9 countries divide the 2015 European medals in Acrobatic Gymnastics

Review of the 11th Junior and 27th Senior European Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics in Riesa (GER)

The audience in Riesa (GER) witnessed an outstanding competition from both juniors and seniors, starting on Thursday and running until Sunday. The pre-meet favorites were Russia, Great Britain and Belgium, the top 3 of the 2014 World Championships, and they confirmed their class in acrobatics but several other nations broke into the medals as well, and even into gold!

The Israeli men’s group Yannay Kalfa, Daniel Uralevitch, Lidar Dana and Efi Sach was tipped beforehand as title challengers by acro connaisseurs. They exceeded those expectations by not just challenging for, but actually winning all three senior European titles. Together with Russia’s mixed pair they were the only seniors to complete a sweep of the gold medals. Both European Games champions, Russia’s Marina Chernova and Georgiy Pataraya, and Belgium’s women’s group Ineke Van Schoor, Julie Van Gelder and Kaat Dumarey, confirmed their leader’s position in their category. Chernova and Pataraya were absolutely stunning, showing routines that were a class ahead of their competitors. With scores reaching almost 30 points per exercise, they set the bar very high. The Belgian women took gold in the all-around and balance, but had to settle for second in the dynamic behind the Russian trio who finally got their revenge for the three silver medals at last June’s European Games. On the last day Belarus managed to reach the top step of the podium in the women’s pair balance final after a fabulous performance by Marharyta Bartashevich and Viktoriya Mikhnovich while Russia’s Igor Mishev & Nikolay Suprunovlay their hans on both individual gold medals in the men’s pair after losing the all-around title to Belgium’s Vincent Casse and Arne Van Gelder. Riesa’s very own Tim Sebastian, partnered with Michail Kraft from Leipzig, to win bronze in the balance final of the men’s pair, giving Germany their first acro European medal since 2007.

In the junior category the British men’s group, featuring Lewis Watts, Conor Sawenko, Charlie Tate and Adam Upcott, swept the gold medals. These talented boys showed amazing difficulty in a playful and upbeat presentation. The lads were not the only ones to claim all junior titles! They were joined by Russia’s mixed pair Elena Murashko and Ivan Nesterenko and Belgium’s women’s pair Noémie Lammertyn and Lore Vanden Berghe, who did share the balance title with Russia’s Elizaveta Safonova and Evelina Bavykina. The women’s group saw three different trio’s, from three different countries, divide the gold medals, providing the audience with a nice show of high-level rivalry.

Medal tables:

11th Junior European Championships

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Russia	4	5	-	9
Great Britain	4	1	1	6
Belgium	3	-	1	4
Belarus	1	4	1	6
Portugal	1	-	5	6
Ukraine	-	1	5	6

 

27th Senior European Championships

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Russia	8	6	1	15
Belgium	3	2	3	8
Israel	3	-	-	3
Belarus	1	3	8	12
Great Britain	-	3	1	4
Bulgaria	-	-	2	2
Germany	-	-	1	1

 

Juniors and seniors combined

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Russia	12	11	1	24
Belgium	6	2	4	12
Great Britain	4	4	2	10
Israel	3	-	-	3
Belarus	2	7	9	18
Portugal	1	-	5	6
Ukraine	-	1	5	6
Bulgaria	-	-	2	2
Germany	-	-	1	1

 

UEG is pleased to see such a variety of countries claiming medals as the development of this wonderful discipline in Europe, and in the whole wide world, will contribute to its excellence.

A big thank you to all participants, coaches, judges and the Technical Committee for delivering a wonderful competition! And of course a huge congratulations to all medallists!