* Preview: European Championships 2015

37^th Men's and the 36^th Women's European Championships 2015 will held from Wednesday, April 15 to Sunday April 19 in Montpellier, in the South of France.
After 2012 it's the second time, that this city will host the continental Championships of artistic gymnastics:
At the 34^th Men's ECh Russian Team won the Gold medal in front of Russia and Romania. Now the upcoming event is an individual championships only ...:

Beginning with the first continental event 1955 in Frankfurt (GER) now will held the 37^th Men*s and starting two years later, 1957 in Bucharest, now the 36^th Women's European Championships take place this year, in Montpellier again, three years after the Team Europeans 2012, which also took place in this city.
After the two days of podium subdivisions, Wednesday, April 15 is the first day of women's qualification rounds, followed by men's qualification rounds on Thursday, April 16 ...

* UEG ECh Trailer & P r e v i e w ...:


** MEN*s Competitions ...
38 European federations are sending male gymnasts to the Park&Suites Arena in Montpellier (FRA).
In the lead-up to these Championships, Oleg Stepko (AZE) posted the highest all-around score, a 90.600 at the Baku test event at the beginning of March. This was closely followed by Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev’s 90.597 at the American Cup.
Max Whitlock (GBR) who took all-around silver at the 2014 World Championships un Nanning (CHN), hasn’t competed all-around yet this year because of illness but is scheduled to compete all 6 events in Montpellier. Other contenders for the all-around gold are 2013 European Champion David Belyavskiy (RUS) and his teammate Nikolay Kuksenkov, Sam Oldham (GBR) and French national champion Axel Augis.

Favorites at the apparatus: ( > Participants)
* On FLOOR--: On floor the specialists Zapata (ESP), Kosmidis (GRE), Shatilov (ISR) and Fahrig (GER) will take on defending champion Ablyazin (RUS) who also holds the titles on rings and vault.
* On POMMEL --: Verniaiev is also a strong contender on pommel horse which he won at the World Cup event in Cottbus (GER), vault and on parallel bars where he is European and World Champion. Pommel horse Olympic champion Berki is at home nursing a shoulder injury leaving the door open for British teammates Whitlock and Smith, Hidvegi (HUN), Tommasone (FRA), Busnari (ITA), Truyens (BEL), Bertoncelj (SLO) and Ude (CRO).

* On RINGS --  his main challenge will come from Petrounias (GRE), Van Gelder (NED), junior European Champ Tulloch (GBR), Olympic medalist Morandi (ITA), former European champions Radivilov (UKR) and Aït Saïd, and Pinheiro (FRA).

* On VAULT ---  look out for a spectacular show-off between Ablyazin, Radivilov, Verniaiev, Fahrig, Thomas (GBR) and Medvedev (ISR). European, World and Olympic high bar Champion Epke Zonderland (NED) is looking to take another title on his signature event but also

* On PARALLEL BARS  where he is planning to upgrade his difficulty. With the absence of Zonderland’s main rivals, Germany’s Hambuechen and Brettschneider, his challengers

* On HIGH BAR ---  will be Moznik (CRO), Schroé (BEL), teammate Deurloo and Shatilov (ISR). The host nation has a strong team with a good mix between experience (European medalists Aït Saïd, Pinheiro and Tommasone) and young talent (Augis, Zona, Hrimeche).