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From Patras: Nora
Schuler/gymmedia
Sunny
skies greeted the competitors in Patras after two days of rain as
the continent’s best seniors took the opportunity to test the
arena in podium training.
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Yevgenia
Kuznetsova (BUL)
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In
the first subdivision, the Dutch team attracted most of the
attention with very solid performances on floor and vault.
They had a few jitters on beam and bars where Renske
Endel showed a new piked stalder. Yevgenia
Kuznetsova looked strong and motivated for
Bulgaria. The two German gymnasts suffered mixed emotions. Yvonne
Musik showed four solid routines with no big
breaks while her team mate Camilla
Ermert struggled.
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| Spain
used only three gymnasts – Elena
Gomez, Alba Planas and Marta Cusido – in podium
training. Gomez was strong and precise on all pieces and
looks to be a contender for individual medals. Planas took a
nasty fall on her bars dismount and struggled on floor.
Marta Cusido’s right leg is heavily taped from ankle to
knee, which resulted in problems on floor and vault.
The sole
Romanian Oana Petrovschi
got constant tips from the sidelines from Octavian Belu and
went through her training well but with no apparent
highlight.
Russia
demonstrated their ambitions with a strong set of routines
and has brought Yekaterina Shuster
in addition to the five gymnasts listed on the roster. Khorkina
looked confident enough to leave out the last two tumbling
runs of her new floor routine. |
Elena
Gomez (ESP)
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Natalia
Ziganschina is in good shape as well whereas as Yelena
Zamolodchikova did vault and floor only and had a
disaster on the latter.
Ukraine
had problems on vault where only Natalia
Gorodni looked good but was solid on beam. All gymnasts
seemed uninspired on floor. Irina
Yarodskaya sat out vault and floor.
Italy
left Adriana Crisci at home but made a
favourable impression with two strong additions to the team in Ilaria
Colombo and Gargano and a good showing on all four pieces
and could surprise after not having a team at last year’s World
Championships.
The
French had difficulties mastering their ambitious
programme on beam but tumbled well and showed interesting
choreography on floor.
Many
delegations complained about the long and strenuous transfer from
Athens and some coaches are not totally happy with the apparatus,
especially the bars and the floor, where the pile is too deep.
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