Highlights of #Leipzig2025

From 26 to 31 May, the German city of Leipzig hosted the 2025 edition of the European Championships in Artistic Gymnastics. Organised in the framework of the German Gymnastics Festival ‘Das Turnfest’, which features 60,000 participants, these Europeans welcomed 37 participating national federations, represented by a grand total of 301 gymnasts, 135 women and 166 men.

Here are our highlights … in no particular order!

 

Mixed Team Final debut

A historic moment in Leipzig as the Mixed Team Final made its European Championships debut. After testing at the European Youth Olympic Festival, this format was introduced at a major international event for the very first time, gearing up to its Olympic introduction at LA28.

Over 4 rounds the medal winners were decided. In round one, 16 teams of one female and one male athlete performed one routine each on the apparatus of their choice. The men could choose from floor, parallel bars and high bar, and the women between vault, beam and floor. The combined scores determined the eight teams advancing to round two where they competed another routine, on a different apparatus. Then, the top four had to compete on the remaining apparatus. Teams ranked 3 and 4 faced each other in the bronze medal match, while the top two went head-to-head for gold. Strategic thinking at its finest!

To the delight of the crowd, the German duo of Timo Eder and Karina Schoenmaier made it into the gold medal fight. They were up against the British pair Jake Jarman and Ruby Evans. Both men competed on high bar, while the women battled on beam. Germany went first, with Eder posting a 13.333. Schoenmaier’s 12.233 on beam made their total score of 25.566. The Brits knew exactly what they needed and went hard. Jarman matched Eder’s score on high bar, putting the pressure on the shoulders of Evans. Both teams sat side by side eagerly awaiting that final score. And when it flashed, the party erupted: 12.133 for Evans for a total score of 25.466, just one tenth less than their rivals. Germany became the first ever European Mixed Team Champion! Silver went to Great Britain!

Top qualifiers Italy battled for bronze against France. Defending European Champion Manila Esposito showed her strength on beam yet again, posting a fabulous 14.266 while Lorenzo Minh Casali added a 13.700 on parallel bars, outscoring Morgane Ossysek-Reimer and Anthony Mansard for the bronze.

The Beauty of Barbosu

Romania’s Ana Barbosu tasted Olympic success and came back for more! In the all-around final, 18-year-old Barbosu posted the highest score on floor, a 13.700, a reward for a dynamic routine that put her back on the podium after problems on beam nearly took her out of contention. Bronze for Barbosu and a Romanian return to the podium, 12 years after Larisa Iordache’s silver medal. A last-minute replacement in the bars final, Ana Barbosu continued on her medal winning path, adding another bronze medal while she earned the silver on beam. Saving her very best till last, Barbosu cruised through her floor routine with her usual style and grace, clinching the gold medal. A maiden European title on the senior level for the former junior stand-out!

Whitehouse for the triple

Going into the floor final as the defending European Champion from both 2023 and 2024, Great Britain’s Luke Whitehouse opened his quest for a triple with a triple back somersault. Showing incredible difficulty and controlling all his moves well, Whitehouse posted a 14.500. Teammate Harry Hepworth matched in difficulty but lost a little over a tenth in execution. A British one-two on floor, both gymnasts from the same club in Leeds even! And Whitehouse achieves the triple. The first gymnast to achieve three consecutive titles since Italy’s Franco Menichelli in the sixties.

Schoenmaier strikes again

In a closely contended vault final, Germany’s Karina Schoenmaier led the pack with two great vaults. Only 2024 European silver medallists Valentina Georgieva could hold the German from clinching a second European title this week. Georgieva showed off her trademark style, finishing a mere 0.083 behind Schoenmaier. Gold on vault returned to Germany, last won by the legendary Oksana Chusovitina back in 2008.

Exquisite Esposito

Under the watchful eyes of more than 5000 spectators, defending Champion Manila Esposito headed into the all-around final as the top qualifier. And the clear favourite was rock solid! Starting with a nice vault and a decent bars routine, Esposito led at the halfway stage, with her two strongest apparatuses still to come. An exquisite beam routine earned her the top score of this final: 14.333. Sealing the deal on floor, Esposito enjoyed her time in the spotlight, quietly and confidently defending her all-around title for her second gold of the week. Later on, she added the silver on floor to her already impressive collection.

Impressive Italy

Defending Champions Italy lined up a fascinating mix of experience courtesy of Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito, blended with youthful energy by Giulia Perotti, Emma Fioravanti and Sofia Tonelli. With the highest scores on beam and floor and solid results on vault and bars, the Italians secured the top spot, showing the world that they are ready to tackle this new Olympic cycle in the same fashion as they finished the previous one. Italy is the Champion of Europe yet again!

Amazing Alba

Qualified in fifth place to the all-around final, Spain’s Alba Petisco showed her incredible talent, taking the lead after rotation one courtesy of her clean vault. The 22-year-old stayed focused on the job at hand, performing consistently on bars and beam. Petisco shone on floor where she showcased her skills and creativity in a delightful floor routine. With a total score of 53.265, Petisco clinched the silver medal. History written as this is Spain’s first ever medal! More success came on floor where Petisco earned the bronze.

Adem Asil does it again!

Heading into the all-around final looking to improve on his qualification performances, Türkiye’s Adem Asil started off solidly on floor and pommel horse. His strongest apparatus came next. On rings, Asil obtained a 14.766, the highest score of the day. On vault, he followed suit with impressive height for 14.300, taking the lead. Going into the last rotation with a mere 3 tenths advantage, Asil knew exactly what was going on and what he needed to do on horizontal bar. Calm and composed, the 26-year-old aced his routine for a total score of 82.398. An improvement by over 2 points compared to qualifications, Adem Asil is back again on top of Europe! His second European All-Around title is a fact. And it tastes every bit as sweet as the first one won in front of a home crowd in Antalya two years ago.

Double gold on rings

In a nail-biting rings final, we witnessed the top 6 gymnasts finish within less than a tenth of a point of each other. Tense to the very last moment, 7-time European Champion Eleftherios Petrounias added another title to his already record-holding achievements. But not just like that! Petrounias tied with Türkiye’s Adem Asil. Both gymnasts had exactly the same score, ending in a double gold medal being awarded! Not quite the first time as it was done last in 2014, but an unusual case that brings pleasure to the fans worldwide.

Junior star, senior star

In an exciting pommel horse final, all eyes were on Armenia’s specialists making their senior debut: Hamlet Manukyan and Mamikon Khachatryan. Having won three World Cup titles already this year, Manukyan had a tenth less difficulty than his teammate. Compensating with exquisite execution Manukyan posted a total score of 14.766, overtaking Khachatryan for the gold. An Armenian one-two finish to the delight of the entire delegation for the 2027 hosts. Junior European Champion, junior World Champion and now his first senior European title, Hamlet follows into the footsteps of Ireland’s Rhys Mcclenaghan.

Host’s silver

In dramatic style, the host nation’s Helen Kevric, Janoah Mueller, Lea Marie Quaas, Karina Schoenmaier and Silja Stoehr earned the silver medal for their team effort. Under massive crowd support, the German ladies sealed the deal with strong vaulting. Earlier, Helen Kevric aced her bars set for the top score of the day, a whopping 14.766! Smiles all around as the young and talented team celebrated with the audience on the podium.

Derwael’s Double

Choosing to compete on bars and beam only at these Europeans, superstar Nina Derwael’s decision more than paid off. Posting both the highest difficulty and the highest execution score in the uneven bars final, the 25-year-old Belgian showcased her superb lines, in an exercise that flowed from start to finish. Gold for Derwael, her first major international title since becoming Olympic Champion at the Tokyo Games in 2021, and an impressive third European crown for the Queen of Bars! The next day, the 2019 European Games Champion showed great concentration and control on beam, earning her the top execution mark of this final. Silver in 2018, gold in 2025, Derwael clinched the bars & beam double here in Leipzig.

Back on top

The British men showed up with strong credentials as they fielded a team consisting of Olympic medallists Harry Hepworth and Jake Jarman, double European Champion on floor Luke Whitehouse, EYOF Champion Jonas Rushworth and former junior European Champion and newly crowned British all-around Champion Jamie Lewis. With top scores on rings and vault already under their belt, the British lads went into the last rotation with over a point margin over nearest rival Switzerland. The deal was sealed on floor where they counted a 14.400 for Hepworth, 14.033 for Jarman and 14.266 for Whitehouse. What a way to end the night! Great Britain is the 2025 European Team Champion, regaining the title last won in 2022, also in Germany.

Datvyan reclaims the gold

Defending Champion Jake Jarman aced his incredibly difficult 3,5 twisting vault for a huge 15.200. A step on his Dragulescu brought his average to 14.733. 2023 Champion Artur Davtyan doesn’t have the same insane difficulty but makes up that gap with impeccable execution. Sticking both vaults and thus earning 2 tenths in bonus points, the Olympic silver medallist overtook Jarman by a tiny margin. Davtyan returns to the top step of the podium and earns another gold medal for Armenia.

Shining for silver

Showing their potential, Luca and Matteo Giubellini, Florian Langenegger, Ian Raubal and Noe Seifert gave it their all for Switzerland. Solid across all apparatuses, their vaulting talent secured them the silver medal. After winning bronze at their home Europeans in Bern back in 2016, this is just the second time the Swiss made the podium. A historic moment worth celebrating. This time it’s silver, what will it be next time?

An extraordinary rebound

18^th in the qualification round, Leo Saladino recorded an impressive rebound in the all-around final. The talented Frenchman finished in the top three on floor, rings and parallel bars, before securing a total of 81.430 thanks to his last routine, on pommel horse. Silver for Saladino, still only France’s second medal in the all-around ever, after Dmitri Karbanenko’s silver back in 1998. What an achievement for the 22-year-old from Grasse!

Mighty Meszaros

Second going into the all-around final, Hungarian star Krisztofer Meszaros proved to be the most consistent with his stability across all 6 apparatus paying off as his final routine, on horizontal bar, clinched him the bronze medal. Also for Hungary, it has been a while: their last all-around medal dates back to the nineties when Zoltan Supola won silver at the 1992 Europeans.

Staying for the German party

A tight race for the medals on parallel bars ending in a big celebration for the host nation. With the highest difficulty of the field, Nils Dunkel impressed to clinch the gold medal. Teammate Timo Eder excelled in execution, posting the only mark of 9 in this final finishing in third place. Two medals for Germany in one final!

Title number two for Tvorogal

The horizontal bar final belonged to Lithuania’s Robert Tvorogal. Second last year, the 2020 European Champion hit when it counted, overtaking everyone in execution and matching Toba for the highest difficulty. A second European title on the honours of Tvorogal, his 4^th podium finish in the last 6 European Championships!

Champions honoured at the Gala

As the ultimate gymnastics party, the farewell banquet was hosted at the Turnfest’s Stadium Gala, a huge celebration of gymnastics with 40.000 spectators. The newly crowned European Champions enjoyed their moment in the spotlight there too!

Toba’s last dance

Retiring after this event, the fabulous Andy Toba was delighted to have one more opportunity to shine on the international stage. Under the appreciative gaze of nearly 6000 fans, Toba delivered a great horizontal bar routine to match the silver medal won also in 2021. At 34 years old, Toba received a standing ovation and an emotional farewell from the audience.

Mighty Mansard

Last year’s junior European Champion Anthony Mansard showed that he mastered the transition to senior remarkably well, finishing just of the all-around podium in fourth place, by less than a tenth. In the horizontal bar final, the apparatus that he mastered as 2024 junior European Champion Mansard showed his worth by clinching the bronze medal. Talk about a successful transition!

The Shooting star award goes to … Céleste Mordenti (LUX) and Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE)

Moving to Amsterdam in 2022 for her studies in Artificial Intelligence, Céleste Mordenti started to train there too, evolving to a whole other level than she had attained before in Luxembourg, both as a gymnast and as a person. She became the first Luxembourgish medal winner at a World Challenge Cup last year and repeated this recently. By achieving this major success for her and her country, Mordenti is an inspiring gymnast for the next generations in Luxembourg, proving that even a gymnast from a small country can be successful in Gymnastics. Recently Céleste joined the athlete commission of the Luxembourg Olympic Committee and she is always willing to help to defend the rights of the gymnasts in Luxembourg.

Eleftherios Petrounias is well and truly the Greek Lord of the Rings: three-time Olympic medallist, including Rio 2016 Champion, three-time World Champion and a record-holding eight-time European Champion on rings. In an international senior career that spans already almost 15 years, Petrounias faced several setbacks. First, at the 2015 World Championships, Petrounias was fighting for Olympic Qualification while he had just lost his father. The emotions back then were very intense. The gold medal he later won at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was a victory dedicated to his father. Then, right after the 2018 World Championships a severe pain in the left shoulder needed surgery. A race against the clock ensued, with a specific training schedule in order to regain his strength and return in time for the qualification events before the Tokyo Olympics. With the support of his loyal entourage, his wife Vasiliki Millousi and their two girls, Petrounias continues to shine. Outside of the gym, he’s a community leader and member of the Hellenic Gymnastics Federation as athletes’ representative.

Danke Schön!

As the curtain draws on these European Championships, we would like to thank the German Gymnastics Federation for stepping in to organise this event. Held in the framework of the German Gymnastics Festival, the event highlighted the beauty and excitement of the disciplines. Thank you also to all gymnasts, coaches, judges and volunteers!