a thunderous ovation.
And Hambuechen loved it.
German Fabian Hambuechen celebrates after winning the gold medal in the horizontal bar final at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, southern Germany, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
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