The final session of the women’s European Championship brings us all the senior event finals as the non-Italys somehow try to manage to do a winning.
We start with vault, where top qualifier Zsofia Kovacs will hope to fend off the DTYs from Asia D’Amato and Jessica Gadirova and the rudis from Friess and Vaelen. Gadirova, D’Amato, Friess, and Vaelen all come in with a 9.8 D for their two vaults, while Kovacs is on 9.6.
Introductions done for the vault finalists. No dancey dances when it’s just the individuals because that would be too scary.
Friess – FRA – VT 1 – handspring rudi is hit – medium bounce back, lands chest down, some leg crossing. 13.966. She’ll have been hoping to go over 14.
Friess – FRA – VT 2 – Tsuk full is solid, another hop back, not too large, cleaner leg form in twist than the rudi, some piking again. 13.233
13.599 average, down slightly on qualification.
The back on these waiting couches is too low. If you’re going to have a back, have one that you can lean against.
Raz – ISR – VT 1 – lands rather short on her DTY, large lunge to the side, chest down. 13.333. On the wild, wild planet called Vault Scoring, that was only .133 lower on execution than Friess’s rudi.
Raz – ISR – VT 2 – tsuk layout full is also some degree of landing struggle with a large lunge to the side and off the mat. 12.700
13.016 average and into second place.
Asia D’Amato – ITA – VT 1 – DTY very solid one, good distance and amplitude, another medium hop back, pretty solid in the twisting form, loses her knees a little at the end, good direction. 14.100
Asia D’Amato – ITA – VT 2 – dear dear dear, well short on landing her round off 1/2 on layout 1/2 and she’s down, grabbing her ankle. Landed it without a fall, but then went down.
Well, 13.333 for that and she’s into first place. But she’s having to be carried off the podium.
Jessica Gadirova – GBR – VT 1 – very high DTY, a larger bounce back than D’Amato had on hers – good twisting form, just some piking down at the end to try to control. 14.066
Jessica Gadirova – GBR – VT 2 – ro off 1/2 on pike 1/2 (we’ll see if they go layout), lands a little short but not in an inury kind of way, hop forward. 4.2 D score so they do indeed give it piked credit, which I agree with. 12.800
13.433 average is into third. D’Amato and her ankle injury retain the top spot.
Georgieva – VT 1 – BUL – DTY comes in pretty high on the table, can’t land it, sits it down, looked like she came into the mat underrotated and now she’s down and being looked at by her coach. And now the medical team.
What is this, a men’s vault final? 12.733 for her.
So, Georgieva has now been taken off after being treated, and we’re now going to have a re-warm up for the remaining three vaulters, which makes sense because that was forever.
Kovacs – VT 1 – HUN – DTY is quite strong, good distance and amplitude, relatively minimizes the hop back. 14.200.
Kovacs – VT 2 – HUN – handspring layout 1/2 is similarly strong – hop back, only a little pike, not quite the distance of her first vault. 13.666
13.933 average and into first place.
Rasmussen – VT 1 – DEN – lands a DTY successfully, scrappier leg form than the other DTYs we’ve seen so far, and a large lunge back, but a hit. 13.766
Rasmussen – VT 2 – DEN – Tsuk 1/1, a little flat coming off the table but OK, pike down on landing. 13.000
13.383 average into 5th.
Vaelen – VT 1 – BEL – handspring rudi, does well to control the landing again this time with a pretty minor hop to the side, some leg crossing throughout – 14.133
Vaelen – VT 2 – BEL – Tsuk 1/1 isn’t going to be up to the level of some of the other second vaults, fairly large lunge back and an extra step and a pike. 13.033
13.583 average and into 4th place, just behind Friess.
VAULT:
1) Kovacs – 13.933
2) D’Amato – 13.716
3) Friess – 13.599
Kovacs definitely the strongest of the group there, both in terms of her landing control and her position in the air. D’Amato gets rewarded for Kerri Struggling and not going down until after she saluted for a silver medal. Friess just does hang on for bronze after her two solid vaults in the first position. Chest position on landing gets Friess, but she did show solid control on her landings, while Vaelen and Gadirova were more out of control on their second vaults.
We’ll have to see what the ultimate word is on Georgieva because based on the landing and the reaction it did seem a serious knee injury, but also the amount of time the medical team was out there with her was unusual. But perhaps that’s just a matter of, “We actually care about these things now instead of just throwing you on the firewood pile.”
OMG, D’Amato is being treated so isn’t out there on the podium, so the coach is up there like he did it.
On to the bars final now. We open with Kim Bui’s final routine.
Bui – UB – GER – jaeger to pak, hit, legs apart on pak – maloney to bhardwaj, caught, some crossing – van leeuwen is clean – toe full to gienger, no problems today – FTDT, hit with a shuffle back. Good one. Did her normal, exactly what she could do for her final routine. 14.066
Villa – UB – ITA – tkatchev to pak to maloney to bhardwaj, very clean overall, just a small break in maloney – van leeuwen, hit – very short cast hs on high – front giant full to 1/2 to FTDT, small hop. Good one. 14.100 and just ahead of Bui.
A couple cast handstands very low will have taken the score lower than Q, but she has the leg form in releases edge.
Alice D’Amato – UB – ITA – maloney, good ampltiude into tkatchev – Stalder tkatchev piked to pak, legs together – van leeuwen, clean – gets her front giant full into double front, hop forward. 14.400 and comfortably into first place.
Poor Kim Bui, this squirrel she has to sit next to is ruining her life and mine.
Fenton – UB – GBR – Fenton to yeznova, hit, usual leg position in Yezhova – maloney to pak, legs togehter well, flxres feel a little on catch – van leeuwen, good legs together – clear hip – giant full – FTDT, nice control on landing, just a bit chest down, but she hit the low bar when swinging through, which will account for the lower score. 13.633.
Visser – UB – NED – Stalder Tkatchev 1/2 to yezhova, apparently she hasn’t been getting the 1/2 credit because she’s just catching in cross, tucking to try to save that in swinging through, hits mat – stalder full, good finish position – stalder shap to van leeuwen, hit well – short hs – toe full to FTDT, hop forward. 13.066.
Kinsella – UB – GBR – toe 1/2 to piked jaeger, a little low but catuch – Ricna, tucks swinging through so as to not hit the low, can’t cast out, stops against high bar – resumes with a pak – maloney to gienger is hit – toe full to double arabian – oddly jarring landing, overdid it, and hands down. 11.666
Charpy – UB – FRA – shap 1/2 – toe 1/2 to piked jaerger, yes you did! – piked hindorff to pak – van leeuwen, hit – toe full, holds onto it right on top – DLO, flings it out and looks like she has now hurt her ankle on her dismount and now just flops sideways down onto the mat after saluting. Lots of Strugging today.
14.166 and into 2nd. Sure why not I guess.
Seitz – UB – GER – stalder shap to Ricna, hit – jaeger, solid – Church to pak, good height – van leeuwen, small leg break – toe full to FTDT, step back. Nice one. That should medal.
14.433 is just enough to move ahead of D’Amato for gold. Germany’s like, “Oops, look how that worked out.”
BARS
1) Seitz – 14.433
2) Asia D’Amato – 14.400
3) Charpy – 14.166
Charpy is able to make it to the medal stand, so we don’t have COACH MEDAL PART 2. Darn it.
As expected, Maggio will go into the beam final in place of Asia D’Amato. She was originally 2 per countried out.
Villa – ITA – BB – loso mount, solid – round off back tuck and the safety decision doesn’t work out in the final, large leg up break and ultimately can’t save it, hops off – wolf turn is good – back extension to switch to split, lovely – double turn, a little under, puts her foot down behind her to save it – good side aerial – 2/1, hop to the side.
Her face says, “You TOLD me if I didn’t do the tuck full, I’d hit…”
12.166
Maggio – ITA – BB – switch mount, good – swtich, small lean into sissone but gets the connection – bhs loso loso, small step – switch ring, mostly secure – side aerial, no trouble – aerial, solid – side somi, huge break, massive save, insanity, leaned all the directions – double pike, short landing, large hop forward. 13.233
Malewski – GER – BB – loso mount, secure – side aerial loso, holds it well – switch to switch 1/2, check, some feet – aerial, lean arm wave correction, small – wolf triple, around – just a full dismount, a little off to the side, hop.
13.466 puts her into first.
Barbosu – ROU – BB – front tuck mount, large break, brings it back on with leg up to horizontal – fhs to front tuck, completely off the beam, only nudges it with one foot as the drives on past – resumes, side aerial is hit – switch, stops before switch 1/2, pauses again before Korbut – hits wolf double – split leap 1/2, secure – 2.5, crossover step. 11.566 for her.
Petisco – ESP – BB – loso mount immediate fall, she was REALLY far back on the springboard going into that – resumes with full turn – front tuck, secure with arm wave – split to wolf jump – bhs bhs loso, check – switch, back leg to switch 1/2, hitting pretty securely now – split jump 1/2 from side, solid showing the split after the 1/2 turn – side aerial – double tuck dismount, chest down, hit.
12.400 for her still puts her in 3rd place right now because only 2 people have stayed on.
Heduit – BB – FRA – switch mount, good – wolf double, little lean – onodi, hit, some knees, little check – side aerial loso, holds it, leg up, loses leg form – switch to sissone, nice position in switch – aerial, hit to split jump – double pike dismount, quite short, lunge forward.
Into 2nd with a 13.400. I would have had a problem had that gone ahead of Malewski.
Schaefer – BB – GER – switch to a balked combo, doesn’t switch leap again, just hops in the air – split leap – bhs loso, lovely position – switch ring, secure – think she ditched the double turn as well – hits the Schaefer, hop to the side – aerial to split jump to stag ring, nicely done – side aerial, secure – gainer layout, stuck. Well it was fantastic after her little Becky Cameron jump in her mount sequence.
But 13.200 will not medal here. Just a 5.1 D score.
Achampong – BB – GBR – aerial to split to straddle, nicely done – bhs loso loso, secure as well – side aerial, check – doesn’t try to connect to switch ring, which has some foot flexing – y spin – split 1/2 from side – bhs bhs 2/5, bound forward. Mostly secure work save for the side aerial sequence.
13.400, she’s into second, ahead of Heduit on execution tiebreak. Malewski will take the gold.
BEAM:
1) Malewski – 13.466
2) Achampong – 13.400
3) Heduit – 13.400
Well that was close. I do think Malewski had the strongest beam of the day, though. But seriously the top 5 could have gone in any order. Schaefer had the highest E score of the final but couldn’t overcome that 5.1 D score.
Floor final time!
Maggio – FX – ITA – wolf triple, around – DLO, just a bit short, small hop forward – front lay through to a high double pike, small bounce – shake weight choreography – split ring leap – switch ring 1/2 – FTDT is under control – double tuck, good control. Well, that should at least medal.
13.933, huge number. Already crying.
Barbosu – FX – ROU – wolf double, good – split leap 1.5, around, not quite to 180 – full in, small hop – 2.5 to front full, some leg crossing, hop to the side – switch full – double pike, bounce back. Double tuck, chest more down there, hop forward. Good.
13.633 is a HUGE number for her.
Visser – FX – NED – gets her 3/1 to front tuck combination again somehow despite being under the earth – I’d say the double y spin dropped early here – 2/1, bounce back – switch ring and split full are good – double tuck is very very short, large lunge forward.
13.133, into 3rd but also tells us how high scores are going today.
Kovacs – FX – HUN – a little deep in the double double today but fine with a slide back – popa – DLO, slide – switch to split leap full – back 1.5 and completely misses the punch into her combo, does about a tucked 3/4 to her side – double tuck, steps back. 12.533
Today has been Kovacs’ career in a nutshell.
Jennifer Gadirova – FX – GBR – DLO, bounce back – split jump full, really nice, great height – full in, somewhat out of control with a hop to the side but holds it – swtitch ring to split leap full – switch 1/1, pulls it around – front lay to double tuck, a bit deep, lunge back, keeps it in bounds.
13.466 is third place.
Osyssek-Reimer – FX – FRA – double double tuck, a couple steps in stumble backward but stayed in bounds – front layout through to double tuck, bounce back, that one did look OOB, multiple feet? – popa – split leap full, a little under rotated – double pike, lunge back – 12.666
Andreoli – FX – ITA – wolf triple – two whips to piked full in, pretty solid control on that landing – front lay through to double pike, small slide – switch, switch 1/1 is short of split – double y to illusion, will get credit there – full in, chest down but survived it – double tuck, hop to the side. For me, that would be in 2nd right now.
Almost accidental congratulations mouth kiss with Maggio.
She is, barely behind Maggio though on 13.866.
Jessica Gadirova – FX – GBR – does her Siliv-ish and it’s hit, bounce back – switch full, great height – DLO, gets it up there but pikes down at the end, bounce back – switch ring to split leap 1.5 – popa, nice position – front full to double tuck, a little forward, hop
14.000 is into first place! That won’t be controversial, not at all.
I thought she had given away too many landing bounces but she ends up with the top E.
FLOOR:
1) Jessica Gadirova – 14.000
2) Maggio – 13.933
3) Andreoli – 13.866