European Championships of Artistic Gymnastics, Debrecen 2005

94 European Champions from 22 countries
Since the first European Championships 1955 in Frankfurt (Germany) 85 European Champions in the men's field
were found during 29 European Championships.

The 28th European Championships 2006 in Volos took place as a team Championships and individual at the
apparatus - but no all-around decision.

>> On top of the list of the leading nations at European Championships can be found the USSR with 18 European Champions who won overall 93 gold medals.

Vitali Sherbo (URS/BLR)

>> Altogether 10 German athletes won gold medals at European Championships in the past.
- For Western Germany Adalbert Dickhut and Helmut Bantz became the first European Champions, Eberhard Gienger was the most successful West- German gymnast with 3 European Championship titles.

- For the GDR (- up to 1990) Klaus Köste, Ralph Bärthel, Roland Brückner, Sylvio Kroll, Holger Behrendt and Andreas Wecker were the most successful gymnasts in the men's field.
Andreas Wecker became European Champion on high bar in 1992. This was the first and European Championship title for the reunited Germany - the last one were won in 2005 (Debrecen) by Fabian Hambuechen on high bar.
<< The most gold medals - 12 overall - were won by Vitali Sherbo (URS/BLR), followed by Slovenia's Miroslav Cerar (there Yugoslavia) and Nikolai Andrianov (URS) with 10 titles each...

The best of the European Champions which are still competing...

>> From the gymnasts which are still competing Marian Dragulescu (ROU) has been the most successful one at European Championships with up to now 8 titles after Volos 2006.
Now Dragulescu ranks on 6th place of the eternal European Champions list.
Suciu (ROU), Petkovsek (SLO), Maras (GRE) are the still active athletes, who can change the ranking behind Dragulescu.

In 2004 Juri Chechi - at the age of 35 and after an 8-year long break - took part in his 7th European Championships and with this set a new record in participation at European Championships....

Dragulescu:
8 gold medals!

Dmitri Karbanenko (FRA)
(33 years)

... 2005 also reached by the Romanian horse artistMarius Urzica in Debrecen and succeed over one year later
... by Dmitri Karbonenko in Volos 2006 with his 8th participation.
And now Karbanenko will participate to the ninth time and is the absolutely record holder!
... by the way:
Oldest participant in Amsterdam will be the 35 old Danish
Florin Purge (photo, r.) fpllowed by Jovtchev (34) and Karbanenko (33)...

.... look at >> Teilnehmer / Participants

"Senior chief"
Florin Purge (DEN)

>> GYMmedia-statistics: >> All European Champions 1955 - 2007