The new queen of Europe… Jessica Gadirova!

Another day at #Antalya2023, another fabulous final at the Antalya Sports Hall!

Today, the top 24 women of the qualification round competed for continental all-around glory. All eyes were on the star performers in the group as they gave each other a run for their money.

Top qualifier Jessica Gadirova started off nicely on vault and got safely through her beam routine to sit in third position going into the last rotation. Last up on the apparatus where she is World Champion, the British star needed to overcome a gap of 0.534. Focused on the job at hand, Gadirova tumbled and danced to an excellent score of 13.933 to take the European all-around crown with a 55.032 total.

“It’s hard to put this into words, the emotions are running so high I’m over the moon. It’s been an ambition of mine to become all-around champion and now it’s come true. It’s such an incredible feeling competing, that’s why I love gymnastics, I love to perform and show my gymnastics off, it’s just so much fun and to be on this journey with the team feels incredible. The support from my friends, family, fans, coaches and British Gymnastics, everyone behind the scenes - they mean so much to me and I couldn’t do this without them.”

The 18-year-old becomes Great Britain’s second European all-around Champion, with Ellie Downie leading the way in 2017.

Second to Downie in 2017, Zsofia Kovacs pushed Gadirova to the very end, posting higher scores on both bars and beam. The Hungarian ended her quest on floor where she delighted the audience. Her total of 54.899 earned her the silver medal. The gap with Gadirova … just 0.133!

With defending Champion Asia D’Amato not competing all-around, twin sister Alice stepped up her game. Highlighted by a 14.400 for her exquisite bars set, Alice clinched her own all-around medal, ending the day with bronze.

In a fabulous competition for the ‘lowlands’, the Belgian gymnasts wrote history with a 4^th place for Lisa Vaelen, while teammate Maellyse Brassart finished 5^th, a huge improvement from narrowly making the final. The ever elegant Eythora Thorsdottir outscored Dutch teammate Naomi Visser to end in places 6 and 7.

Great Britain’s Georgia-Mae Fenton, Romania’s Ana Barbosu and Spain’s Laura Casabuena round out the top 10!

 

All-Around medallists

GOLD Jessica GADIROVA (GBR) 55.032

SILVER Zsofia KOVACS (HUN) 54.899

BRONZE Alice D’AMATO (ITA) 54.500

Congratulations!

Find the full results on our event website: 2023 European Championships in Artistic Gymnastics | European Gymnastics

These Artistic Europeans continue tomorrow with the first day of apparatus finals!