Historic Portuguese gold prevents Russian sweep at #Acro Worlds

Rita Ferreira and Ana Texeira prevented a Russian sweep of the World titles as they won the first ever gold medal for Portugal at the postponed 2020 World Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics last week in Geneva (SUI). 20-year-old Ferreira from Maia praised her club’s team effort:

Gymnasts from Russia competed under the flag of the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) due to the doping ban at worldwide events. It didn’t deter them from achieving great success though. On Saturday, 2019 European and European Games Champions Viktoria Aksenova and Kirill Startsev captured gold in the mixed pairs, followed by Timofei Ivanov and Maksim Karavaev’s victory in the men’s pair final, bringing Russia its fourth and fifth consecutive world titles in these categories respectively. While Ivanov and Karavaev sailed through qualifications, Aksenova and Startsev’s suffered a large penalty in their balance routine in qualifications, leaving them in 11th place. Teamwork got them back to the top, Aksenova said:

In the final, they delivered a superb combined routine to score 30.030 points, the only pair to achieve a mark higher than 30. On Sunday, their compatriots from the groups equalled that feat with Daria Tikhomirova, Sofia Polishchuk and Daria Chebulanka posting 30.240 for the victory and Viktor Grechukhin, Bogdan Makeev, Vadim Nabiev and Dmitrii Slabukha showcasing a brilliant routine for a massive 30.350. These excellent results earned the Russian Gymnastics Federation the team gold, the nation’s 10th in a row.

Belgium won the silver medal in the team calculation based on the silver medal winning performances of Noam Patel and Robin Casse in the men’s pairs and Kim Bergmans, Lise de Meyst and Bo Hollebosch in the women’s groups.

History was written for Germany as well, with Pia Schuetze and Daniel Blintsov earning their country’s first ever medal at a World Championships! Seizing the moment in the final, they turned in an excellent combined routine to a rendition of Elvis’s ‘I Can’t Help (Falling In Love With You)’ to earn silver. 20-year-old Blintsov from Riesa was thrilled:

Maksim Markevich and Aleh Mikhailevich (BLR) captured men’s pair bronze for Belarus, while Anita Pyrlyk and Ivan Lanbunets (UKR) earned their first world medal with bronze in mixed pair.

Israel’s men’s group Hen Banuz, Lior Borodin, Amir Daus and Tomer Offir, clinched silver having worked together for only about a year. The Ukrainian group featuring Stanislav Kukurudz, Yurii Push, Yuriy Savka and Taras Yarush was thrilled to win bronze, the group’s first world medal, in their third World Championships.

 

Congratulations to all medallists!

Men’s pairs

1. Timofei Ivanov & Maksim Karavaev (RGF) 29.790

2. Robin Casse & Noam Patel (BEL) 28.840

3. Maksim Markevich & Aleh Mikhalevich (BLR) 28.680

 

Men’s groups

1. Viktor Grechukhin, Bogdan Makeev, Vadim Nabiev & Dmitrii Slabukha (RGF) 30.350

2. Hen Banuz, Lior Borodin, Amir Daus & Tomer Offir (ISR) 28.890

3. Stanislav Kukurudz, Yurii Push, Yuriy Savka & Taras Yarush (UKR) 28.600

 

Mixed pairs

1. Kirill Startsev & Viktoria Aksenova (RGF) 30.030

2. Daniel Blintsov & Pia Schuetze (GER) 29.210

3. Ivan Labunets & Anita Pyrlyk (UKR) 28.910

 

Women’s pairs

1. Rita Ferreira & Ana Texeira (POR) 29.120

2. Emily Davis & Aubrey Rosilier (USA) 28.580

3. Diana Korotaeva & Amina Omari (RGF) 28.520

 

Women’s groups

1. Daria Chebulanka, Sofia Polishchuk & Daria Tikhomirova (RGF) 30.240

2. Kim Bergmans, Lise de Meyst & Bo Hollebosch (BEL) 29.200

3. Barbara Sequeira, Francisca Maia & Francisca Maia (POR) 29.040

 

Team

1. Russia

2. Belgium

3. Kazachstan

 

Find the full results on the FIG website: https://www.gymnastics.sport/site/events/searchresults.php

Next stop on the Acro calendar … the European Age Group competitions and European Championships in Pesaro (ITA) in September!