The 42-year-old, a double world champion in 1991 who was part of the team which won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, scored an impressive 14.400 points to claim first place at the Lausitz Arena.

Lilia Akhaimova of Russia was second with 13.875 points, while Canada's Sophie Marois was third on 13.825.

Elisabeth Seitz delighted the home crowd as she ended the uneven bars qualification round in pole position, having scored 14.750 points.

Seitz was followed by two Chinese gymnasts as Jiaqi Lyu and Cenyu Wang were second and third respectively.

China were the dominant nation in the men's events.

Junweng Wang was the top performer in the pommel horse as his routine on the tricky apparatus was rewarded with 15.100 points.

Japan's Ryuhei Hashimoto did enough for second with 14.966 as he scored higher than Olympic all-around silver medallist Oleg Verniaiev.

The Ukrainian, the reigning Olympic champion on the parallel bars, scored 14.533 to finish third.

Wang's compatriot Peng Lei impressed in the rings, breaching the 15-point mark with a decent total of 15.033 points.

Double Olympic silver medallist Marcel Ngyuen of Germany qualified in second, thanks to a score of 14.700.

Dmitrii Lankin of Russia completed the top three, having scored 14.466.

Lankin's team-mate Kirill Prokopev claimed top spot in the men's floor on 14.466, comfortably in front of Dutchman Bram Verhofstad, whose performance yielded 14.033 points.

Third place went to Slovenia's Rok Klavora, who managed a total of 13.866.

Qualification in both the men's and women's events continues tomorrow.