First Cross Battle title decided at 2026 European Cup

The European Cup Junior Teams Cross Battle of 2026 provided the closing part of a thrilling Friday of action in Baku.

After junior apparatus competitions a day earlier to begin the fourth instalment of this competition, junior teams combined to pursue the Cross Battle title – and what would be the first ever in the category.

It was ultimately AIN2 who took the title, the pairing of Kseniia Savinova and Iana Zaikina getting the better of Bulgaria’s Dea Emilova and Siyana Alekova in the gold final.

Cross Battle Junior Team

In the final Saturday action, it was all eyes on the junior teams as they combined in the hopes of reaching the first Cross Battle podium of the weekend. Eight teams began, with AIN1, AIN2, Israel and Bulgaria all progressing, with Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Ukraine and Georgia all unable to make it into the semi-finals.

From those that progressed, AIN2 narrowly got the better of AIN1, with Bulgaria joining them in the final. It left AIN1 and Israel to meet in search of bronze, with Alice Rozenberg’s ribbon 24.800 ensuring her teamwork with Rebekka Miller would make the bronze for Israel.

It left just the two top spots to be decided. AIN2’s Iana Zaikina competed first with the ribbon, Dea Emilova following for Bulgaria to bring the action to a close. For Zaikina, it was 25.450 to secure the title ahead of Emilova’s 22.600.

GOLD – AIN2 (Kseniia Savinova/Iana Zaikina)
SILVER – Bulgaria (Dea Emilova/Siyana Alekova/Aleksandra Petrova)
BRONZE – Israel (Rebekka Miller/Alice Rozenberg)

Senior Hoop and Ball

Before the Cross Battle, there was the major matter of determining how our seniors would get their European Cup underway. In a field packed with the likes of Sofia Raffaeli, Taisiia Onofriichuk and Fanni Pigniczki, Friday’s action was always destined to be exciting and it proved to be just that.

In the hoop competition, it was reigning European All-Around champion Onofriichuk who came out on top, 30.150 for her remixed Thriller routine the highest score of the competition so far.

With the ball, Arina Kovshova scored 28.600 to claim top spot on the podium, with Sofia Raffaeli and Mariia Borisova close behind. However, due to the regulations of the event that only one Senior Individual gymnast per country is considered for the apparatus medals per final, the bronze medal went to 4th-ranked Vera Tugolukova (CYP) and 3rd-ranked Mariia Borisova dropped out of the medals. For Kovshova, it was her second medal in as many minutes, having won silver with the hoop. Darya Viarenich claimed that bronze.

HOOP

GOLD – Taisiia Onofriichuk (UKR) 30.150
SILVER – Arina Kovshova (AIN2) 28.400
BRONZE – Darya Viarenich (AIN1) 27.950

BALL

GOLD – Arina Kovshova (AIN2) 28.600
SILVER – Sofia Raffaeli (ITA) 28.000
BRONZE – Vera Tugolukova (CYP) 27.250

Action to come

The second of four days in Baku set the stage well for what is to come. Saturday will see the seniors compete with the ribbon and clubs, with the groups taking to the stage for the apparatus competitions.

And on Sunday is where it all comes to a conclusion, with Cross Battles for both seniors and groups. Head to gymtv.online to ensure you don’t miss a second of it.

Find full results by visiting results.smartscoring.com.