25. September 2011  
Maribor/Slovenia  
Artistic Gymnastics

2nd finals day at the Challenger tournament in Maribor

Victory ceremony vault

The 44th Salamunov Memorial, FIG Challenger tournament in Maribor ended with the second finals day. The first gold medal went to Matthias Fahrig (GER) on vault. Greece's Vasiliki Millousi won on beam. The best on parallel bars was Wang Guanyin from China and Roni Rabinovitz (ISR) won floor. The best gymnast on high-bar was Maras Vlasios from Greece.

On the first finals day yesterday the titel in the men's floor final was shared by Rok Klavora (SLO) and Fadi Bahlawan from Syria.
<< The final on pommel hose was won by China's Zhang Hongtao with a very elegant routine and Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) won on rings.
Valeria Maksiuta from Israel repeated her good performance from the qualfication and won the title in the women's vault final. The gold medal on uneven bars went to Kristina Palesova from the Czech Republic ...

Matthias Fahrig, fit as a fiddle again!

Second finals day at the 44th Salamunov Memorial in Maribor, Sunday, Sept. 25th 2011

Men's vault final
1. Matthias Fahrig (GER) 15.812
2. Mark Lyszczarz (POL) 15.387
3. Huang Yuguo (CHN) 15.375
4. Masataka Aoyama (JPN)15.362
5. Helge Liebrich (GER) 15.312
6. Jad Mazahreh (JOR)15.062
7. Patrick Peng (NZL) 14.862
8. Marius Wirum Haaverstad (NOR) 14.825

In the men's final on vault it went better than on floor for Matthias Fahrig. He started with a good handspring – double somersault fwd. tucked (though not as high as in the qualification) and also the second vault was presented solidly, except for slight insecurities in the execution. In the end it was the gold medal for him in this final.

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Women's uneven bars final

1. Vasiliki Millousi (GRE) 14.000 (D-score 6.0)
2. Valeria Maksiuta (ISR) 13.950 (D-score 5.8)
3. Adela Sajn (SLO) 13.400 (D-score 5.2)
4. Kristyna Palesova (CZE) 13.300 (D-score 5.4)
5. Roni Rabinovitz (ISR) 13.250 (D-score 5.4)
6. Elisa Haemmerle (AUT) 13.200 (D-score 5.2)
7. Tina Erceg (CRO) 12.450 (D-score 5.0)
8. Laura Gombas (HUN) 12.350 (D-score 4.3)

In the women's final on beam the highest difficulties were missing. However, most of the competitors proved to be already in shape for the World Championships and got through their routines solidly and without major mistakes. Vasiliki Millousi had to fight to remain on the beam after one turn but got well through the rest of her program . Also the only D-score of 6.0 in this field secured her the gold medal in this final.

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Men's parallel bars final

1. Wang Guanyin (CHN) 15.750 (D-score 7.0)
2. Mitja Petkovsek (SLO) 15.150 (D-score 6.5)
3. Matthias Fahrig (GER) 14.550 (D-score 6.0)
4. Roman Kulesza (POL) 14.525 (D-score 6.2)
5. Thomas Neuteleers (BEL) 14.475 (D-score 6.0)
6. Masataka Aoyama (JPN) 14.300 (D-score 5.7)
7. Hiroki Ishikawa (JPN) 14.250 (D-score 6.3)
8. Andreas Bretschneider (GER) 12.875 (D-score 5.9)

Wang Guanyin won the second medal for the Chinese participants at the 44th Salamunov Memorial in front of Mitja Petkovsek from the Slovenian hosts. The third-ranked from the qualification Hiroshi Ishikawa from Japan had bad luck with a fall from the apparatus and only ended up on the 7th place today.

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Women's floor final:

1. Roni Rabinovitz (ISR) 13.600 (D-score 5.4)
2. Tina Erceg (CRO) 13.200 (D-score 4.9)
3. Adela Sajn (SLO) 13.000 (D-score 5.2)
4. Fiona Novak (SLO) 12.750 (D-score 4.9)
5. Elisa Haemmerle (AUT) 12.550 (D-score 5.1)
6. Kristyna Palesova (CZE) 12.250 (D-score 4.1)
7. Tina Larsen (NOR) 12.200 (D-score 4.4)
8. Lisa Ecker (AUT) 11.450 (D-score 4.7)

After having been satisfied with her own performance already in the beam final, Roni Rabinovitz won the women's floor final. She got through her routine solidly and with 5.4 also had the highest D-score in the field.

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Men's high-bar final

1. Maras Vlasios (GRE) 15.275 (D-score 6.5)
2. Fabian Leimlehner (AUT) 15.025 (D-score 6.2)
3. Roman Kulesza (POL) 14.925 (D-score 6.5)
4. Aleksandar Batinkov (BUL)14.900 (D-score 6.5)
5. Alen Dimic (SLO) 14.750 (D-score 6.3)
6. Martin Konecny (CZE) 14.625 (D-score 6.2)
7. Andreas Bretschneider (GER) 14.025 (D-score 6.5)
8. Samuel Piasecky (SVK) 13.125 (D-score 6.0)

In the men's high-bar final Maras Vlasios showed a strong performance and managed, after only the fourth place in the qualification, to win the final today. Germany's Andreas Bretschneider started strongly but then lost all chances to repeat his first place from the qualification by a fall from the apparatus.

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First finals day at the 44th Salamunov Memorial in Maribor, Saturday, September 24th 2011

Men's floor final

1. Rok Klavora (SLO) 14.625 (D-score 6.0)
1. Fadi Bahlawan (SYR) 14.625 (D-score 6.0)
3. Kieran Behan (IRL) 14.400 (D-score 5.9)
4. Helge Liebrich (GER) 14.100 (D-score 5.9)
5. Huang Yuguo (CHN) 13.750 (D-score 6.4)
6. Jindrich Pansky (CZE) 13.700 (D-score 5.8)
7. Matthias Fahrig (GER) 12.850 (D-score 6.2)
8. Andrej Korosteljev (CRO) 12.800 (D-score 4.6)

The titel in the men's floor final was shared by Rok Klavora from the Slovenian hosts and Fadi Bahlawan (SYR). The top three in this final showed their routines without mistakes. Germany's Helge Liebrich on the fourth place had a few insecurities and the remaining finalists didn't manage to get through their routines without mistakes.
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* Women's vault final

1. Valeria Maksiuta (ISR) 14.125
2. Teja Belak (SLO)12.875
3. Orsolya Nagy (HUN) 12.800
4. Thelma Hermannsdottir (ISL) 12.600
5. Jasmin Mader (AUT) 12.525
6. Dina Madir (CRO) 12.350
7. Tina Larsen (NOR) 12.300
8. Agnes Suto (ISL) 12.025

In the women's vault final Valeria Maksiuta from Israel especially convinced with her very well executed second vault, handspring – somersault fwd. piked with 1/1 turn. The rest of the field didn't manage to reach her level of performance as well regarding the difficulty as also regarding the execution.
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ZHANG, Hongtao
Chinese pommel horse victory on Saturday

Men's pommel horse final

1. Zhang Hongtao (CHN) 15.725 (D-score 6.5)
2. Zoltan Kallai (HUN) 14.800 (D-score 6.4)
3. Saso Bertoncelj (SLO) 14.700 (D-score 6.5)
4. Dmitrijs Trefilovs (LAT) 14.325 (D-score 5.7)
5. Masataka Aoyama (JPN)14.000 (D-score 5.9)
6. Robert Weber (GER) 13.950 (D-score 5.9)
7. Maciej Labutin (POL) 13.275 (D-score 5.0)
8. Slavomir Michnak (SVK) 11.175 (D-score 5.1)

Zhang Hongtao from China won the final on pommel horse and thrilled the audience with his very elegant performance. Slovenia's Saso Bertoncelj today with an „almost-fall“ during his routine, however the D-score of 6.5 still secured himself the bronze medal.

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Women's uneven bars final

1. Kristina Palesova (CZE) 13,750 (D-score 5.5)
2. Valeria Maksiuta (ISR) 13.100 (D-score 5.3)
3. Tina Erceg (CRO) 12.800 (D-score 5.0)
4. Jasmin Mader (AUT) 12.55 (D-score 4.9)
5. Roni Rabinovitz (ISR) 12.050 (D-score 5.5)
5. Vasiliki Milousi (GRE) 12.050 (D-score 5.4)
7. Fiona Novak (SLO) 11.950 (D-score 5.0)
8. Laura Gombas (HUN) 11.350 (D-score 5.1)

With a powerful performance Kristina Palesova (CZE) won the final on uneven bars. The second place went to Valeria Maksiuta from Israel who had a few problems with the rhythm during her routine but in the end was very happy about having stuck the landing of her new dismount double somersault fwd. with 1/1 turn.

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Men's rings final

1. Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) 15.725 (D-score 6.8)
2. Liao Junlin (CHN) 15.525 (D-score 6.8)
3. Robert Weber (GER) 14.850 (D-score 6.4)
4. Andreas Bretschneider (GER) 14.650 (D-score 6.2)
5. Irodotos Georgallas (CYP) 14.575 (D-score 6.2)
6. Marek Lyszczarz (POL) 14.350 (D-score 5.6)
7. Sascha Palgen (LUX) 14.275 (D-score 5.8)
8. Hiroki Ishikawa (JPN) 13.100 (D-score 5.8)

In the rings final Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) repeated his strong performance from the qualification and won the final narrowly in front of Liao Junlin from China. Germany's Robert Weber secured himself the bronze medal.

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**... more about 2011 Salamunov Memorial:
          >> Challenger Cup Qualification