Kurbatova edges Yang in first qualifying session at world gymnastics championships

Kurbatova, Yang go 1-2 in gymnastics qualifying

LONDON — Ekaterina Kurbatova of Russia edged Olympic bronze medalist Yang Yilin to take the early lead after the first of five qualifying sessions at the world gymnastics championships Wednesday.

Kurbatova finished with 55.950 points, almost a half-point ahead of China’s Yang. Americans Bridget Sloan and Rebecca Bross, favorites for the all-around title, compete in later sessions, as does European champion Ksenia Semenova of Russia.

The women’s all-around final is Friday.

The year after an Olympics is always one of transition, with many of the big names taking a break or moving on and some future stars not yet old enough to compete, and this year is no different. Olympic champion Nastia Liukin and runner-up Shawn Johnson are both taking time off from gymnastics, Romanian Steliana Nistor has retired and Russia’s highly touted youngsters won’t be the required 16 for another year or two.

Even taking that into account, the first round of qualifying was sloppy. No matter where you looked, somebody was falling or wobbling. Granted, scores at U.S. championships can be a bit generous, but neither Kurbatova nor Yang would have made the top five there.

Kurbatova didn’t do anything spectacular, but she didn’t make any significant errors, either. Yang, on the other hand, had only one execution score above 8.5. She fell off uneven bars, where she won a bronze medal in Beijing, after getting stalled on a pirouette. She also had way too much power on her second tumbling pass on floor exercise, backpedaling out of bounds.

Her best routine came on balance beam, where she flitted across the 4-inch-wide apparatus as easily and assuredly as if it was an aircraft carrier.