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Russia dominated on the first day of European Championships (results) Thursday, thanks to an about-face from Croatia.
Last week, we learned that Angelina Melnikova, Anna Kalmykova and Viktoria Listunova had been denied visas to enter the country. But just in time for Euros, this decision was reversed for Melnikova and Kalmykova.
Now, they are gold and silver medalists in the all-around, and currently lead their team (which is given the neutral designation WG2) in qualifications by nearly four points despite only competing with four athletes. Italy, Great Britain, Germany and France rounded out the top five.
Russia’s performance was incredible: Melnikova easily won the all-around with a 55.932. She’s also in the lead on vault (14.333), made the beam final in third place (13.833), and leads on floor with a 13.800. In short, she did an amazing job, anchoring a beautiful performance with a floor routine that featured a FTDLO and every type of spin in the code:
Kalmykova was right behind her with a 54.632 for silver. She sits in third on vault and bars, and fourth on beam.
Elena Colas had a good day, earning a 53.966 for bronze. She made the beam final and is in fourth on floor. She didn’t show everything she’s capable of here, but it’s a great debut for a first-year senior.
Italy did very well in quals, led by strong all-around performances from Giulia Perotti and July Marano. Team leader Manila Esposito tops beam with a 14.000; her roundoff + bhs stepout + loso + bhs stepout was glorious:
Elisa Iorio killed it on bars, and is in second with a 14.533.
Great Britain surprised me to come in third — I thought they would all be exhausted from the Commonwealth Games and would struggle against France and Germany. While none of the five athletes did the all-around, they all had strong performances.
They were anchored by Alia Leat’s sky-high 13.933 on beam (enough for second place for the final), Ruby Evans’ 13.900 on vault and Abby Martin’s vault (13.800), which puts her in fourth in that final.
Karina Schönmaier of Germany, reigning champion on vault, sits in second place there (14.016):
Helen Kevric of Germany was not on my radar for bars, but she is in the lead there with a 14.766 thanks to this super-clean routine, featuring fewer connections than some of the top bar workers, but she gives nothing away, with toes pointed to oblivion:
In disappointing news, Becky Downie did not make the bars final (13.666) after failing to make it to handstand on one of her casts, and Sanne Wevers didn’t make the beam final (13.100). She fell out of her double L turn and came off the beam during her acro series.
In somewhat hilarious news, Sabrina Voinea’s inquiry into her beam score knocked her out of the final. But her team qualified in 11th, meaning Romania has a team spot at worlds.
Onward to event finals and team finals which, again, inexplicably happen last.
Schedule and how to watch
Saturday, Aug. 15
Event Finals: 2:00-6:20 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16
Team Finals: 3:30-6:20 p.m.
Streaming and broadcast information
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Rivera repeats as U.S. national champion
U.S. nationals have come to a close (all-around results, event results, playlist), and I’m delighted to announce my selection for the U.S. worlds team: Hezly Rivera, Claire Pease, Jade Carey, Reese Esponda and Charleigh Bullock, with Skye Blakely as the traveling alternate and Dulcy Caylor non-traveling.
Hezly Rivera (55.000, 56.950) and Claire Pease (55.600, 55.200) are no-brainers as the top two all-arounders in the country. Rivera vastly improved from her day one performance to win the national title, along with beam gold (14.400) for a routine that had just a couple of wobbles and a chest-down landing on her double pike:
Pease won bars with a clean routine for a 14.350:
Charleigh Bullock came in third with two solid all-around sets (55.400, 55.150). Meanwhile, Reese Esponda (54.100, 54.800) scored a 14.450 on floor, the highest score of the meet and the year. Come for the double double, stay for the barani double tuck:
Jade Carey (54.400, 54.350) is still our strongest vaulter, even with routines she could do with her eyes closed:
Dulcy Caylor (53.600, 53.750) came in sixth, followed by Skye Blakely (55.600, 51.700), who had a rough day two on beam and floor. As much as it pains me to leave Blakely off this team, Bullock has similar strengths and simply performed better.
The worlds team equation
Barring any unfortunately timed injuries, this team chooses itself. Rivera brings in high scores on vault, beam and floor, while Pease excels on bars and beam. Esponda’s floor is a given, along with her vault. Carey is still pacing herself, but she belongs on the team via her vault and a potentially high floor score. Bars is a weak spot, but I would put up Bullock, Pease, and Rivera there, with the same lineup for beam.
Here’s how that would look in qualifying:
Vault: Carey, Rivera, Esponda (Pease)
Uneven Bars: Bullock, Pease, Rivera (Carey)
Balance Beam: Bullock, Pease, Rivera (Carey)
Floor Exercise: Esponda, Carey, Rivera (Pease)
This creates opportunities for three all-arounders, including Carey as an unlikely alternate. She could definitely medal on vault if she upgrades in time for worlds. Meanwhile, Esponda and Rivera could contend for medals on floor.
For bars, I wouldn’t be surprised if no U.S. athletes make it into the final — the international competition is too strong. Beam, as always, is more up in the air, but they’re not dominating there either when compared to international scores.
Speaking of, we saw rampant score inflation at these nationals (see Esponda’s floor), so we’ll have to see how these routines translate internationally. We’ve been burned by friendly domestic judges before, and it could very well happen again. Russia and China are dominating on the world stage as teams, so the team final will be a lot more interesting this time around.
In other news, Lavi Crain had a scary fall on bars, but she’s OK!
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Five at the IX: Hezly Rivera talks nationals win
Hezly Rivera spoke to the media following her nationals win (Video credit: Gymnastics Now).
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