MEET REPORTS
    · 2005 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - EVENT FINALS

   Vault - Benolli vaulted a high Yurchenko double-twist with a tiny hop (9.487) and a Podkopayeva (9.337) with the same landing for a 9.412 and first place. Pavlova took second with a 9.312, showing a clean Yurchenko double (9.300) that was landed low with a large step and a layout Podkopayeva (9.325) with the same problems. Vanwalleghem nabbed the bronze with an average of 9.193 after a nearly Yurchenko 1 1/2 (9.312) and a hop back on her piked Lucconi (9.075). Ariella Kaeslin showed a mighty front tuck full with a small step to the side (9.150) and a Tsukahara 1 1/5 that low with a large step off the side of the mat (9.162) to finish just out of the medals in fourth (9.156). 

   Elena Zamolodchikova had the best landing on her Yurchenko-double (9.400) but a giant hop backwards on her Tsukahara 1/1 (8.862) put her in fifth place with a 9.131. Sixth, Sherbatykh showed the now-compulsory Yurchenko double (9.250) but had form problems and a step back. Her second vault was a new Omelianchik with a large step forward (9.000) to average a 9.125. Harmes landed her Yurchenko 1 1/2 well (9.212) abut had a big step to the side on a piked Lucconi (9.000) to finish 7th with an average of 9.106. Sam Bayley of Great Britain was obviously not planning on qualifying to this final, as she showed a front tuck first vault and had way too much power, rolling out of it (8.225). Her Podkopayeva was clean, but low, with only a step on the landing (9.075) for an 8.650 average and 8th place.

   Bars - Lepennec won the gold with her usual flashy and daring routine (hop 1/1 + Def, Hindorff) with just a tiny hop on her full-in dismount for a 9.687. Tania Gener was second (9.562) with a nice routine: stalder + in bar stalder + inbar stalder 1/1 + Gienger, Pak + stalder 1/2 + stalder 1/1 + stalder shoot, full-in. Her handstand positions need a bit of work, however. Daria Zgoba was clean here for a 9.500 and bronze (inbar stalder + inbar stalder 1/2 to L + Ono + Jaeger, Pak + stalder 1/2, toe-on 1/2 to L + double front). Her routine is one of the more balanced of the field, with a variety of pirouetting skills. Debauve was 4th (9.350) with a relatively unexciting routine: Shaposhnikova + overshoot + toe shoot, clear hip 1 1/2 + Jaeger, Kim + double front.

   Jana Sikulova showed inbar stalders on the low bar (inbar stalder + inbar stalder 1/1 + toe shoot) and the rest of her routine was clean (toe-on + giant 1/1 + Gienger, overshoot + toe-on 1/1, stalder 1/2 + double front) to place 5th  with a 9.325. Scherbatykh had sloppy form and missed handstands (front 1/2 to L + front 1/1 + Ono + Jaeger, stalder 1/2 + Pak) but a stuck double arabian to place 6th with a 9.137. Campos was 7th with an interesting routine (clear hip 1/2 to L + front 1/1 + front 1/1 + straddled Jaeger, hop change + piked Jaeger, Pak, double layout) but missed too many handstands to score higher than an 8.937. Daniela Sofronie finished 8th (7.825) after a disastrous routine, falling over on a stalder full and falling off on a stalder 1/2; the rest of the routine involved a Kim + Jaeger, giant 1/1 + Kim + barani, and a giant step on her low full-in dismount.

   Beam - Catalina Ponor was her usual solid self here, earning the gold with a 9.737 (Onodi + flip flop + 1-arm flip flop + layout, switch leap + Kochetkova, tuck jump 1/1, front aerial + flip flop + back pike, Omelianchik, double pike) to distance herself from the rest of the field. Debauve nabbed the silver with another clean routine (standing arabian, 2 foot layout, tuck jump full + Omelianchik, front aerial + side somi) and a score of 9.487. Pavlova earned her third medal of these Championships, this time a bronze on beam with a 9.325 (front aerial + side somi, Rulfova, Onodi, triple twist) with a few wobbles. 

   Ilaria Colombo, a veteran of the Sydney Olympics, just missed the medals in 4th with a 9.212 with impressive skills (punch front + double stag mount, front aerial + flip flop + layout with a pause in connection, switch side, switch leap + sheep jump, punch front, switch ring, two flip flops + double tuck) and interesting choreography. Harmes earned 5th with a 9.087 (front aerial + Rulfova, side somi, switch leap + Khorkina, 2 1/2 twist) and her fellow teammate Linders was 6th with a 8.750 due to a mistake-riddled routine; she failed to connect her switch leap + wolf 1/1, bent over on a punch front, wobbled on her layout series, and had a very sloppy Kochetkova and a large step on her double pike dismount. Vanwalleghem was 7th with an 8.400 with small wobbles throughout the routine and a missed connection (switch leap + straight jump 1/1) and Lepennec had another disappointing beam routine for 8th place (8.025); she had a giant wobble on her standing arabian, barely staying on the beam after a tremendous fight, large wobbles on her punch front and Kochetkova, then she fell on her layout series and missed her switch leap + Rulfova connection!

   Floor - Isabelle Severino continued the French medal haul by winning the gold on floor (9.575). In addition to her clean tumbling (piked full-in, 2 1/2 twist + front 1/1, triple twist) and dance combinations, her routine was captivating and expressive. Harmes managed to place second (9.375) with a relatively unexciting routine in comparison to the French team. She tumbled all of Severino's passes in a slightly different order (piked full-in, triple twist, 2 1/2 twist + front 1/1) and added a front double twist but some of her dance combinations were incomplete.  Lepennec added another medal for the French with an exciting routine of her own, nabbing the bronze (9.337); she tumbled the exact same passes as her teammate Severino but her landings weren't as clean. Olympic Champion Catalina Ponor was uncharacteristically fourth here, with a sloppy and low opening piked full-in and a step out of bounds on her 2 1/2 twist + front layout. Ponor's triple twist was also sloppy, but landed perfectly, and she finished with a double pike. She was in tears after her score (9.200) was posted.

   Benolli added some variety with a whip + tucked full-in (tiny hop), triple twist (small hop), and a double pike (hop), as well as classical choreography. Her routine was really gorgeous but her landings weren't good enough to finish higher than fifth (9.075). Lozhecko was sixth (8.925) after nailing her opening double arabian (straight from a roundoff!) but her other two passes (double front, 2 whips through to double pike) were very low. Polish gymnast Marta Pihan was a surprise finalist and she made some unfortunate mistakes: roundoff + double arabian (huge step, almost out of bounds), running double front (very low). The rest of her very long routine was very clean (front full + punch front, cat leap 2/1 + tour jete 1/2, triple turn + Popa, double turn + tuck jump 2/1, front double twist) for an 8.875 and 7th place. Zamolodchikova finished 8th (8.475) with her crowd-pleasing routine despite nailing her opening tucked full-in. Her whip + triple twist was quite short and so was her 2 1/2 twist, forcing her to fall to the side; she finished with a low double pike.

EVENT-FINALS
VAULT UNEVEN-BARS

Name

Score

Name

Score

     1. Francesca Benolli - ITA

9.412

     1. Emilie Lepennec - FRA

9.687

     2. Anna Pavlova - RUS

9.312

     2. Tania Gener - ESP

9.562

     3. Aagje Vanwalleghem - BEL

9.193

     3. Daria Zgoba - UKR

9.500

     4. Ariella Kaeslin - SUI

9.156

     4. Marine Debauve - FRA

9.350

     5. Elena Zamolodchikova - RUS

9.131

     5. Jana Sikulova - CZE

9.325

     6. Olga Scherbatykh - UKR

9.125

     6. Olga Scherbatykh - UKR

9.137

     7. Suzanne Harmes - NED

9.106

     7. Laura Campos - ESP

8.937

     8. Sam Bayley - GBR

8.650

     8. Daniela Sofronie - ROM

7.825

BALANCE-BEAM FLOOR-EXERCISE

Name

ScoreName Score

     1. Catalina Ponor - ROM

9.737

     1. Isabelle Severino - FRA

9.575

     2. Marine Debauve - FRA

9.487

     2. Suzanne Harmes - NED

9.375

     3. Anna Pavlova - RUS

9.325

     3. Emilie Lepennec - FRA

9.337

     4. Ilaria Colombo - ITA

9.212

     4. Catalina Ponor - ROM

9.200

     5. Suzanne Harmes - NED

9.087

     5. Francesca Benolli - ITA

9.075

     6. Loes Linders - NED

8.750

     6. Yulia Lozhecko - RUS

8.962

     7. Aagje Vanwalleghem - BEL

8.400

     7. Marta Pihan - POL

8.875

     8. Emilie Lepennec - FRA

8.025

     8. Elena Zamolodchikova - RUS

8.475