16. November 2014  
Barcelona, ESP  
Artistic Gymnastics

37th Memorial Joaquin BLUME 2014

World Parallel Bars champion Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) and Spanish star Roxana Popa (ESP) were the big winners at the Joaquin Blume Memorial, held this past weekend in Barcelona (ESP).  Popa, the current Spanish national champion, captured second first major international All-around title at Blume, hitting the top scores of the meet on Vault (14.800), Uneven Bars (14.900) and Floor Exercise (14.400) to post 57.100 in the All-around. Poland's Marta Pihan-Kulesza was the only gymnast to break into the 14s on Balance Beam (14.100) and dazzled the audience with her rendition of "The Pink Panther" on Floor for second place (54.950). 2016 Olympic hopefuls Ana Filipa Martins (POR, 52.950), Georgina Hockenhull (GBR, 52.450) and 39-year-old Oksana Chusovitina (UZB, 52.250), who came to Barcelona with coach and former Soviet teammate Svetlana Boguinskaya, rounded out the top five. 

Oleg Verniaiev (UKR)

Russian transplant Andrei Likhovitskiy (BLR) earned bronze on the strength of strong routines on Pommel Horse and Parallel Bars. His 87.150 in the All-around placed him well ahead of 2012 Olympian Andreas Toba (GER, 83.850).

The Blume Memorial, now in its 37th year, honors Joaquin Blume, a Spanish great who won four gold medals at the 1957 European Championships in Paris. Blume died tragically in an airplane crash in 1959. 
* Source: f i g

 

... coming next:

Also in memory of the big Spaniard Joaquin BLUME the 54th FESTIVAL BLUME Gran Canaria 2014 - one of the biggest event in general gymnastics ("Gymnastics for All") - will start at November 20th at the Island Gran Canaria.

(GYMmedia will report from there next week).