This is what I was thinking as I watched the slow, sad drift downwards of the Romanian team in the rankings. I hadn't envisaged it happening, and it gave me a feeling of foreboding. Perhaps Russia would succumb to the same forces as Romania and (relatively) quietly drift out of sight of international gymnastics. I thought - perhaps this was the end for the old guard of gymnastics? There has been a power shift and America has emerged the winner, while Romania and Russia, the vestigial remains of European dominance of the sport, have finally lost. So I was very much relieved to see the team put on their game face yesterday and produce a far better showing than I had expected. Team captain Afanasyeva more than pulled her weight and the other Olympians, Komova and Paseka, made their commitment and experience count. The youngsters, Spiridonova, Tutkhalyan and Kharenkova, also put on a good show. In particular Seda Tutkhalyan, whose first World Championships this is, fought h