41st WOMEN's EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020

One week after the 42^nd Men's European Championships in Mersin, Turkey, now the 41^st Women's Artistic Gymnastics Europeans since 1957 will take place from December 17-20. In 1994 in Stockholm (SWE), at the 20^th title fights, a team title was awarded for the first time, as has since then been awarded every two years.
The favored Romanians missed their possible 8^thEuropean Championship team title after mistakes by Ioana Stanciulescu (9,900) on the uneven bars and were "only" vice-European champions. Gold surprisingly went to UKRAINE, bronze medal to Hungary.
* On the Final day, Romania's former vice world champion Larisa IORDACHE won her 6^th European title on her comeback after several years of injury on the beam, and added European title No. 7 on the floor. Previously, Hungary's Zsofia KOVACS had prevailed on vaults and uneven bars.
* At the Junior European Championships the Romanian team but also Romanian girl Ana Maria BARBOSU (all-around) won also all the four apparatus finals gold in Mersin.
(see below).

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♦ P R E V I E W

* Review --: At the beginning (1994) three times in a row and a total of 7 times the Romanians won team gold.
Except once in 2006 in Volos through Italy in the new millennium, all other team titles went to Russia (5x). Due to the corona-related absence of the top nations, there will also be new title and medal contenders for women this year. Romanian team is leading after the qualification round.
* This year --: According to the number of registrations so far, around 90 active participants will travel to Mersin this week for the 41st European Championship for women: 45 elite gymnasts and 45 juniors from a total of 16 nations. However, only 8 countries are expected to take part in the team competition. ► Participants

* Fans around the globe are eagerly awaiting the return to competition of Romanian star Larisa Iordache, the 2012 and 2014 European Champion on floor, and the 2013 European Champion on beam, who was sidelined by injury since tearing her Achilles tendon at the 2017 World Championships. She’s joined by teammates Daniela Trica and junior standouts Silviana Sfiringu, Ioana Stanciulescu and Antonia Duta who will make their senior debut.
* Ukraine is relying on the experience of Angelina Radivilova, Anastasia Bachynska and Diana Varinska, mixed with the talent of Anastasia Motak and Yelizaveta Hubareva.
* The Hungarian women will look to follow in the successful footsteps of their male compatriots last week as they line up Zoja Szekely, 2017 Vice-European Champion Zsofia Kovacs, Mirtill Makovits, Dorina Boeczoego and Csenge Bacskay while the host nation’s team is lead by Goksu Uctas Sanli.
* Some individuals to keep your eye on are Aneta Holasova (CZE), Elisa Haemmerle (AUT), Marina Nekrasova (AZE), Elina Vihrova (LAT), Lihie Raz (ISR), Ana Derek (CRO) and many more! Of course, all gymnasts are looking to excel in Mersin after a long period of uncertainty and we wish every single gymnast loads of success.
* Source: EG

♦♦ 41. WOMEN's EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020
- Mersin / Turkey; 17. - 20. December -

♦ DAY 4: APPARATUS FINALS (> S t a r t l i s t)

* V A U L T
After 31 years, since Henrietta Onodi (1989) the first gold medal again for Hungary, won by Zsofia KOVACS.
With two strong vaults, Zsofia Kovacs crowned herself European Champion on vault. The first European title for the Hungarian who won the all-around silver in Cluj 2017. Larisa Iordache (ROU) placed second in her first major competition in over three years, establishing her comeback as successful. Rising Ukrainian star Anastasia Motak claimed the bronze!

KOVACS, Zsofia (HUN) - 14,050
IORDACHE, Larisa (ROU) - 13,875
MOTAK, Anastasia (UKR) - 13,850
> Detailed Results

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* U N E V E N B A R S
Top qualifier Zsofia KOVACS (HUN) overcame a slight hesitation to beat her teammate Zoja SZEKELY for her second European title in just half an hour time! Gold and silver for the Hungarian team with a delighted Barbora Mokosova winning Slovakia’s first European medal, edging Larisa Iordache by just 0.050.
<< Happy Hungarians!
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KOVACS, Zsofia (HUN) - 13,850
SZEKELY, Zoja (HUN) - 13,550
MOKOSOVA, Barbora (SVK) - 13,300
> Detailed Results

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* B A L A N C E B E A M
Romanians Silviana SFIRINGU and Larisa IORDACHE both showed routines with 6.0 difficulty. Iordache posted the higher execution score thus earning her second European title on beam. With this medal, Iordache moves into the position of second most decorated woman (15) at a European Championships! Only Svetlana Khorkina has done better with 20 medals. The fight for bronze happened between Ukrainian teammates Anastasia Bachynska and Anastasia Motak who both performed a beautiful handspring – somersault. They tied with 13.100, with Motak winning the tie breaker and earning her third medal of this event.
IORDACHE, Larisa    (ROU) - 14,000
SFIRINGU, Silviana (ROU) - 13,800
MOTAK, Anastasia   (UKR) - 13,100
    > Detailed Results

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* F L O O R E X E R C I S E S
Oh what a drama to end of these Europeans!
<< Turkey’s Goksu UCTAS SANLI lead until the very last performance, by Romanian star Larisa IORDACHE, whose initial score was not enough for victory. However, after an inquiry, the D-score was raised by 4 tenths, awarding Iordache with her third European title on floor, after winning in 2012 and 2014. The silver medal won by Uctas Sanli is the first ever for Turkey in the women’s event. History written again for the host nation! By making the floor final, Israel’s Lihie Raz secured her spot to the Tokyo Olympics. Her trip was made complete by her first major international medal, the bronze.
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IORDACHE, Larisa    (ROU) - 13,450
UCTAS SANLI, Goksu (TUR) - 13,100
RAZ, Lihie      (ISR) - 12,750
      > Detailed Result
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♦ DAY 3: TEAM FINAL, ELITE Saturday, December 19
Only with the very last exercise of the team final, the floor exercise of the Romanian Larisa Iordache, who received only 12.766 points, the decision was made to the disadvantage of her team.
The shock and disappointment about it were visibly written on the face of the 24-year-old Romanian gymnast on her comeback (photo, right>)
So the UKRAINE surprisingly beats ROMANIA by a tiny margin of +0.167 points and becomes European team champion for the first time.
As expected, the bronze went to the Hungarians.
But the Romanians broke in on the uneven bars, where they lost over 4 points to the Ukrainians after Ioana Stanciulescu (9,900) fell, although they clearly won the rest of the apparatus team scores!
.
... incredulous waiting and tension on the faces of the four Ukrainian ladies,
who only broke away when the score for Larisa Iordache came ...:

Gold went to Ukraine in front of the favorite Romania!
Ukraine beats Romania by a tiny margin of +0.167 points and becomes European team champions for the first time

♦ TEAMS - ELITE
UKRAINE - 154,663
ROMANIA   - 154,496
HUNGARY      - 151,597
      4. TURKEY- 143,795;   5. CZECH Rep.- 140,530; 6.CROATIA - 136,762
   ► Detailed results

Historical balance --:
At the beginning three times in a row and a total of 7 times, the Romanians have won national gold!
Except once in 2006 in Volos through Italy, all other team titles went to Russia a total of 5 times in the new millennium. Due to the corona-related absence of Russia and other top European nations, there were now new title and medal winners for women this year. ... and although the Romanians were clearly in the lead after the preliminary fight and went into the final as favorites, they were narrowly beaten by the Ukraine:
After 3 bronze medals in 1994, 1996 and 1998 - always behind Romania and Russia, as well as two silver medals in 2000 and most recently in Amsterdam in 2004 - the Ukrainians remained medalless for 16 years, were fifth in 2018 and are now, for the first time, happy European champions in this strange one Corona year 2020!
► Women's TEAM-ECh All since 1994
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♦ DAY 1: Qualifikation Elite Thursday 17. December
Of the 8 nations that started, the first 6 qualified for the team finals:

1. Romania - 159,496;   2. Ukraine     - 154,896; 3. Hungary - 154,129
4. Turkey    - 147,129; 5. Czech Rep. - 142,229; 6. Croatia - 140,064
7. Luxemburg - 139,429; 8. Latvia     - 135,862.
* Detailed results:
   ► Qualification, Elite (Teams)

* Individual Qualification Apparatus (no all-around!)
► Vault; ► Uneven bars; ► Balance beam; ► Floor exercises
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♦♦ European Junior Championships 2020
- Mersin / Turkey; December -

Once again it was a triumphal procession of the Romanian gymnastics school, at least as far as this pandemic JECh without some of the top nations is concerned:
Gold with the team, gold in the all-around competition by Ana Maria BARBOSU and this new star in the talent sky even achieved total success on the day of the finals by winning also all the four apparatus finals! There was also a silver medal by the all-around runner-up Maria CEPLINSCHI on the floor and a bronze medal by Andreea PREDA on the beam. The pandemic-free developments of the next few years must show what this will be worth in the future.

♦ V A U L T

BARBOSU, Ana             (ROU) - 13,975
GEORGIEVA, Valentina (BUL) - 13,800
LYSKA, Daria                 (UKR) - 13,350
       ► Detaillierte Resultate

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♦ U N E V E N B A R S
BARBOSU, Ana             (ROU) - 13,450
SULEKIC, Sara              (CRO) - 12,400
TANRIYASUKUR, Derin   (TUR) - 12,050
       ► Detaillierte Resultate

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♦ B A L A N C E B E A M

BARBOSU, Ana             (ROU) (5.1) - 13,100
MAYER, Greta               (HUN) (5.5) - 13,100
PREDA, Andreea          (ROU) (4.7) - 12,700
       ► Detaillierte Resultate
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♦ F L O O R E X E R C I S E S
Romanian double success on floor and Hungarian Greta MAYER wins after beam silver floor bronze

BARBOSU, Ana           (ROU) - 13,250
CEPLINSCHI, Maria    (ROU) - 12,900
MAYER, Greta    (HUN) - 12,750
       ► Detaillierte Resultate

♦ Day 2: Qualification Juniors & TEAM Decision
    Friday, Dezember 18; ► Startlist
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♦ TEAMS - female Juniors
Romania - 156,463
Ukraine       - 145,995
Hungary      - 143,428
      4. Turkey- 141,995;        5. Croatia - 141,963;    6. Czech Rep. - 140,729
      7. Slovenia - 132,830;   8. Bulgaria - 129,063
       ► JECh-Team results
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* Juniors Individual All-around:
The five-time current Romanian junior champion Ana Maria BARBOSU, who was even able to achieve the runner-up title at the national championships of the elite in November, leads the all-round qualification list with 54,599 points and a clear advantage of over 4 points over her teammates Maria Ceplinschi (50,499) and Yulia Trastianu (49,866).
The bronze medal went to the best Ukrainian gymnast Daniela Batrona (49,832).
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Barbosu, Ana Maria (ROU) - 54,599
Ceplinschi, Maria (ROU) - 50,499
Batrona, Daniela     (UKR) - 49,832
          ► Junior's All-around, Qualification
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Barbosu also achieved the highest marks of the day on all four apparatus and she is so the top favorite for all four apparatus finals on Sunday.
* Apparatus Final Qualification:
► Vault; ► Uneven bars; ► Balance beam; ► Floor exercise;
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