42nd MEN's European Championships 2020

At the 42^nd European Championships in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (December 9th - 13th) in Mersin (TUR; venue of the 2013 Mediterranean Games), UKRAINE secured the team title for the very first time even without its star Oleg Verniaiev (248.963). In the absence of the previous European top nations due to the coronavirus, they relegated the up-and-coming host nation TURKEY to the silver rank (244.793) after a weak stretch. Bronze went to HUNGARY with 240.393 points; Israel, Bulgaria and Austria followed on the other final places. In total, only 10 of the 16 nations competed in the team competition, 6 of them contested the reduced final. Previously, 14 other countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Great Britain and France had already canceled their participation for corona reasons. Azerbaijan’s Gymnastics Federation has announced that three of the gymnasts on their senior and junior teams tested positive for Covid-19 this week. As a result, Azerbaijan withdrew from the competition entirely, since the rest of the delegation members were in close contact with the infected gymnasts. Altogether A total of 20 countries are represented by nearly 6 senior and 60 junior gymnasts.
What remained was a "mini event" with questionable sporting value, but on the final day there was a considerable increase:
→ Six different gymnasts from 5 nations were crowned European Champion! An apparatus final with many ‘firsts’, new countries on the podium and delighted faces all around.
→ In the first decision on Wednesday Ukrainian boys won the juniors team final in front of Hungary and Bulgaria.
→ In the juniors all-around final gold and silver went also to Ukraine ...!

  POMMEL HORSE
        >  Qualification;
Former Russian national team member Matvei Petrov found a new home in Prague, a new country to compete for and a second life in gymnastics. First up in this final, Petrov performed the most difficult routine and setting the mark to beat for the others. Croatia’s Filip Ude came within 0.04 but could not surpass Petrov’s score. Ferhat Arican beat the second Croatian Robert Seligman by another tiny margin for the bronze medal.
     
1. PETROV, Matvei (ALB)   (6.0) = 14,566
2. UDE, Filip           (CRO)  (*5.6) = 14,533
3. ARICAN, Ferhat  (TUR)   (5.8) = 14,433
       ► Detailed results
 

  STILL RINGS 
           > Qualification; 
As the first Turkish gymnast to win a World title, the pressure was on Ibrahim Colak’s shoulders. With a 9.000 for execution, he posted a total score of 15.000 and became Turkey’s first ever European Champion! 2014 junior European Champion Vinzenz Hoeck clinched Austria’s first medal, a silver, ahead of 2013 European Champion Igor Radivilov.
1. COLAK, Ibrahim  (TUR)  (6.0) = 15,000
2. HOECK, Vinzenz  (AUT)  (6.1) = 14,800
3. RADIVILOV, Igor  (UKR)  (6.0) = 14,766
         ► Detailed results
.
 

  PARALLEL BARS 
         > Qualifcation
The Turkish anthem sounds again
The bronze medallist from 2019, Ferhat Arican competed by far the most difficult routine, beaming with pleasure after his dismount. With 15.100 he cruised to victory so the Turkish anthem was heard again in Mersin’s Gymnastics Hall. Ukraine’s Petro Pakhniuk took silver, the same medal colour as last year while Robert Tvorogal claimed the bronze ahead of Ibrahim Colak.

1. ARICAN, Ferhat         (TUR)  (6.6) = 15,100
2. PAKHNIUK, Petro     (UKR)  (6.2) = 14,766
3. TVOROGAL, Robert  (LTU)  (5.9) = 14,500
           ► Detailed results
.

♦ Saturday 12 December

♦ MEN'S ELITE TEAM FINAL   → Final Startlist
* The top 6 senior teams competed in the final, fighting for their place on the podium. The UKRAINIAN men’s team, featuring Vladyslav Hryko, Petro Pakhniuk, Igor Radivilov, Roman Vashchenko and Yevgen Yudenkov, competed well on floor and pommel horse to take the lead early on.

Igor Radivilov contributed a 14.600 on rings and 14.800 for a fabulous vault, while Pakhniuk excelled on pommel horse (14.400) and parallel bars (15.066). Going into the last rotation, the victory was theirs to take. They did not let the pressure get to them, posting a total score of 248.963 to clinch their first ever team title.
* First in qualification, hosts TURKEY suffered a last-minute injury which forced all-arounder Abdelrahman Elgamal to scratch from floor and vault. He was replaced on those events by Ibrahim Colak and Umit Samiloglu respectively. These changed visibly affected them but the team did a fantastic job on rings and parallel bars where they outscored their Ukrainian rivals. Unfortunately, three falls off high bar sealed their fate .. the silver medal, their first ever team European medal!
* The battle for bronze was decided only after the very last routine when Krisztofer Meszaros’ floor earned a 14.333 which ensured them their third place on the podium for HUNGARY.
* Israel missed out by just over a point as Alexander Shatilov and Artem Dolgopyat put in a stellar effort. Bulgaria was in medal contention until the last rotation, when pommel horse got the better of them. Austria placed sixth in their first ever team final, a point away from 5th place.                                  

♦ TEAM-FINAL
  UKRAINE  - 248,963
  TÜRKEI    - 244,793
  UNGARN  - 240,393
     ► Detailed Results
      > Team qualification results
* STATISTICS: ► ECh Men's TEAM Results all since 1996
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
* Thursday 10 December   ► List of male participants (elite & Juniors)
♦ Turkey leads in qualification

Competing in the first of three subdivisions, Turkey set the standard with a team score of 251.594. Ferhat Arican performed an excellent parallel bars routine for the lead on his signature event and the top score of the day: 15.333 (6.6). In addition, he qualified to the pommel horse final. 2019 World Champion Ibrahim Colak claimed the highest qualifying score on rings. He will also compete in the parallel bars final. Ahmet Onder we’ll see again in the floor, vault and high bar final while Abdelrahman Elgamal will challenge for the medals on floor, rings, vault and high bar. Not a bad day in the office at all for the home team.Expected to challenge for that top team spot, Ukraine came short just over a point. Oleg Verniaiev withdrew last week but the Ukrainians can count on the experience of Igor Radivilov who took the lead on vault and placed third on rings and Petro Pakhniuk who qualified to 4 apparatus finals. Mix that with the fresh talent of Roman Vashchenko, Vladyslav Hryko and Yevgen Yudenkov and we can expect fireworks in the team final.Hungary put in a great effort for third place, relying on the scores of Krisztofer Meszaros who placed second on pommel horse and will also compete in the floor and parallel bars finals. David Vecsernyes performed his trademark dismount to secure a place in the high bar final, on top of the pommel horse final.Austria, Israel and Bulgaria complete Saturday’s team final which promises to keep fans on the edge of their seat!Apparatus specialists Robert Seligman and Tin Srbic (CRO) topped the ranking on pommel horse and high bar respectively while Belarussian Yahor Sharamkou edged European and World floor medallist Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) by just a tenth on floor.

* Teams qualification:
1. Turkey  - 251.594;  2. Ukraine  - 250.462;  3. Hungary -  241.961
4. Austria  - 239.226;  5. Israel     - 235.760;  6. Bulgaria  - 232.394
  > Detailed results
* App. Qualifiers:
> Floor exc.;  > Pommel horse;  > Still rings;  > Vault;  > Parallel bars  > High bar

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.

♦ EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020
         - Mersin / TUR, December 09 - 13 -

♦♦ JECh APP. FINALS (Sunday, December 13)

* The junior finals and both junior and senior qualifications are streamed on > gymtv.online.
* You can follow the live scoring on gymtv.online

** FINAL-RESULTS
► FLOOR exc.;   ► Pommel horse;   ► Still Rings;
► V a u l t            ► Parallel bars;       ► High bars.

* App. Qualifiers: (Wednesday, Dec. 09)
 > Floor exerc.;  > Pommel horse;  >  Still rings;  > Vault;  > Parallel bars;  > High bar.
.

JECh - Junios All-around Final (Friday, Dec 11)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The top 24 junior all-around gymnasts competed in the fina, taking their shot at continental glory.
The best in qualification, 2019 EYOF Champion Ilia KOVTUN (UKR) showed off his talent and consistency today with scores ranging from 13.066 on high bar to 14.133 on vault, bettering his total score by almost two points to claim the junior European title!
.
His teammate Volodymyr KOSTIUK (UKR) followed closely on his heels, improving his total by almost a point. His top score came on floor: 14.000.
Hungary’s Krisztian BALASZ, who has been making a name for himself in the past years winning medals at both the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and the 2019 junior World Championships, overcame a fall off pommel horse to score 13.500 on both vault and high bar and 13.900 on parallel bars to clinch the bronze medal.
.
Romania’s Robert Burtanete climbed from 13^th in qualifications to the fourth place with Bulgaria’s Teodor Trifonov finishing fifth. Israel’s Eyal Indig made the best improvement, from 25^th to a fabulous sixth place. Rounding up the top 8 were Gytis Chasazyrovas (LTU) and Bora Tarhan (TUR).
.

► JECh-Teams results    > Indiv. All-around qualification
  * App. Qualifiers:
 > Floor exerc.;  > Pommel horse;  >  Still rings;  > Vault;  > Parallel bars;  > High bar.
.