Junior Women's Event Finals: GBR and Russia Are Golden
Junior Women's Event Finals: GBR and Russia Are Golden
The junior women’s event finals of the 2014 European Championships have wrapped up in Sofia, Bulgaria, with the seniors following this afternoon. (
On vault, Ellie Downie (GBR) sailed past the competition to a commanding win with an average score of 14.633 for her DTY and half on, piked half off. Laura Jurca (ROU), who kicked off the competition, earned the silver medal with a 14.383 average, a mark that only Downie was able to surpass. Team GB’s other competitor, Amy Tinkler, also earned a spot on the podium with a 14.349 average. Seda Tutkhal (RUS), who qualified to the final in second place, earned a 14.266 and finished in fourth. Angelina Melnikova (RUS), who took home gold in the AA finals on Friday, had a few form breaks including open legs on her Yurchenkos, and she landed in sixth place with a 14.2 average. Sofia Busato (ITA) recieved 14.249, which was good enough for fifth place, while teammate Desiree Carofiglio (ITA) claimed the seventh spot with a 14.103. Isa Maasen (NED) fell on her first vault, a 1.5 twisting Yurchenko, and finished in eighth place with a disappointing 12.933.
Moments after winning the vault title, Downie kicked off the uneven bars final with a 13.800 for a clean routine. However, she was quickly overcome by Russia’s Darla Skrypnik, whose score of 14.833 was enough to secure the gold medal (and 0.6 higher than her qualifying score!). Teammate and top qualifier Melnikova (RUS) claimed silver with a 14.766 despite a few form breaks. The bronze went to Germany’s Maike Enderle, who scored a 14.5 as the last competitor to perform. Fourth place went to fellow German Tabea Alt (14.066), while fifth through eighth went to Downie (13.8), Swiss duo Anja Schwarz (13.733) and Glada Grisetti (13.433), and Loan His of France (13.366).
Moving on to the balance beam, Melnikova continued her day with a graceful, elegant routine that earned her a 14.575 and the gold medal. Hot on her heals were Romania’s Andreea Iridon, who claimed the silver with a 14.433, and Germany’s Alt, who scored a 14.2 after she stuck her double back dismount.The top three finishers separated themselves from the rest of the field by a solid margin of nearly 0.5 points. Teal Grindle (GBR), who received a 13.733 after taking a few steps back on her dismount, took fourth place just ahead of British teammate Catherine Lyons, who scored a 13.666. Sixth went to Anda Butuc (ROU), who qualified in second place to the finals but was not able to make the podium after she suffered a fall on a switch leap half. However, the rest of the routine was solid, and her score of 13.333 placed her ahead of Russia’s Tutkhalyan (13.1) and Belgium’s Axelle Klinckaert (12.933).
On the floor exercise, several of the gymnasts from previous finals were back in action. Lyons, known for the grace, beauty, and artistry of her unique floor routine, brought home the gold with a 14.033, while teammate Tinkler tied Romania’s Iridon for silver with a 13.966. Chiara Imeraj (ITA) finished fourth with a 13.7, Jurca (ROU), competing in her second final of the day, slipped into fifth just behind Imeraj with a 13.633, and Klinckaert (BEL) scored a 13.366 for sixth place. It was not the Russians’ day on floor, as Anastasila Dmitrieva took seventh with a 13.35 and third-place qualifier Seda Tutkhalyan landed in eighth (13.33) after stepping out of bounds.
This concludes the junior women’s competition at the 2014 European Championships.
