Nice start: Williams wins vault title in first world championships, makes US 2 for 2

Williams wins vault for 2nd US gold at gym worlds

LONDON — Kayla Williams is taking home quite a souvenir from her first international competition.

The young American won the women’s vault title at the world gymnastics championships Saturday, just five months after she was competing at the level below elites. Williams had a combined score of 15.087 for her two vaults, putting her well ahead of Switzerland’s Ariella Kaeslin and Youna Dufournet of France.

It’s the second gold medal at these worlds for the Americans, and their first ever on vault.

Earlier Saturday, Romania’s Marian Dragulescu won the men’s floor title.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LONDON (AP) — Marian Dragulescu’s decision to come out of retirement paid off — with a gold medal.

The Romanian won the men’s floor title at the world gymnastics championships on Saturday, scoring 15.700 points. It is the fourth world title in the event and seventh overall for Dragulescu, who briefly retired after the Beijing Olympics because of chronic back problems.

Zou Kai of China, the Olympic champion on floor, was second. Israel’s Alexander Shatilov won the bronze.

American Steve Legendre was last in the eight-man final.