Russian women eclipsed in apparatus events at Euros

GLASGOW: Russia’s gymnasts dominated the women’s team event at the European Championships but none of them were able to strike gold in the individual apparatus events on Sunday. Hungary’s Boglarka Devai won the vault, Belgium’s Nina Derwael successfully defended her asymmetric bars title, Dutch Olympic champion Sanne Wevers prevailed on the balance beam and French starlet Melanie de Jesus was victorious on the floor. Angelina Melnikova, the outstanding performer in Russia’s win on Friday, was the only member of the victorious team to win an apparatus medal, taking silver in the vault and bronze on the asymmetric bars at the SSE Hydro arena.

The 18-year-old Devai burst into tears after Melnikova, the last to compete, failed to overhaul her outstanding mark of 14.349 and it dawned on her that she had become the first Hungarian woman to win the European vault title for 20 years. World bronze medallist Derwael, also 18, took the gold on the bars with a routine that earned her an outstanding 14.733 mark ahead of Sweden’s silver medalist Jonna Adlerteg (14.533). The 26-year-old Wevers, the first Dutch female gymnast ever to win Olympic gold, won on the beam (13.900) a decade after taking a World Cup title in Glasgow. After reaching her peak in Rio, Wevers admitted it had been a difficult challenge to get back to her best in Glasgow.

“It has been hard. I really had to get obsessed with gymnastics again, to just completely focus on my goals. I managed to do so and I think today it all came out,” she said. “It’s fantastic to win this title and of course the bronze medal in the team final.” De Jesus, one of the rising forces in the sport and all-around bronze medalist at the 2017 Europeans, produced a brilliant routine on the floor to record a mark of 13.766 and grab a gold to go with her silver with the French team. She finished ahead of Romania’s Denisa Golgota (13.600), who also won bronze in the vault, and Belgium’s Axelle Klinckaert (13.400).