Finland, Russia, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Italy, Lithuania and Slovenia win gold as European Games conclude

Competition report of the Artistic Gymnastics event finals at the second European Games

At the last day of the 2nd European Games in the Belarussian capital Minsk, 10 event finals were contested. Yet again, the crowd simply was fantastic, supporting all gymnasts and showing their appreciation for their skills throughout the afternoon.

 

Men

Finland’s floor victory

Top qualifier Emil Soravuo produced another beautiful floor routine, showing precision and good form in his tumbling passes to claim the first gold medal of the day and a place in the history books as the first Finnish gymnast to win gold at the European Games. His excellent execution gave him the advantage over the slightly more difficult routines by Great Britain’s Giarnni Regini-Moran and Ukraine’s Petro Pakhniuk who settled for silver and bronze respectively. Russia’s Dmitri Lankin performed the most difficult routine but had troubles controlling his powerful tumbling, bouncing out of bounds on his triple back and landing another pass out of the floor area.

1. Emil Soravuo (FIN) 14.433
2. Giarnni Regini-Moran (GBR) 14.233
3. Petro Pakhniuk (UKR) 14.200
4. Dmitri Lankin (RUS) 1133
5. Yahor Sharamkou (BLR) 13.533
6. Artur Davtyan (ARM) 13.466

 

Second gold for Belyavskiy, this time on pommel horse

A tight fight for gold on pommel horse between 2017 European Champion David Belyavskiy and top qualifier Oleg Verniaiev kept the audience on the edge of their seat. Just 0.133 separated them with Belyavskiy earning his second gold of these Games, with Verniaiev in second place. A huge delight for the Minsk crowd as Andrey Likhovitsky clinched the bronze medal.

1. David Belyavskiy (RUS) 15.033
2. Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) 14.900
3. Andrey Likhovitskiy (BLR) 14.566
4. Cyril Tommasone (FRA) 13.266
5. Marios Georgiou (CYP) 13.166
6. Slavomir Michnak (SVK) 11.966

Rings title for European and World medallist Marco Lodadio

Only 1 tenth of a point separated the top 5 in this exciting rings final! Igor Radivilov set the standard. As the first gymnast to perform, he scored 14.733. The next 3 gymnasts up did their very best but couldn’t quite match him. Then Armenia’s Vahagn Davtyan surpassed that score while Italian European and World medallist Marco Lodadio saved the best for last, earning the gold medal with a score of 14.800!

1. Marco Lodadio (ITA) 14.800
2. Vahagn Davtyan (ARM) 14.766
3. Igor Radivilov (UKR) 14.733
4. Ibrahim Colak (TUR) 1700
5. Samir Ait Said (FRA) 14.700
6. Dmitri Lankin (RUS) 14.366

Excellent vaulting for Armenia’s first gymnastics European Games gold medal

A high level final yet again saw some of the world’s best vaulters challenge each other. Armenia’s Artur Davtyan produced two excellent vaults to take Armenia’s first gymnastics gold medal at the European Games. He held an advantage of 4 tenths over Russia’s Dmitri Lankin who overcame some troubles on other events to finally claim a medal. Radivilov earned other medal for Ukraine, a bronze this time.

1. Artur Davtyan (ARM) 15.016
2. Dmitri Lankin (RUS) 14.733
3. Igor Radivilov (UKR) 14.649
4. Andrey Medvedev (ISR) 1633
5. Loris Frasca (FRA) 14.450
6. Giarnni Regini-Moran (GBR) 14.066

The Olympic Champion strikes again

After a scary fall in the all-around, Marios Georgiou wrote history again for Cyprus as he performed a superb parallel bars routine to clinch the silver medal behind Olympic Champion Oleg Verniaiev who was over the moon with the gold medal on his signature event. Ferhat Arican (TUR) matched his achievement of the recent Europeans where he also earned the bronze.

1. Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) 15.333
2. Marios Georgiou (CYP) 14.900
3. Ferhat Arican (TUR) 14.833
4. David Belyavskiy (RUS) 1733
5. Robert Tvorogal (LTU) 14.200
6. Brinn Bevan (GBR) 13.700

History for Lithuania

Another historic moment came in the last final of the day, with Lithuania’s Robert Tvorogal, who won several titles at the test event in Minsk in April, producing the gold medal winning high bar routine. The many Lithuanian fans in the audience went crazy! Turkey added another medal as Ahmet Onder won the silver and Hungary’s David Versernyes, medallist at last year’s Europeans, took the bronze.

1. Robert Tvorogal (LTU) 14.400
2. Ahmet Onder (TUR) 14.100
3. David Vecsernyes (HUN) 14.066
4. Andrey Likhovitskiy (BLR) 13.833
5. David Belyavskiy (RUS) 13.466
6. Carlo Macchini (ITA) 13.200

Women

Belak shines in her final

Teja Belak followed in the footsteps of compatriot Saso Bertoncelj who won pommel horse in 2015 as Slovenia’s first women’s gold gymnastics winner at the European Games as she vaulted to first place today ahead of all-around winner Angelina Melnikova and top qualifier Sara Peter.

1. Teja Belak (SLO) 14.283
2. Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 14.133
3. Sara Peter (HUN) 14.066
4. Gabriela Janik (POL) 13.699
5. Ofir Netzer (ISR) 13.666
6. Marina Nekrasova (AZE) 13.466

 

Melnikova on fire

The bars final featured former European Champions Becky Downie (GBR) and Nina Derwael (BEL) and medallist Angelina Melnikova, a last-minute replacement for reigning European Champion Anastasia Iliankova who suffered a severe allergic reaction that required medical attention. Downie set the standard with a 14.400. World Champion Derwael showed her new, even more difficult exercise, but fell, leaving the door open for last-up Angelina Melnikova to grab another gold medal. Anastasia Alistratava, Belarus’ rising star, won the  bronze.

1. Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 14.466
2. Becky Downie (GBR) 14.400
3. Anastasiya Alistratava (BLR) 14.233
4. Nina Derwael (BEL) 13.933
5. Naomi Visser (NED) 13.466
6. Lorette Charpy (FRA) 12.866

Derwael shows that bars isn’t everything for her

Showing her incredible mental strength, Derwael bounced back from her bars fall to execute an exquisite beam routine, for 13.766 and the gold medal ahead of Melnikova. Ukraine’s Diana Varinska returned home with a second bronze medal after the all-around success.

1. Nina Derwael (BEL) 13.766
2. Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 13.600
3. Diana Varinska (UKR) 1100
4. Denisa Golgota (ROU) 12.933
5. Georgia-Mae Fenton (GBR) 12.800
6. Lorette Charpy (FRA) 11.566

Floor

Czech Republic’s Aneta Holasova, a fan favourite worldwide, danced and tumbled her way to a podium place in this final even though she was first up. With 12.966 she secured the silver, only overtaken by Ukrainian former junior stand-out Anastasia Bachynska. Bronze went to Sweden’s Jessica Castles who edged home town hero Anastasia Alistratava.

1. Anastasia Bachynska (UKR) 13.200
2. Aneta Holasova (CZE) 1966
3. Jessica Castles (SWE) 12.933
4. Anastasia Alistratava (BLR) 12.900
5. Adela Sajn (SLO) 12.666
6. Denisa Golgota (ROU) 12.300

Congratulations to the medallists! And to all participants for the high level competition!

 

Find the full results on the UEG website: http://www.ueg.org/event/2019-european-games/results

This concludes the second European Games! Looking for to the third edition in Krakow and the Malopolska region in 2023.