08. March 2014  
Maia, Portugal  
Sports Acrobatics

2014 Maia Acrobatic World Cup

* f i g --: Gymnasts from four nations were golden at the Maia Acrobatic World Cup, held over the weekend in Maia (POR). The young British team, prepping for what they hope will be a multi-medal winning performance at this summer's World Acrobatic Championships in Paris-Levallois (FRA), won two of the five golds handed out in the in the senior division in Maia. 2013 World Games silver medallists Georgia Lancaster, Elise Matthews and Millie Spalding easily topped the standings in the Women's Group category, besting teammates Jennifer Bailey, Cicely Irwin and Josephine Russell, 28.480-27.975 points. Russia's Natalya Lavrukhina, Natalia Solodinina and Viktoria Sukhareva stayed solid for the bronze (27.870).

In Mixed Pairs, Americans Kiley Boynton and Ryan Ward upset reigning World Games and European champions Alice Upcott and Dominic Smith (GBR) for the title. The U.S. pair tallied 30.765, outscoring Upcott and Smith (29.880) in Difficulty, Execution and Artistry. It is the second World Cup gold in as many years for the young American pair, who were also victorious at the Sofia World Cup in 2013. World Cup medallists Eleanor Franks and Christopher Rogers (GBR) added another medal for Britian, finishing third with 28.800.

High difficulty and artistry scores helped Eline De Smedt and Nikki Snel (BEL), take gold in the Women's Paris, in spite of an 0.3 penalty incurred during their final performance. With 28.070, De Smedt and Snel topped Belarus's Marharyta Bartashevich and Viktoria Mikhnovich (27.210), leaving 2012 Worlds finalists Elizaveta Dubrovina and Valentina Kim (RUS) to settle for bronze (27.100).

Russia fared better in Men's Pair, where a high level of difficulty helped Dmitry and Maxim Ivanov capture gold, ahead of Daniyar Muslimov and Sultanbek Naisbeyev (KAZ), 28.205-27.650. Yauheni Novikau and Ilya Rybinksi (BLR) won the bronze (27.440).
As the only team to compete in the Men's Group category, Connor Bartlett, Daniel Cook, Gareth Wood and George Wood were the de-facto winners, giving Britain a second gold.

The Maia World Cup was the first of three Acro World Cups that will be held in 2014. The next World Cup in Aalen (GER) will take place in May.

And the “Podium” goes to:
► Men Groups (Combined)
1. GBR – Bartlett/Cook/Wood/Wood – 29.220

► Mixed Pairs (Combined)
1. USA – Boynton/Ward – 30.765
2. GBR2 – Upcott/Smith – 29.880
3. GBR1 – Franks/Rogers – 28.800

►Men Pairs (Combined)
1. RUS1 – Ivanov/Ivanov – 28.205
2. KAZ – Naisbayev/Muslimov – 27.650
3. BLR – Rybinski/Novikau – 27.440

►Women Pairs (Combined)
1. BEL – Snel/De Smedt – 28.070
2. BLR – Bartashevich/Mikhnivich – 27.210
3. RUS – Kim/Dubrovina – 27.100

►Women Groups (Combined)
1. GBR3 – Matthews/Lancaster/Spalding – 28.480
2. GBR2 – Bailey/Russell/Irwin – 27.975
3. RUS – Lavrukhina/Solodinina/Sukhareva – 27.870
    ►► Detailed Results, all

* Related:
External Link: > http://goo.gl/sF15Po
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