FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup B

Maia – Portugal, Mar 18, 2013: Belgium, Great Britain, Belarus and hosts Portugal each won one event at the first FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup of the year in Maia (POR) last weekend.

While Valentina Kim and Elizaveta Dubrovina of Russia topped qualification in the Women’s Pairs, they fell back into fourth place in the final, outscored by Belgians Nikki Snel and Eline de Smedt (Gold), Great Britain’s Shanie Redd Thorne and Danielle Jones (Silver), and World Silver medallists Yana Yanusik and Sviatlana Mikhnevich of Belarus (Bronze).

Lara Schollier, Camille van Betsbrugge and Sanne van Overberghe of Belgium, the 2012 World Silver medallists, led Saturday’s Women’s Group qualification but were beaten to the title in Sunday’s final by Great Britain’s Elise Matthew, Georgia Lancaster and Millie Spalding. Bronze went to the Group from Belarus.

With only two entries in the Men’s Pairs category, Ruslan Fedchanka and Yauheni Kalachou of Belarus easily prevailed over Puerto Rico’s Christian Morales and Kevin Garcia Maldonado, while the only entry in Men’s Group, from Belgium, performed hors concours.

After the withdrawal of reigning World Champions Laure de Pryck and Nicolas Vleeshouwers of Belgium the fight for the Mixed Pairs title was wide open. It was European Champion Gonçalo Roque and new partner Leonor Oliveira of Portugal who seized the moment, winning their first World Cup by outscoring Great Britain’s Alice Upcott and Dominic Smith, who won Silver, and Bronze medallists Anna Ivaseva and Alexander Kurennoy of Russia.

The second and last tournament of the 2013 FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup series is scheduled to take place in Sofia (BUL) on May 9-11.

FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup CIII, 19es Internationaux de France La Roche sur Yon 2013

La Roche-sur-Yon – France, Mar 18, 2013: Russian gymnasts topped the medal rankings this past weekend at the 19th Internationaux de France, the first event of the 2013 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup individual apparatus series.

A total of 70 gymnasts representing 29 countries took part at the new Vendéspace arena in La Roche-sur-Yon (FRA), with four gymnasts qualifying for the final in each event. The medals were shared between 18 nations.

Russia, Italy, Greece and USA won three medals each but Russia came out on top thanks to Gold for Ksenia Afanaseva on Floor and Denis Ablyazin on Still Rings, with the latter adding Silver on Floor. Carlotta Ferlito and Vanessa Ferrari made it a one-two for Italy on Balance Beam, Ferlito taking Bronze on the Floor. Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) tied with Ablyazin for first place on Rings, while his team-mates Vasileios Tsolakidis and Vasiliki Millousi took Bronze on Parallel Bars and Balance Beam respectively. Danell Leyva and Jacob Dalton took Gold and Silver for the USA on Horizontal Bar, with Dalton also winning Bronze on Floor.

Both of the Olympic Champions from London 2012 who were taking part prevailed in their specialty events, Hungary’s Kristian Berki on Pommel Horse and South Korea’s Seon Hak Yang on Vault. Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland sprang a surprise with a double triumph on women’s Vault and Uneven Bars, and although Larisa Iordache had to withdraw at the last minute due to a minor injury her fellow Romanians, Diana Bulimar and Flavius Koczi, took Silver and Gold on women’s and men’s Floor respectively. Ryohei Kato of Japan won on Parallel Bars, with France’s Hamilton Sabot finishing fourth after a fall.

About 2013 FIG Individual Apparatus Artistic Gymnastics World Cup and World Challenge Cup Series

The 2013 World and World Challenge Cup season for individual-apparatus tournaments features a total of six events. The series starts with the only Individual Apparatus Finals World Cup of the year in La Roche sur Yon (FRA) on March 16-17, and continues with five World Challenge Cups scheduled as follows: Cottbus (GER) on March 21-24, Doha (QAT) on March 27-29, Ljubljana (SLO) on April 26-28, Anadia (POR) on June 21-23, and Osijek (CRO) on September 12-16.

With separate World Ranking lists being established for this series (six for men and four for women), and the Individual Apparatus rankings including combined lists for the World Cup and World Challenge Cups, the overall winners will be crowned in Osijek.

World Cups with Individual Apparatus qualification rounds and finals are open to the apparatus finalists of the 2012 Olympic Games and the best four gymnasts per apparatus from the 2012 World Cup Ranking list for Individual Apparatus. In addition, the organising member federation can grant wild cards to a maximum of one man and one woman.

The World Challenge Cup series is an open category, with participation limited to two gymnasts per country and apparatus, and invitations addressed at least to the apparatus finalists of the 2012 Olympic Games and the best eight gymnasts per apparatus from the 2012 World Cup Ranking list for Individual Apparatus.

The winners of the 2013 Individual Apparatus World Cup & World Challenge Cup Series will be the gymnasts with the highest number of points for each apparatus and the best four results counting after the last event in Osijek. —- FIG