1st International SENIORS GYM TEAM CUP 2023

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 Former artistic gymnastics world champion Eberhard GIENGER (GER) and NTB president Heiner BARTLING before the start of the competition signing the certificates (photo, right >), which also bear the signature of the oldest competitive gymnast in the world, Johanna QUAAS (97), who is known worldwide and of course also to all participants trophy participants and who invited with a warm greeting as a representative of the 100 YEAR GYM FESTIVAL in honour of the German "Father of Gymnastics", Friedrich Ludwig JAHN, in August 2024, two weeks after the Paris Olympic highlight, in the German Jahn City of Freyburg/Instrut.

""A brilliant, an emotional, a huge event.... !!"

... ... so the basic tenor in the international field of participants during and especially after this extraordinary and atmospheric premiere among the participants and guests of this competition, which was implemented on the initiative and consistent pursuit and implementation by its initiator Jens Krüger (* photo, right >) already in the previous year as Japan vs. Germany, and now found a surprising international echo in this four-country tournament. Krueger, who works in Japan and is himself an enthusiastic and gymnastic team member, can of course convey this in the best possible way in the Japanese interview.
The event day then culminated after a varied and interesting competition of the "decennium representatives" from four nations and three continents (!) in an atmospheric nations evening and the entry in the "Golden Book" of the city of Einbeck, which lasted until after midnight. After all, most of the German participants still had the Senior's Germany Cup (> Deutschlandpokal) on the two following days ahead of them!!
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♦ But first to the competition data .... :

♦ MÄNNER / MEN's Team results:	♦ FRAUEN /WOMEN's Team reults:
1. GERMANY        - 248,000   2. JAPAN              - 233,850 3. USA                  - 216,550       4. GREAT BRITAIN - 187,050           ► Detailed Results	1. GERMANY        - 248,000   2. U S A                - 165,600 3. JAPAN               - 154,450       4. GREAT BRITAIN  - 140,500          ► Detailed Results

♦♦ INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND RESULTS:

  ►► MEN's results/Männer;            ►► WOMEN's results/Frauen

Especially for the men of the German host and for the age group of Japan it was a very cordial reunion, as they had already established friendly contacts at the international competition premiere in Tokyo in 2022. In particular Toshiyuki ICHIBA - in the meantime competing in the age category 60+ - has best memories of Germany, as he studied here and at that time also established closest gymnastics competition contacts, which he vividly remembered at the reunion with the then best German gymnast and former high bar world champion, Eberhard Gienger. In any case, the old contacts were never broken.

Both German teams delivered a cohesive, convincing team performance and won this tournament in both men's and women's competitions - as if that were the only thing that mattered.
In any case, it remains a mystery how the men around initiator Jens Krueger have worked out a mode of execution and evaluation that also brings the age-related characteristics of the competitors belonging to five decades of life into a halfway comparable scoring system.
However:
In the end, a German trio had the most points in the men's competition, led by Karlheinz HILLER (85.400) from the little village  Weinboehla ahead of Gerhard METZ from TV Hatzenbuehl (80.650) and Friedhard BECK from Thuringia (80.150).


>> Click for B I G!
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The best Japanese followed with Kyozo Watanabe (76.850), Chris Whelen from the USA was their best (76.100), and Michael ASPINAL marked the top of the British gymnasts with 69.750. Do not think that everything was stubborn and serious:
Just look at the award ceremony (photo below), whose ceremony is usually stubborn and serious. Men can even be like children again, as you can see in the front row at the position of the Japanese and German heads of the gymnastics teams ..:

...and even " Eberhard "Ebse" Gienger (with his back to the camera), tries in vain to get order in the wild pile!
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Both participants and the numerous guests and spectators were amazed when in the men's team in the US team, together with her husband Nate, his wife Julia SHARPE also started in the age decennium 30⁺ on the men's apparatus. What should also prevent women from proving their support strength in the grip on the pommels ...? From her we learned: "Since 2012 I train and compete in men's gymnastics, with a short break to have twins at the end of 2014. My biggest accomplishment in men's gymnastics was placing tenth on high bar at the 2014 Nationals in Chattanooga ..."
... and the astonishment and recognition were huge when she even risked a Tkatchev counter-grip (!) on the high bar here in Einbeck (- look to the video below!)
And it is even so that she - the gymnast - had motivated her husband Nate, only to the active apparatus gymnastics, because she pursues the gymnastics since her 2nd year of life!!!

All in all - and by no means all - it was a very moving event, both athletically and emotionally, that Germany's ex-international Eberhard GIENGER assessed as follows:
"I was surprised and very taken with the range of both the top performances of the over-thirties to the age-appropriate presentations of the more mature age groups up to over 70 years. It was also impressive to see how, even with not so difficult but age-appropriate elements, it is possible to demonstrate the preservation of performance, suppleness and mobility, i.e. all those qualities that one is in danger of losing in an active everyday life without one's own investment. That's what our sport can do - not only super elements like in gymnastics! ... And I know exactly what I'm talking about!"

* A final video summary shows some impressive performances:

* Youtube
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