The best man dancer award was shared by Brazilian performer Suaresh Binto Tiago and his Ukrainian colleague Leonid Sarafanov, while Oksana Gutcheruk from the host state shared with Wang the top woman prize.

Another Chinese dancer Han Po, who partnered Wang in all three rounds of the 12-day contest, acquired the bronze award of man dancer.

"I am so pleased for winning the great prize. It is really out of my expectation," Wang, who looks tender and always speaks in low voice, told Xinhua shortly before Monday's awarding ceremony held in the famous Bolshi Theater.

Her choreographer Wang Caijun, however, said he had been fully confident that his students would achieve good scores in the competition before their arrival here to attend the event, which is held annually and deemed as one of the four most important ballet contests in the world.

"We got gold prize in last year's competition and I believe our youths are among top ballet dancers in the world," he said.

More than 200 ballet dancers from 19 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, China, Brazil, Japan and the U.S., attended the competition, the ninth of its kind.

(People's Daily 06/19/2001)