2017 European Championships Event Finals Day 2 Live Blog

/ April 23, 2017

Welcome to the live blog for the second day of event finals at the 2017 European Championships! Refresh your browser every few minutes for the latest updates, which will appear at the top.

4:41 pm. High Bar Standings

1. Pablo Brägger, Switzerland, 14.933
2. Oliver Hegi, Switzerland, 14.500
3. David Belyavskiy, Russia, 14.366
4. James Hall, Great Britain, 14.333
5. Edgar Boulet, France, 14.333
6. Bart Deurloo, Netherlands, 13.133
7. Anton Kovacevic, Croatia, 13.066
8. Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine, 11.700

4:37 pm. Kovacevic, Croatia, HB- Yamawaki, layout Tkachv to stalder Tkachev half, muscled after that but still good. Layout tkachev half, stoop half, Endo full, lots of crazy front giant stuff, omg, peels off so early on his dismount, double layout with maybe a full, lands face-first on the hard mat and looks like he busted his knee. 13.066.

4:31 pm. Verniaiev, Ukraine, HB- Yamawaki half, layout Tkachev, layout Tkachev half, stoop half, straddle Tkache half, goes waaaaaay too high and he flies off, don’t know if he even kinda caught. Hard landing. stoop full to Yamawaki, Endo full to Endo half, omg, then he came off on a GIANT. Just like, peeled right off. So weird. His man-leo is so weird, the white part stops right at his rib cage so it emphasizes that and makes his upper body look MASSIVE and the rest of him look so tiny. Double twisting double layout with a big hop forward. Bows to every direction in the crowd as a thanks. 11.7.

4:29 pm. Belyavskiy, Russia, HB- One-armed full, stoop half, layout Tkachev, stalder Tkachev half, stoop full to Yamawaki, that crazy thing that I never know wtf is happening (jam that swings around in that shoulder-ripping position), then a full-twisting double layout with a step, a little low. 14.366 (5.7, 8.666).

4:25 pm. Deurloo, Netherlands, HB- Cassina, fall on something…layout Kovacs maybe?, Kovacs, Kolman, Yamawaki, hop full, hit the dismount with a small step. 13.133 (6.0, 7.133).

4:22 pm. Brägger, Switzerland, HB- Cassina, Kolman, layout Tkachev to Tkachev half, layout Tkachev half, damn! Hop full, Rybalko, double-tiwsting double layout stuck. Rudi Hediger started pounding his fists on his desk LOLOLOL. He’s the president of the jury of appeal. So good. 14.933 (6.8, 8.133).

4:19 pm. Hegi, Switzerland, HB- Yamawaki half I think, ooh, a Def maybe? I wasn’t prepared for that. Kolman, Yamawaki, he’s had some leg form issues on a few skills, floaty full-twisting double layout with a step. 14.5 (6.2, 8.3).

4:16 pm. Hall, Great Britain, HB- Cassina, Kovacs, Kolman, double-twisting double layout stuck. 14.333 (5.7, 8.633).

4:14 pm. Boulet, France, HB- One arm front giant, Cassina, Kovacs, Kolman, stalder, Yamawaki, full-twisting double layout STUCK. NICE. 14.333 (5.8, 8.533).

4:12 pm. High Bar Start List

Edgar Boulet, France
James Hall, Great Britain
Oliver Hegi, Switzerland
Pablo Brägger, Switzerland
Bart Deurloo, Netherlands
David Belyavskiy, Russia
Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine
Anton Kovacevic, Croatia

4:09 pm. WAG Floor Standings

1. Angelina Melnikova, Russia, 14.100
2. Ellie Downie, Great Britain, 14.066
3. Eythora Thorsdottir, Netherlands, 13.700
4. Kim Bui, Germany 13.566
5. Lara Mori, Italy, 13.566
6. Pauline Schäfer, Germany, 13.533
7. Claudia Fragapane, Great Britain, 13.533
8. Elena Eremina, Russia, 13.466

4:06 pm. Bui, Germany, FX- Split full, very clean. Good double layout, small bounce back. Double tuck. 2.5 to punch front with a hop. Double pike with a small hop. 13.566 (5.2, 8.366).

4:02 pm. Fragapane, Great Britain, FX- Full-twisting double layout a little short. High double arabian, seriously so much height, but prob too much and she can’t control it. Stumbled out of bounds. Double layout to wolf jump, a little short on the tumbling. Double pike to finish, solid. 13.533 (5.5, 8.333, -0.3).

3:59 pm. Downie, Great Britain, FX- Split jump full. Double double with a small hop. 1.5 through to double arabian, low with a step back. Switch to tour jete full. Stuck double pike. 14.066 (5.4, 8.666).

3:55 pm. Melnikova, Russia, FX- Double L to double spin. BEAUTIFUL double arabian, opens up SO early!!! Kinda surprises her I think. Takes a step back. Double layout, her best ever prob. Omg. Memmel to pirouette. 2.5 wolf turn. Piked full-in with a small bounce. Omg. Hit leap series. Double pike stuck on her toes. YAAAAAAS. 14.1 (5.4, 8.7).

3:50 pm. Thorsdottir, Netherlands, FX- Her choreo as she walks into her opening position is better than most girls’ actual choreo. Triple full is LOVELY, punch front is a little low but she just takes a step back. Sat it in training this morning. Switch leap. Nice high double tuck. Hit FULL turn sequence, double L to pirouette to Y to illusion, good good good! First time all week! 2.5 with a tiny bobble. YAAAAAY. Split ring leap to switch half. So good. 13.7 (5.5, 8.3, -0.1).

3:46 pm. Eremina, Russia, FX- Tucked full-in, chest down and a step back. Memmel turn. Switch full. 1.5 through to 2.5 to punch front, good! Double attitude to fill pirouette. She has lots of good choreo moments in this. Just needs to figure out what emotion she’s playing. Double tuck with a small bounce. Switch leap to tour jete. Good girl. 13.466 (5.0, 8.466).

3:41 pm. Schäfer, Germany, FX- Double layout good, just a bounce back. Tour jete full. Front double full with crossed ankles and a hop to the side. Double attitude turn to double pirouette. Double pike nearly stuck, small bounce. Triple pirouette. Ring leap to switch ring. This was lovely. 13.533 (5.1, 8.433).

3:38 pm. Mori, Italy, FX- Tucked full-in, bounce back. Switch ring to switch straddle half I think. Memmel to illusion, nice. 2.5 with crossed ankles to front layout. Triple with crossed ankles and a step. Double pike with a bounce back. Good! 13.566 (5.4, 8.166).

3:35 pm. WAG Floor Start List

Lara Mori, Italy
Pauline Schäfer, Germany
Elena Eremina, Russia
Eythora Thorsdottir, Netherlands
Angelina Melnikova, Russia
Ellie Downie, Great Britain
Claudia Fragapane, Great Britain
Kim Bui, Germany

3:30 pm. Verniaiev, Ukraine, PB- Arched over a handstand, and another near the end. Rest is good. Double front half-out stuck. 15.466 (6.4, 9.066).

3:27 pm. Belyavskiy, Russia, PB- Has to move his hand to regain control on a handstand. Looked a little muscled on a release. A little shaky on single rail. Double front half-out is good. 15.233 (6.4, 8.833).

3:25 pm. Dauser, Germany, PB- Not as super controlled at the beginning I don’t think but still solid. The rest is lovely. Double front half and he’s like YAAAAS. Too cute. 15.366 (6.4, 8.966).

3:21 pm. Nagornyy, Russia, PB- Great handstand on single rail into a lovely Healy. He’s super fluid so far and his handstands are epic. Double front half-out with a hop. 15.266 (6.4, 8.866).

3:18 pm. Yusof, Switzerland, PB- Really clean routine with a step back on his double pike dismount. 15.000 (6.0, 9.0).

3:14 pm. Nguyen, Germany, PB- Cool thing where he switches bars, hahaha. Two double back releases, one caught on his arms which is fun. Loses leg form a bit in some of his swings. Another double back release. Hit the dismount. 14.800.

3:10 pm. Hegi, Switzerland, PB- Really fluid at the beginning but then started to muscle a handstand on a single rail and kind of collapsed on the bar before falling. Does the same thing again on a swinging element, kind of muscles it but his form deteriorates and he has to come off. Gets back up for a release, clean handstand on his healy, then a BIG release, front pike I think, handstand on the single rail, then kip cast to straddle before going back into handstand on both bars. Double tuck with a step. 11.866 (5.6, 6.266).

3:07 pm. Arican, Turkey, PB- Okay I know nothing about parallel bars so I’ll just comment on form and nonsense. He looked good throughout and stuck his double tuck dismount. 14.633 (6.3, 8.333).

3:03 pm. Parallel Bars Start List

Ferhat Arican, Turkey
Oliver Hegi, Switzerland
Marcel Nguyen, Germany
Eddy Yusof, Switzerland
Nikita Nagornyy, Russia
Lukas Dauser, Germany
David Belyavskiy, Russia
Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine

2:45 pm. Beam Standings

1. Catalina Ponor, Romania, 14.566
2. Eythora Thorsdottir, Netherlands, 14.066
3. Larisa Iordache, Romania, 13.966
4. Ellie Downie, Great Britain, 13.433
5. Sanne Wevers, Netherlands, 13.341
6. Zsofia Kovacs, Hungary, 13.133
7. Marine Boyer, France, 12.966
8. Claudia Fragapane, Great Britain, 12.533
9. Tabea Alt, Germany, 10.966

2:43 pm. Kovacs, Hungary, BB- Huge switch side, but missed connection from her opening acro skill. Bhs loso. Switch to switch half. Side somi. Full turn. Split jump to wolf jump. Double tuck with a small bounce. 13.133 (5.0, 8.133).

Thorsdottir’s inquiry was rejected.

2:39 pm. Boyer, France, BB- The fact that they have to say “shhhhhhh” over the loudspeaker before every single routine should tell you what kind of crowd this is. Nice double wolf turn. Big stumble and a fall on her roundoff layout and the crowd erupted into applause. Switch to switch half. Front aerial to split jump to wolf jump. Side aerial, little stumble, split leap to side somi. Double pike with a step. 12.966 (5.7, 7.266).

2:37 pm. Inquiry for Thorsdottir.

Oh, by the way, the start list f***ery is because of the ninth competitor in the final. They rearranged it…privately…to account for nine instead of eight.

UEG president Georges Guelzec just looked up at me and smiled LOL. I was like hey bro!

2:33 pm. Ponor, Romania, BB- “Now it’s time for the Queen.” The announcer lol. Roundoff loso mount is good. Bhs loso loso is perfect. Switch to Kochetkova, also pretty much perfect. Wolf jump to split leap into her choreo. Switch ring, could’ve had a better landing and back leg. Onodi to split jump to Omelianchik. Okay, she’s killing it. Front aerial to kind of a ring jump but they need to credit it as a split. Full turn. Double pike with a kind of stumble/step back. That should win it, I think. 14.566 (6.2, 8.366).

2:29 pm. Thorsdottir, Netherlands, BB- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Split leap to side aerial to Korbut to low choreo, perfect. Ring jump. Lovely illusion turn. Front aerial to split jump to stag ring jump. Full L turn. Split leap to full Y turn. This is magical. MAGICAL. Triple full with a step. YESSSSSSS. 14.066 (5.6, 8.466).

2:26 pm. Downie, Great Britain, BB- Punch front tuck with a little bounce forward. Standing arabian with a small check. Switch leap to switch half, good. Wobble and leg up on double spin. Bhs loso with a check. Split leap, misses connection to side aerial, check. All of her checks are just like, tiny adjustments. 2.5 with a step. 13.433 (5.3, 8.133).

2:22 pm. Fragapane, Great Britain, BB- Excellent standing arabian. Switch leap to wolf jump, back leg on the switch is a little low. Bhs layout is piked and she misses her feet, kind of skids and falls to the mat. People behind me are laughing. #Romania Good standing full. Tuck jump half. Full turn. Hit a jump after that with a full twist I think but I couldn’t see. Double full with a hop. 12.533 (5.1, 7.433).

2:19 pm. Iordache, Romania, BB- Hit jumps and side aerial to start. Bhs tuck full with a step back. Front aerial with a check, doesn’t bother trying to connect it. Switch half, nice amplitude. Double spin, check. Side somi is good. Triple full stumbled back off the mat. 13.966 (6.0, 7.966).

2:15 pm. Wevers, Netherlands, BB- Roundoff back handspring. The Nutcracker is playing and it’s very pretty. Wobble on wolf jump full. Kochetkova. Wobbles through double L turn. Side aerial to side aerial, slight check. Front aerial, check. GOD SANNE. Triple spin is gorgeous. Full L to full spin to double spin. Split leap to wolf jump. Over time I think. Steingruber stuck. Well, that won’t win gold. She’d be lucky for a medal tbh. 13.341 (5.6, 7.841, -0.1).

2:11 pm. Alt, Germany, BB- Roundoff layout, check and a small step back to control it. Side aerial loso loso, stumble and fall. Awww. Full turn, switch leap, misses connection to switch half, which she does into a split jump. Good cover. Front aerial with a big wobble but she fights and saves it. Switch ring, wobble. Split leap to side somi. Warning bell, and she’s over time during her arm choreo. Crashed double pike. Lawd, poor kid. 10.966.

2:08 pm. Beam Start List

Tabea Alt, Germany
Sanne Wevers, Netherlands
Larisa Iordache, Romania
Claudia Fragapane, Great Britain
Ellie Downie, Great Britain
Eythora Thorsdottir, Netherlands
Catalina Ponor, Romania
Marine Boyer, France
Zsofia Kovacs, Hungary

2:06 pm. MAG VT Standings

1. Artur Dalaloyan, Russia, 14.933
2. Marian Dragulescu, Romania, 14.733
3. Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine, 14.649
4. Zachari Hrimeche, France, 14.633
5. Artur Davtyan, Armenia, 14.583
6. Dominick Cunningham, Great Britain, 14.133
7. Igor Radivilov, Ukraine, 14.033
8. Andrey Medvedev, Israel, 6.733

2:02 pm. Dragulescu, Romania, VT- Dragulescu, good in the air, big step back to control it. 14.666 (5.6, 9.066). Yurchenko half-on, front layout 2.5 off…not bad, he’s suuuuuper crouched on the landing, though. Step to the side. 14.8 (5.8, 9.0). AVERAGE 14.733.

1:58 pm. Verniaiev, Ukraine, VT- Dragulescu, really nice. Step back. 14.766 (5.6, 9.166). Tsuk triple, short. Legs are a mess in the pre-flight and he tucks them on his block. Straightens out in the air a bit more but still pretty loose. Chest down and a step. 14.533 (5.6, 9.033, -0.1). AVERAGE 14.649.

1:55 pm. Davtyan, Armenia, VT- Handspring 2.5, not bad. 14.866 (5.6, 9.266). Second vault is a tsuk double, I think he was going for a 2.5? He put up a 5.2 SV on the board. 14.3 (4.8, 9.5). AVERAGE 14.583.

1:50 pm. Radivilov, Ukraine, VT- Piked Dragulescu, not as messy as Medvedev’s but still short, crashed to the mat. I think he at least hit feet first. 13.466 (6.0, 7.766, -0.3). Tsuk double pike, huge leg sep on the entry but pike form is great in the air. Chest down and a hop back. 14.600 (5.6, 9.0). AVERAGE 14.033.

1:47 pm. Medvedev, Israel, VT- Piked Dragulescu, crashed to his face before he could put his feet down. The second pike was an absolute disaster. Score is a 0. Second vault is a tsuk double tuck, hands down on the mat. 13.466 (5.2, 8.266). AVERAGE 6.733. 😦

1:43 pm. Cunningham, Great Britain, VT- Tsuk 2.5. 14 I think? Yurchenko triple a little short. 14.266 (5.6, 8.766, -0.1). AVERAGE 14.133.

1:39 pm. Hrimeche, France, VT- Dragulescu, loses a bit of control on the landing with a big step back. 14.633 (5.6, 9.033). Tsuk double pike, chest down with a huge step back. 14.600 (5.6, 9.0). AVERAGE 14.633.

1:33 pm. Dalaloyan, Russia, VT- Yurchenko triple full, good in the air. Some crossed ankles. Chest down on the landing. But stuck. 15.066 (5.6, 9.466). Handspring double front pike for the second vault. Form starts out nice but his leg form in the second pike is horrendous, bent and split apart. 14.8 (5.6, 9.2). AVERAGE 14.933.

1:32 pm. Men’s Vault Start List

Artur Dalaloyan, Russia
Zachari Hrimeche, France
Dominick Cunningham, Great Britain
Andrey Medvedev, Israel
Igor Radivilov, Ukraine
Artur Davtyan, Armenia
Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine
Marian Dragulescu, Romania

1:29 pm. The last daaaaay! It all ends so quickly. The only thing I’m hoping for today is fair scoring but after what we saw with men’s floor yesterday I don’t think that’s likely. There’s a very clear favor for the Romanians here and with Adrian Stoica on the jury of appeal, I’m not holding my breath.

Also, random, but the start lists don’t match the random draw for event finals on beam at all. Hoping there’s some kind of explanation for that. Otherwise it comes off hella fishy.

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Article by Lauren Hopkins

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70 thoughts on “2017 European Championships Event Finals Day 2 Live Blog”

  3. Lauren: the start lists you made a mistake. You read it backwards. The number on the left is where they finished in qualifying. The number on the right is where they start in finals.

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  4. I have a general question as I’m not familiar with UEG member countries a lot. Why is Israel always part of a European Championships?

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  5. I don’t think it was a smart decision to let Alt start, she did not seem recovered from her illness, lacking power extremely 😦 Poor kid.

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    • We saw that crap in Rio too. I wish the FIG or in Rio, the IOC, would step in and do something. Even if they just chastise adults, chastise them! It’s awful but to support everyone. You could barely hear anything from the last two because the wouldn’t stop showing Cata who was celebrating already, like it was a given she won. Sure, that score was basically unbeatable, but as the athlete, show respect for your competitors. And I’m done pretending Cata and Lari are chums again. The look on Larissas face during that hug was ice cold. There was a brief moment when she took the podium where they acknowledged her, but they totally did not give Lari the same respect as Cata. The crowd sucked.

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      • There’s honestly nothing that they can do. They can’t force an entire audience to quiet down unless they get a massive security force to united airline half the crowd.

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        • I mean after the fact. They can make a statement, even if it does nothing. They can reuse to hold the medal ceremonies publicly. They can take away their rights to hold an FIG event, etc. I’m not saying it was that extreme and that needed to happen, I saying, there are things they can do to help discourage it in other places.

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        • Refusing to make the medal ceremonies public is a far deeper punishment for the gymnast who did nothing rather than the crowd. Taking away the citie’s rights to host an FIG event is also ridiculous and wrong. The rudeness of the crowd has nothing to do with the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, or the venue who put up the hosts. Ultimately, it has to do with the people who show up. The city of Cluj didn’t purposely let rude spectators in, they have no control over that. If the people who show up are knowledgeable of gymnastics it would have been much calmer, but the people who showed up ended up being Romanian superfans.It’s simply pay For a ticket and watch the event. Your solutions are extremely flawed.

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        • Maybe so, but I said they were extreme and said it didn’t really call for that extremeness. A statement does have an effect and some power, isn’t extreme or a real punishment. There’s nothing flawed about that.
          When the IOC threatened to hold medal ceremonies in private in Rio, it fixed the problem in track and field. Sure it punishes the athletes too, but I said it wasn’t that extreme. But threatening that can be as effective as doing it. People are capable of realizing they’re being disrespectful and adjusting. Maybe they weren’t gymnastics fans. Maybe Romania was just trying to fill the seats, and if that’s the case, going in, you know you have to inform and good the crowd. It’s not absurd to tell people proper etiquette at an event such as this. It’s also not absurd to stop things and do that when you realize there’s a problem. No solution will be perfect, ever. But there are many options that help them realize what is considered proper etiquette at this type of event.
          If they were an informed crowd, they should be chastised.
          And I would say the same about many out of control crowds that have happened in many places.

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        • I don’t think there is an easy solution, but regardless it is upsetting. I always think about sports such as tennis or golf…. somehow, they enforce quiet while the athlete is competing. It is a matter of tradition, but that tradition has been established and enforced. The crowd clapping when someone falls is horrible, and from the social media I have read of people who were there that wasn’t the only incident. They can set some sort of protocol and enforce it in gymnastics if they can in golf and tennis.

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      • I do think you grossly misinterpreted the reactions of the crowd. Are you from Europe? When someone fell, the crowd clapped in SUPPORT! Watch the reaction of the crowd when Nistor, the Romanian gymnast, fell. They clapped ! When Beckie fell, they clapped ! In Romania, and in many European countries the crowd claps to support the one who falls in order to motivate him/her to pull himself/ herself up. Look at the meetings in France at the end of 2015 were Larisa falls of bars. The French crowds claps. Also at another meet in Germany. Not because they are happy but as a sign of support. They stop clapping when either the person is up on the apparatus or it’s clear they are too injured to get back. It can get confusing indeed. This is not my interpretation only, the Spanish commentators had the same interpretation. This has been an overly supportive crowd not a derogatory one, They literally clapped for every element every gymnasts hit. Go see the videos! Do the gymnasts look angry with the crowd! Not at all ! They are actually kind of amused and exhilarated! They shouted bravo when Sanne hit her triple, they clapped for every element Thorsothir hit, and they put the Wunderbar music at the end and appreciated the excellent routine even though it was clear it will beat Larisa’s. ! When Boyer fell, they clapped in SUPPORT! When Melnikova had her great routine, the announcer asked the crowd if they liked it, and they cheered for her one more time. When Kovacs hit her routines they clapped and put the Hungarian jubilation music. They pretty much supported everyone every time for every little thing they hit , and also when they fell down. In all videos I haven’t seen one malicious laugh! Yes, they were loud and the DJ was crazy. They wanted to have a fun atmosphere not one loaded with hatred as at most meets. You grossly misinterpreted their reactions and the Romanian etiquette in gymnastic meets. I don’t think the gymnasts interpreted the crowd response your way. Even the federation described it as a fiesta atmosphere ! Lacking formality indeed but not derogatory, hostile or malicious. The Spanish commentators compared it very positively, and at contrast with Rio, as showing extreme sportsmanship and friendliness and accounted it with the long tradition Romania had in gymnastics. Yes, they were very loud. Once you stir up a crowd of thousand of people passionate of gymnastics it’s hard to tame them down. When Cata hit they didn’t say she was the winner but they said that now she can be sure of a medal. Do you know how a hostile crowd looks like? Watch rhythmic cups (Genoa cup or Kiev). They clap deliriously for their gymnasts and not at all for others even when they throw amazing skills. This was not a hostile crowd, it was an overly supportive one ! This is not my interpretation only. I’ve seen comments on videos from people who were in the hall, not Romanians, and they too appreciated the crowd as very supportive (also very loud)! I hope I understood your point well, if not please clarify! If rudeness means loud and lacking formality, yes they were rude. If rudeness means hostile, no , they were definitely not hostile!

        Regarding the Romanian gymnastics nobody deludes themselves about its state, be sure of that, especially not the crowd! As for Larisa, she probably sees this meet as yet another disappointment in her career! She could have had finally the AA, if she were healthy! She could have repeated the performance from the qualifiers and get the gold at equality with Ponor. I don’t think anyone has the right to judge her for how she felt, and this has nothing to do with Ponor, or the crowd! It’s simply disappointment in oneself or the circumstances of one’s career !

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        • There was a major difference between clapping when someone fell in support (when that happened, there was the fall, and then when the gymnast got back up and saluted or re-mounted, they applauded politely) and when someone fell and it meant a medal was safe for a Romanian (when that happened, they jumped up and started screaming and cheering the second the athlete fell…it happened with both Marian on floor and Cata on beam). There was definitely lots of support for athletes who fell…with Becky and with Rosanna Ojala especially. Both of them got injured and the crowd was SO great in supporting them. Rosanna literally blew kisses at them because she was so surprised by the support when she got taken out. It was a lovely moment. But when Marine Boyer fell on beam, the crowd literally jumped out of their seats and Cata stood up and started waving both arms like “that’s it, I’m the champion.” She started her celebration then, and even though there were still two left to go on beam (Marine had to finish up and then Zsofia had to go), the crowd didn’t pay attention and was chanting Cata’s name. The media tables were one row in front of the crowd, so I heard reactions all the time and the people behind me LAUGHED when Marine fell. For the most part, they were a great and supportive crowd, but when a gold was on the line for Romania, they were absolutely rude to the other gymnasts. Actually, in the qualification round as well, Cata was one of the last gymnasts to go on floor, and when she finished her routine, the crowd did a standing ovation which was great. But then there were still two gymnasts left to go (one on beam, one on floor) and the whole crowd got up and left during those routines. At one point I think it was just Kim Bui on beam with no one else competing and the arena was so loud and noisy with people talking to each other and getting their stuff and leaving. It was SO disrespectful. It’s not just a Romanian thing…in the U.S. at the American Cup when a non-U.S. girl was on beam, Laurie Hernandez walked by the side of the arena and the crowd started chanting Laurie’s name. IT WAS SOOOOO FREAKING RUDE. Basically home crowds aren’t bad in general, but they’re absolutely AWFUL to visiting athletes when their home athletes are concerned.

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        • I am trying to make sense of what you are saying when the images I am watching after Boyer fell and during Kovacs beam routine don’t show anyone jumping up and down, you can’t overhear any chanting, you just see a crowd dutifully clapping after each element just as they did before. The sound could have been processed, but the images not. I just must conclude that at least a section of the crowd used some restraint and not go nuts when they realized Cata won! However, that doesn’t nullify the fact that before
          Boyer, the crowd has been as supportive as anyone could be with Sanne and Eythora even though they were the greatest threats to Cata and Larisa! Obviously, they lost it when they realized Cata will win! I assure you if this meet would have been 5 years ago and Romanian gymnastics would have been business as usual, they would have kept their cool way better. They wouldn’t have fret that much about a medal. Even when they put 3 athletes on the AA Olympic podium, nobody bragged and the athletes themselves looked very humble and dignified up there. They kept it quiet and simple. In 40 years of domination in this sport I can hardly remember any acts of poor sportsmanship from any gymnasts. Many time they’ve actually encouraged their adversaries in moments of weakness. They don’t fill complaints and they don’t bicker about imaginary or real injustices (except for Karolyi when he was in charge!)
          The irony of this championship is that Romanian gymnasts had the longest winning streak in history, yet the home crowd got to watch them exactly at the moment when their performance reached rock bottom level. Yet most of the people in that crowd, gymnastics fans or just Romanian fans, tried to rise above it all and offer all the performers the appreciation they deserve. I haven’t been there to have a taste of all the things that seem to have generated so much disapproval, but the faces of the performers looked somehow happier, more relaxed. Even those who had disappointments seemed to have accepted them with more equanimity. Whatever energy the crowd had created there couldn’t be that bad if it brought out the sunnier side of people. I think the Spanish commentator also remarked that the idea was to mark a departure from the cold war style competition towards a more balanced approach, with more emphasis on the performance aspect and the fun, and less on bitter rivalries. I kinda agree, if I understood her well!
          If Cata waved back to the crowd that is not quite OK, but the pressure on her was beyond huge, and her sense of relief probably on the measure. The crowd also probably felt the same relief with Romania’s ‘honor’ being saved! Let’s just not be that harsh as anyway it’s over.

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        • I was there…maybe you can’t see people screaming/jumping on video, but I was physically sitting one row in front of the crowd. I saw it all. Nothing misinterpreted.

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  8. Thorsdottir is so wonderful, my favourite gymnast with Eremina. I would have loved to see Marine Boyer on the podium. I’m not a great fan of Iordache and Ponor’s emotion seems to me very theatrical.

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    • I mean this girl is on the top level since winning the olympics in 2004 (!). I don’t think any female gymnast has done that before. She retired, came back for her country two times. This is her hard earned success and especially in front of her home crowd, with all of the disappointments along the way (not qualifying a team to the olympics 2016, not medaling in Rio, the extreme pressure on her especially) I think it’s nowhere near theatrical but just plain emotion! You clearly haven’t followed her way much. Go Cata 🙂

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  9. I am not really fond of Sanne’s gymnastics on beam, but I really love how she compute/analyze her potential score everytime she finishes a routine. So competitive LOL. I’m glad Eythora hit but sad for Larissa because you could see she really wants the gold, just the landing was what caused her to medal for gold.

    Is Ellie’s D score on beam that low? I was surprised when I saw her routine, just skill after skill with no fluidity at all. And why is Tabea Alt almost always overtime on her beam routine? LOL.

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    • I don’t think it cost Lari the gold, more the silver. Between her an Cata were almost 6 tenths. That was not just the mistake on the landing. But if they stay healthy then can challenge for gold at worlds 🙂

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      • Same
        AA
        1.United Kingdom(E. Downie) 2.Hungary(Kovacs) 3.France(Jesus dos Santos) Well we’ve come very far from the last Euros after Olympics in 2013. Podium for 2013 1. Russia(Aliya) 2.Romania(Iordache) 3.Russia(Grishina). All 3 ladies hit 4 for 4 wonderfully. So happy for Kovacs. An underdeveloped program putting out a fine gymnast. France is also rising.

        VT
        1.France(Devillard) 2.United Kingdom(E. Downie) 3.Hungary(Devai) France and Hungary rarely medal on any event. Love how Devai medaled.

        UB
        1.Belgium(Derwael)!! 2.Russia(Eremina) 3.United Kingdom(E. Downie) So happy that Derwael medaled, unique moves, high D and decent E, this girl has the whole package. I’m also happy that Eremina hit. She brought back her Inbar-Inbar 1/2-Piked Jaegar Combo!! Ellie’s consistency on UB is starting to pay off.

        BB
        1.Ponor(Romania) 2.Netherlands(Thorsdottir) 3.Romania(Iordache) Great job by Ponor. SUPER AGGRESSIVE. If only she could have done it at 2016 Olympic Games BB EF. But we all know she’ll probably stick around for 2020 Olympic Games. Thorsdottir also amazing. Cleanest routine. Now it’s time to up the D. Iordache. I’m so sad. She really wanted that Gold. Everything was amazing until the Triple Twist. She could have had the Gold. Then a 1-tenth step and 2 3-tenth steps. Right off the podium.:(:(:(:( WHHHHHYYYYY???????? Oh well. Hope she hits at Worlds. She looked sad after seeing her score

        FX
        1. Russia(Melnikova) 2.United Kingdom(E. Downie) 3.Netherlands(Thorsdottir) Melinkova hit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She won Gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so happy for her. This is like the only morale booster she had in months. Rio was such a big disappointment for her. Russian Nationals was fairly bad as well. She didn’t qualify AA in Cluj. BUT A GOLD MEDAL ON FLOOR. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO happy for her. Ellie did a decent job. Thorsdottir also could use a bit of improvement but Congrats to all 3 ladies.

        Well I can’t remember the last time Hungary got 2 medals at Europeans. Well actually it was in 1990. Henrietta Onodi Bronze on Floor and AA. But a silver and bronze for Hungary!!!!!! Russia is not as strong as last year, but they’re coming along. 2 beam medals for Romania!! Romania is coming back. Ioana and Olivia both need some work, but they’re pretty good. 2 medals for Thorsdottir. Downie strong everywhere.

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    • Yeah, seriously, right? Check out Lari’s expression during the entire medal ceremony. I think she Mona Lisa-smiled for a split second. She was glum/pissed off for most of the ceremony. She’s on the podium during a home European Championship! Can’t she at least smile politely? And yeah, she took off the medal afterwards like it was on fire. She’s obviously upset or bitter about something.

      I love, love, love x 1000 Larissa. Maybe she’ll be world champion on beam in Montreal.

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      • I thought it was really inappropriate, too. As an athlete myself I know how disappointed one can be after competing BUT she won a bronze on the beam in her home country with the crowd cheering her on lots. I don’t care if it’s because she wanted the gold, I’m sure about 90% of this beam final was able to speculate about gold with a hit routine. Yes, the mistake of the dismount was bad and I’m sure she didn’t have a mistake like that weird in a while but I just thought her reaction was way over the top- especially taking off her medal- this, in particular is just very poor sport. (I don’t care about the smiling part- at least she tried for a sec.)

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  11. Happy for Eythora. She overcame Friday that was not a good day for her. Now I hope she hits floor. Choreos nowadays seems so restrict, but her choreographer is so good because she still manage to keep creativity. Delighfull to see and I would love to see her medal on floor too.

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    • It seems low for me too… She has the 4th highest Execution Score what a pity that it’s too low difficulty that takes her chance for medaling there

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  13. I feel bad for Frags. She’d have took bronze if she had stayed in bounds. But thrilled for Melnikova, Downie and Thorsdottir.

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      • Is 14.1 the highest floor score this year internationally?I can’t remember all the Jesolo scores, but I don’t think anyone broke 14 there either!

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        • I think Melnikova’s 14.1 is indeed the highest floor score in international competition. However, Mai Murakami scored 14.150 at All Japan Championships this year, so Melnikova’s 14.1 is close but not quite the highest overall.

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  15. I’m in love with Verniaiev and Nagornyy. They’re chit chatting for about 10 minutes now even though they’re told often that they can’t talk to each other because of the Russia and Ukraine thing. Lol

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  18. Congratulations to my friend Melnikova for getting the gold medal! Meanwhile Kharenkova and myself are here freezing in Siberia 😦

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  19. Hum… I also won gold on beam at EC at some point and even an AA silver, but that didn’t prevent me from being sent to Siberia. Hopefully Angelina will last longer.

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  21. Lauren, thank you for your coverage of this event! I loved every second of it.

    The crowd was beyond rude, but at least they care (Cluj 2017 is NOT Sofia 2014). Gymnastics is not dead in Romania. The public LOVED the event. They LOVE their gymnasts. And they clearly LOVE the sport. I think gymnastics in Romania will rise again. It was bittersweet to see Cata and Marian be celebrated at home. Seeing these two gymnastics superstars really drove home the point that Romania has not been able to produce any stars (Lari aside) in the last 10 years. Why are your two best gymnasts in their 30’s (or pushing 30)?

    Belu, please make Romanian gymnastics great again!

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    • Yeah, my thoughts while watching this competition were basically like…Romania is celebrating their program right now and they have ZERO reason to. Two gold medals from 15+ year veterans at a post-Olympic Euros is no reason to celebrate when they have literally no one else coming up the ranks. I’m happy for Cata and Marian (well, not so much him, since he’s a wife-beater and all) to do well at home but if anything I think the federation will now be like “See?! All’s well!” when really it’s like garbage wrapped in gold foil. I hope they continue making efforts to promote the sport in general because someday, Cata *will* retire. A gold medal from her in Cluj absolutely does not negate the fact that they didn’t qualify a full team to the Games last year and people are acting like it does.

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      • Thanks for replying. Let’s hope Rio was rock bottom for Romanian gymnastics and the intervention is now underway. Remember how there were a million funeral dirges sung for Romanian gymnastics over the years? But they continued to be part of the Big 4. Then suddenly they…were not. The results dropped off suddenly, but the writing had been on the wall for years.

        The ridiculously superhuman results of Cata and Marian (and even Lari) cover up the gross mismanagement of the Romanian gymnastics federation. Romania can’t count on these amazing gymnasts forever. Just like Russia can’t count on Aliya to bail them out forever. Just like the Ukraine (on the MAG side) can’t count on Oleg to win everything for their woefully underfunded program forever. (the poor guy looked beyond exhausted….)

        There are many programs that have deep issues covered up by superhuman achievements from their top talents. When these programs accept that their current stars are once in a generation prodigies, they will have to create sustainable talent development pipelines. And have more realistic competition schedules for their top gymnasts (ahem…give Melnikova and Verniaiev a rest!)

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  22. They couldn’t make a team now! And I’m not sure next year will be much better if they continue on this path. They were screaming and celebrating like they had single handedly just reignited and saved Romanian gymnastics, and I’m like I’m happy for them and all, but even if they Chuso tether lives, they won’t last forever. I mean, even Lari is pushing it with her age and body. If Cata couldn’t handle the calluses from bars, how much longer does she really have? And Lari is injured so much! Her body can’t take much more. I wish they had shown more respect, but what’s done is done. Hopefully someone helps them realize they went respectful.

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    • Amen to that!
      I was really surprised they were celebrating like they saved their gym team and it’s actually really the opposite at the moment. Still only 3 veterans (I’m gonna include Lari in that because she’s had so many injuries and won’t keep going forever) and then after that…. NOTHING. They have a girl hopefully coming up which happens to be Camelia Voinea’s daughter, who is SUPER SUPER talented and throwing big skills already (I think she’s 10) so hopefully they’ll pace her right. Also Golgota is up-and-comming. I see lots of potential in Crisan, not so much Cimpian but that’s about it. They still have a problem.

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