Larisa Iordache and Zsofia Kovacs top qualifications at Mersin 2020

The European Championships in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics started in the Turkish city of Mersin today.

The senior gymnasts competed in their qualification round with the aim to advance to the team final (top 6 teams) and the apparatus finals in which 8 gymnasts will compete with a maximum of 2 per country.

The return of Larisa Iordache to competition has been a hot topic for a while. Today she showed she truly is back, leading her Romanian teammates to a clear lead in the team competition and qualifying to all four apparatus finals, in first place on beam and floor, tied for second on uneven bars and third on vault. She will be joined on Sunday by Ioana Stanciulescu on vault, Silviana Sfiringu on beam and Antonia Duta on floor.

Ukraine managed to hold on to second place as they had a rollercoaster competition. Still, all five gymnasts advance to apparatus finals with Anastasia Motak on vault, bars and beam, Yelyzaveta Hubareva on bars, Anastasia Bachynska on beam while we’ll see Angelina Radivilova and Diana Varinska on floor. Zsofia Kovacs, the 2017 Vice-European Champion in the all-around, posted the highest score on vault and bars to take her team within a point of Ukraine. With Csenge Bacskay qualifying to the vault final, Zoja Szekely on bars and floor and Dorina Boeczoego on floor, the Hungarian team performed well.

Host nation Turkey finished 4^th and qualified Dilara Yurtdas on vault, Bilge Tarhan on beam and Goksu Uctas Sanli on floor. Latvian talent Elina Vihrova, daughter of 2000 Olympic Champion Igors Vihrovs, advance to three finals while Croatia’s Christina Zwicker will compete on bars and beam.

 

Qualified to finals:

Team

1. Romania 159.496

2. Ukraine 154.896

3. Hungary 154.129

4. Turkey 147.129

5. Czech Republic 142.229

6. Croatia 140.064

 

Vault

1. Zsofia Kovacs (HUN) 14.049

2. Anastasia Motak (UKR) 13.933

3. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 13.716

4. Csenge Bacskay (HUN) 13.683

5. Dilara Yurtdas (TUR) 13.433

6. Ioana Stanciulescu (ROU) 13.383

7. Elina Vihrova (LAT) 13.383

8. Tijana Korent (CRO) 13.383

 

Uneven bars

1. Zsofia Kovacs (HUN) 14.133

2. Barbora Mokosova (SVK) 13.566

2. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 13.566

4. Zoja Szekely (HUN) 13.333

5. Anastasia Motak (UKR) 12.700

6. Yelyzaveta Hubareva (UKR) 12.666

7. Christina Zwicker (CRO) 12.600

8. Elina Vihrova (LAT) 12.500

 

Beam

1. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 13.633

2. Silviana Sfiringu (ROU) 13.100

3. Anastasia Bachynska (UKR) 13.000

4. Elina Vihrova (LAT) 12.733

5. Anastasia Motak (UKR) 12.733

6. Bilge Tarhan (TUR) 12.366

7. Christina Zwicker (CRO) 12.100

8. Elisa Haemmerle (AUT) 12.066

 

Floor

1. Larisa Iordache (ROU) 13.433

2. Antonia Duta (ROU) 13.200

3. Angelina Radivilova (UKR) 13.066

4. Lihie Raz (ISR) 12.933

5. Dorina Boeczoego (HUN) 12.633

6. Diana Varinska (UKR) 12.500

7. Zoja Szekely (HUN) 12.466

8. Goksu Uctas Sanli (TUR) 12.400

 

You can find the complete results on https://www.europeangymnastics.com/event/2020-european-championships-mens-artistic-gymnastics-new-location/results

The competition continues tomorrow with the junior qualifications.