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The 15th edition of the European Championships in TeamGym was held in the Land of Fire, Azerbaijan, for the first time ever. Baku’s magnificent National Gymnastics Arena welcomed 304 senior and 237 junior gymnasts, representing the following 14 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.
Enjoy our look back at all the action of this spectacular 4-day event, courtesy of our 7 highlights … as usual in no particular order!
Mighty Danes extend record
Having won all but two titles in the senior men’s final, all eyes were on the record holding European Champions Denmark who trailed eternal rivals Sweden by the tiniest of margins, just 0.050, going into the third and final rotation. The pressure was definitely on but did not get to the mighty Danes as they excelled on trampet with the top score of the day: 22.050. Another European gold for Denmark, establishing themselves once again as the greatest men’s team.
Iceland on fire
In the women’s teams, top qualifier Sweden and challenger Iceland went head-to-head in an exciting final that saw the Icelandic ladies improve on their qualification score with 6 tenths, posting the top scores on floor and tumble. Their total score of 53.850 was more than enough to overtake Sweden, despite their top score on trampet, for the European crown. Consistency over all three apparatuses gave Norway the edge over Denmark for the bronze medal.
Mixed match
Mixed team defending Champions Great Britain battled it out with Denmark for the title. The British gymnasts scored the best on trampet, while Denmark outscored the field on floor and tumble. With a combined score of 55.700, Denmark clinched the gold, their first victory in this category in 10 years! Silver for Great Britain, and bronze for the steady Swedes.
Three junior finals, three different national anthems
An incredible variety of winners emerged from the junior finals. Starting with the men’s teams final, the Danish boys poured their heart and soul into their performance, leading the field on floor with 17.750 and posting the only 20+ score of the day, for their impressive tumble runs. A grand total of 56.300 put Denmark first, receiving a well-earned European gold medal. Mixed team top qualifier Iceland improved on Wednesday’s qualification round, increasing their total score by a full mark. With the top scores on floor and tumble, Iceland took the European title but not after a tense wait for their total score to appear. Excitement in the women’s teams final too as top qualifier Denmark and Sweden battled it out for gold. Denmark performed best on tumble with Sweden acing their trampet round. It all came down to the third rotation where Sweden shone bright on floor.
Crowd support for the home team
With the likes of Tofiq Aliyev and Adil Hajizada on the team, the international crowd knew to expect fireworks on tumble from the Azeri men. Both gymnasts were part of the history making Azerbaijani tumbling team that clinched gold at the 2023 World Championships and at the 2024 European Championships. Nationality did not matter during this performance: Swedes, Danes, Icelanders, Dutchmen, etc were all on their feet to support these daredevils soaring through the sky. This time, it wasn’t meant to be. But we’ll see them again in the future for sure!
Meet the #TeamGym2024 All Stars
The 6 best female and the 6 best male gymnasts on each apparatus were nominated to form the famous TeamGym All Stars team. These 6 incrredibl women made the team: on floor, Sille Bygholm Storm (DEN) and Josefine Marksell (SWE), on tumble, Ásta Kristinsdóttir (ISL) and Agnes Arvidsson (SWE), and on trampet, Laufey Ingadottir (ISL) and Nicole Hosseini (SWE). They are joined by these 6 men: on floor, Noah Giolbas (DEN) and Kevin Dannefalk (SWE), on tumble, Alexander Skovgaard Bredvig (DEN) and Johan Rasmussen (DEN) and on trampet, Sondre Løkka Thorstein (NOR) and Christian Jensen (DEN).
Congratulations!
The Shooting star award goes to …
Agnes Arvidsson was diagnosed with ALL, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, as a child. The first years of her life were spent visiting hospitals and receiving chemo treatment which only finished when she was 4. For many years after, she continued with check-ups and blood tests to make sure the cancer didn’t come back, only receiving the green light when she turned 18 years old. Having started practicing gymnastics in her hometown Linköping, she moved to Stockholm at 15 years old to invest in her gymnastics career. Representing Sweden both as a junior and now as a senior, Agnes combines this with studying to become a nurse. She wants to give back to other people the help she received as a kid. Agnes is a true inspiration!
João Peixinho has been involved since the implementation of TeamGym in Portugal. He is a true role model, not only because of his international career that spans nearly 20 years although that is definitely impressive. Voluntarily stepping in as a coach when needed, the transition felt natural and smooth, ending with Peixinho being coach, captain and gymnast all at the same time in 2021, sharing his knowledge and experience with the younger generations who have always looked up to him and feel privileged to be his teammates. Peixinho was the first Portuguese gymnast to push the boundaries of difficult elements, often achieving them despite the limited facilities. He pioneered triples and straight twisting doubles. His work ethic inspired younger athletes to keep striving for a brighter future in Portuguese gymnastics. This work ethic remains unchanged, as he continues to be a key member of the Portuguese national team at 37 years old, contributing both in the locker room and on the competition floor. Peixinho has done a tremendous amount for the sport, both as a gymnast and as a coach.
Baku stepped up to the challenge of hosting their first TeamGym competition, and they delivered! Thanks to the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation for putting their wealth of experience into action, to the participating teams for showing their breathtaking skills, their passion and their team spirit, and to the fans who travelled thousands of kilometers to show their support!