26. Mai 2012  
Montpellier, France  
Artistic Gymnastics

British Men s Team won very first continental Gold!

Great Britain’s men’s artistic gymnastics team
are the champions of Europe!
____________________________

Daniel Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Louis Smith, Ruslan Panteyleymonov and Max Whitlock become the first British team to ever take a major championships team gold medal after dominating the competition in Montpellier.

The British boys only had one mistake throughout the whole event to seal a winning score of 266.296 ahead of Russia in second (265.535) and Romania in third (261.319).
The team started off well, Max Whitlock and Kristian Thomas producing great floor routines, Dan Purvis struggling slightly but overall a good round to settle into the competition.

Great Britain' Men won the very first kontinental Team Gold in History!


34th MEN's Europeans of Artistic Gymnastics 2012
- Montpellier, 26. May -
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TEAM FINAL:    > STARTLISTE 

* On pommel Max Whitlock and Louis Smith were world class, Louis showing the style and difficulty that denotes an Olympic medal winner.
* On rings the team were all solid, bettering their qualification score and placing them in second spot at the halfway point.

* On vault GBR turned up the level even more, Ruslan Pantleymonov’s huge score of 16.100 combined with falls for Russia over on high bar taking the British boys ahead.

* On parallel bars the British boys were composed and professional; doing the job they needed to do to stay ahead.

* The last piece for GBR was the high bar, the most dynamic and often the most dramatic and it proved to be again, the competition resting on the last routine by Kristian Thomas, following a fall from Max Whitlock, Kristian needing 14.372 to lead GB to gold, he scored a massive 15.133

Kristian Thomas: “I didn’t know what score I need on high bar I just knew I needed to go clear, the adrenaline was immense. We’ve worked so hard in the gym to prepare for days like this and with the support of the lads I managed to pull through, we’re so proud. The first ever senior championshipstitle - a great achievement.”

Louis Smith: “After the pommel I was into team leader role, trying to encourage everyone and keep them focused and that’s exactly what they did. This is my first European gold and it’s and its history in the making for Great Britain, it’s great to be a part of.”
British Gymnastics Olympic performance director Tim Jones said: “Todays a really important step looking ahead to London, and a fantastic achievement. There will be a lot of people who thought they would never see this day and to have both the junior and seniors as champions of Europe is a tremendous result. “
* source: British Gymnastics press-release
ROTATION 1
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* Zwischenstand (1):
1. RUS – 44,874; 2. SUI – 44,766; 3. GBR – 44,624

4. UKR – 42,799; 5. BLR – 42,699; 6. ROU – 42,333
7. GER – 41,399; 8. FRA – 31,199
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* Rotation (2):
1. RUS – 91,906; 2. GBR – 90,057; 3. ROU – 89,057

4. SUI – 88,932; 5. BLR – 84,440; 6. UKR – 83,832
7. GER – 82,831; 8. FRA – 76,065
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* Rotation (3):
1. RUS – 135,356; 2. GBR – 133,356; 3. ROU – 132,756

4. UKR – 131,132; 5. SUI – 131,031; 6. GER - 128,730
7. BLR – 126,338; 8. FRA –105,831
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* Rotation (4):
1. GBR – 180,456; 2. RUS – 178,437; 3. UKR – 176,031

4. ROU – 174,688; 5. GER – 173,671; 6. BLR – 172.670
7. SUI – 172,13; 8. FRA –133,763
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* Rotation (5):
1. GBR – 224,455; 2. RUS – 223,169; 3. ROU – 218,920

4. UKR – 217,597; 5. BLR – 217,169; 6. GER – 215,437
7. SUI – 211,921; 8. FRA – 174,695
================================================

* FINAL STANDING
1. GBR – 266,296
2. RUS – 265,535
3. ROU – 261,319

4. BLR – 261,110; 5. UKR – 260,246; 6. GER – 259,269
7. SUI – 253,771; 8. FRA – 203,028

>> All Results

* For the first time in European Championship history, the British team champions after they had demonstrated their remarkable upward trend in the last decade, already with the silver medal in 2010 in Birmingham.

* Too many Impurities in total (!), so also by the previous four-time European Champion Russia, prevented their latest victory, two years ago was not because of the Icelandic ash cloud can travel.

* Romania triumphed with bronze just ahead of Ukraine.

* Of active defense of the titleholder Germany even today no trace! If you as a true continental championship highlights will continue to take seriously the need to individually chosen abstinence, one of the best German gymnasts in the team, Fabian Hambuechen, real doubt.  There was potential for the nation of Germany more than turn a currently sixth place in it (- the fact is actually a 7th in the normal course of the competition of the French team!) .

Such a total failure of a team, as happened to the medals-quite ambitious hosts France on the first unit, knew the history of Europeans - also not yet!

Overall, the Euorpean men's gymnastics has 8 weeks before the Olympic Games in this team competition was not on a real high level!
Far too many instabilities, which are not enthusiastic at the end of advertising for the modern gymnastics!
There were times in history that were also available at this time of the Olympic year through prudent periodization class services.
If this is for instantaneous structure of the total annual competition world event calendar overloaded can no longer guarantee ...?
Then would also be logical, the value of such a continental championship in real danger ...!
- ehe -