Seniors, Team decision

 German
 

Romania won Gold after six Years again
The solid performance the Romanians had put in in the morning held up through the next three subdivisions. Nobody was able to top their winning score or their faultless routines.
The Russians started with a bang on vault with Svetlana Khorkina landing her Khorkina II solidly.
But then things started to unravel on bars with a fall from Anna Pavlova (Jaeger) and form errors from Yelena Zamolodchikova. Khorkina competed an excellent set on the apparatus (Ricna to Pak to stalder full) for some damage control. Pavlova fell again on beam while Zamoldochikova and Khorkina only managed 9,7 start values. Even a good showing on floor for the second highest team total here couldn’t lift them to higher than bronze.”The competition was very difficult for us,” Anna Pavlova said, “may be something wasn’t quite right in our preparation, I really don’t know.” Pavlova shed bitter tears at the end of the competition for another reason than team disappointment – as the third Russian she is out of the all-around final.

For a team that in the past has earned a reputation for being inconsistent, the Ukrainians had an incredibly stable showing.

Only one fall from Irina Yarotskaya on beam, and a stellar bars rotation to start – their lowest score here was a 9,50 from Alina Kozich – added up to a silver in the end.
 “We are so unbelievably happy,” a beaming Yarotskaya commented after the meet, “this three up three count format is really tough on Ukraine and for us to come out with the silver, that is just great!”.

<< Alina Kozich

Spain’s scores from the first round added up to a fourth place ahead of Great Britain, who swallowed two falls on beam. Beam was the downfall of many teams including Italy and France. 
Hosts the Netherlands finished in eighth and Suzanne Harmes qualified to floor finals, a fact which also secured her Olympic berth. 

The finale was exciting and loudly supported by an enthusiastic crowd. The only thing it lacked was the European champion. “Of course, it was odd for us competing in the first round,” Romanian head coach Octavian Belu said, “there was very little pressure. First round was ok, but we prefer to compete in the final round.”

>> Results, SeniorsTeams

 

Subdivision 1:
 Romania takes lead, Bijak injured
Romania is the expected leader in the senior woemn’s team competition after the first subdivision of the day.

Starting on bars, the team didn’t make a single large error to score a total of 112,772 which will be the bench mark for everyone competiting later today.

Catalina Ponor was impressive on beam with a rock solid routine that included a combination of Onodi- ff-one armed ff- layout and a double pike dismount. She was equally strong on floor where she also showed good interpretation of the music and dance. 

Romania’s only all-arounder Daniela Sofronie was top of her game on bars with a barani transistion from high to low and a stalder 1 ½ to Jaeger.


Ponor

Spain had a very rough start on beam where both Sara Moro and Elena Gomez struggled throughout and then suffered another blow on floor when Patricia Moreno fell on her first two tumbles (two whips through to piked full-in and 3 ½ twist). 
2002 world champion Elena Gomez came back with a precise routine and strong tumbles. The team fought back well on vault and an excellent rotation on the bars with some of the nicest stalder work around (28,187 total) that brought them to 107,497. The rest of the day will show how this measures up to the rest of Europe and if the Spanish team is still in the running for a long awaited team medal.

Germany had an early shock on vault when Daria Bijak injured herself on her handspring front layout and lay on the mat clutching her knees. 

Coming back from a torn achilles tendon sustained in October, the 18-year-old had only been in her third competition since the injury. Her exact condition is not known at the moment.
Lisa Brueggemann tumbled a piked double Arabian opener and a tucked double Arabian (fall), but neither was credited. Brüggemann was however solid and confident elsewhere. Yvonne Musik vaulted very well (piked Lucconi, piked front ½ twist) but came off beam on a leap.

>> Results, SeniorsTeams