The Shooting star award goes to… Vasiliki Millousi (GRE) and Matej Nemčovič (SVK)

Started in 2018, this award aims to put a gymnast with an exceptional story in the spotlight, someone who is an inspiration for the future generation of gymnasts and the general public alike.

A ten-time World Cup Series medalist on beam, three-time Olympian, five time beam finalist at Europeans, and winner of the beam final at the 2012 Olympic Test Event, 38-year-old Vasiliki Millousi is also the mother of two girls (aged 3 and 2 years) and married to Olympic Champion Eleftherios Petrounias. In 2018, she decided to stop as an athlete and continue her professional life as teacher of physical education and gymnastics coach, running her own club. She is a board member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee since 2016, was in the athlete commission until 2021 and now she is the chair of the gender equality commission. Now, she is back in training and a member of the national team of Greece again! She is training with devotion and competes at the highest level. Vasiliki is living proof that gymnastics is not a sport only for teenage prodigies but also for adult athletes, and mothers that set goals and are not afraid to pursue them. Vasiliki Millousi, an inspiration for the entire gymnastics community!

Matej Nemčovič can be named a rookie in the Slovakian men’s artistic gymnastics team. Last year, at just 18 years old, he was the only senior MAG gymnast in the country. It was not easy for him to find the motivation in the training and in the competitions knowing that he would be the only one representing Slovakia in the senior MAG category. This year, the MAG team will be completed with the new young members and Matej suddenly at the age of just 19 is the leader of the team guiding and supporting the other boys here in Antalya.