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18-Apr-2004 ELITE: Dragulescu - most successfully!

After leading his team to victory and taking the all-around crown, Romania's << Marian Dragulescu won two more gold medals today - on floor and vault- making him the most successful gymnast of the championships. With Ioan Suciu's gold on pommel horse, the Romanian team is also the most successful team of the senior competition.

Other European champions crowned in the Tivoli Hall in Ljubljana today were Dimosthenis Tampakos (GRE) and Alexander Safoshkin (RUS) on rings, Roman Zozulia (UKR) on parallel bars and Aljaz Pegan gave the hosts something to cheer about when he shared the high bar title with Vlassios Maras (GRE).  

>> Report/ Result    >> Detailed Results      >> Super Score Elite

>> Medals

The 25th European Championships of Women 2004  from April 29 - May 02 you will find on 
the Website "Olympic Year 2004", resp. on www.gymmedia.com
18-Apr-2004 German Fabian Hambüchen - most successful junior!


Hambuechen - all-around bronze
team silver
and three gold medals!

The 16 years old German Fabian Hambuechen from Niedergirmes in Germany, was the most successful gymnast of the European Junior Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

After winning bronze in yesterday's all-around final Hambuechen won gold at floor, vault and high bar today.
Britisch Lois Smith is the new European Champion on pommel horse, and the Russians got gold at rings by Timofei Lazarev and parallel bars by Evgeni Vasiliev....
Germany won all together 6 medals (3x Gold, 1x silver and 2 Bronze) and made its best continental chammpionships ever.

>> Report  >> Detailed Results  >> Super Score Juniors 

>>  Medal Sheet
17-Apr-2004 Dragulescu - the new European All-around Champion

After winning team gold Marian Dragulescu wins the second title at the 26th European Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Leading from the beginning on he scored 56,798
Rafael Martinez got the silver medal (56,711) and is the very first Spanish gymnast, winning an European all-around medal.
Bronze medal goes to Belarus, to Denis Savenkov with a score of 56,561 points, followed by Roman Zozulia (UKR), Vlasios Maras (GRE) and Martin Konechy (CZE).
Once again the Russians got no medals again....!

 >> Elite, Report    >>  Detailed Results

European Junior Championships 2004
After the team gold medal on Friday Russia won also the all-around title in today's junior decision by Evgeni Vassiliv with a score of 55,174. Also silver went to the Russians, won by Dmitri Barkalov (54,823).
In spite of two mistakes on pommelhorse the 16 years old German Fabian Hambuechen made an phantastic competition and got the bronze medal however with a score of 54,273 points.
On 4th came the Dutch Epke Zonderland, followed by Filip Ude (CRO) and Dmitrios Markousis from Greece...

>> AA Junior Report          >> Detailed Results


Slogan of the dayby Miroslav Cerar (SLO):  
“Being among the world’s best artistic gymnasts is more than a matter of discipline and talent. Mutual respect towards the achievements of others is something you can practise early on –it is in particular easily learned by children and adolescents.”
16-Apr-2004 Romania - European Champion again...!

Romania was never in danger of losing the title won in Patras two years and calmly marched to the gold. The Belarussians redeemed themselves with a silver, putting the disappointing 13th place of Anaheim behind them while France can celebrate the bronze. Russia once again failed to hold it together when it counted.

>> REPORT Subdivision 3

FINAL STANDING:   >> Detailed  Team Results
>> All-around qualification     >> AA-Final- Qualifiers    >> Qualifiers Finals

ROMANIA - Gold again!  >> 



Full house in the first subdivision, already:
A lot of pupils cry with joy their heroes Pegan and Petkovsek

- Subdivision 2: 
AUT, CZE, ARM, SWE, POR, BUL, POL, ISL, Mix1 (LUX+SCG), CYP, SVK, CRO
 >> Starting order Subdiv.2
>> Results after Subdivision 2:
1. BUL 162,523   2. CZE  160,896   3. FIN  160,108

>> Provisorial Results before 3rd subdivision
>>Subdivision 1:
 1. Finland (106.108    2. Great-Britain (157.421    3. Israel 153.236

In the individual ranking, for the gymnasts that who competed a complete all-around competition, Ross Brewer (GBR) takes the lead over Pavel Gofman (ISR), Linas Gaveika (LTU), Jani Tanskanen and Sami Aalto (FIN) and Günther Couchuyt (BEL). (source: ueg)

ISR, Mix2 (ALB+LTU), GBR, SLO, FIN, NED, NOR, Mix3 (BEL), DEN, TUR
 >> Starting order Subdiv.1
>> Results after Subdivision 1:
>> Provisorial Results before 2nd subdivision

>> Photo IMPRESSIONEN
- von Volker MINKUS

>> Flashback: Men's Team decision ECh Patras 2002

15-Apr-2004 Juniors Team Decision:    RUSSIA Gold, Germany Silver, Ukraine Bronze...

>>  FINAL STANDING: 1. RUS 164,695  2. GER 162,207  3. UKR 159,748 
 4.FRA 158,158; 5.SUI 158,083;  6. ROM 158,010
>> Detailed Results Juniors Team              >> REPORT Team decision


Sebastian Strauss, SLO
... tenth after subdivision 2.

 >>  Subdivision 2: 
FIN, POR, ISR, TUR, LTU, MIX2 (ALB+IRL), AUT, BUL, MIX1 (SWE+MDA), CRO, SLO, ISL        
                                               >> Starting order Subdiv.2
>> Results after subdivision 2:
1. CRO 153,559;  2.ESP 149,723;     3.NED 149,585; 
 4. SLO 146,885;  5. PORT 146,260;  6. BEL 143,461
                    >> Provisorial Results before 3rd subdivision

>>Subdivision 1:
CYP, NED, BEL, DEN, SCG, NOR, LAT, CZE, ESP
 >> Starting order Subdiv.1
>> Results after Subdivision 1:
     1. ESP149,723;   2. NED 149,585;    3. CZE  142,049

>> Photo IMPRESSIONS
- by Volker MINKUS

                                   >> REVIEW 2002: Juniors's Team decision ECh Patras 2002
 
14-Apr-2004  Men's Podium and Opening Ceremony
The 26th European Championships are opened
With a 45-minute opening ceremony the 26th European Championships in men’s artistic gymnastics were opened in Ljubljana’s Tivoli-hall . In the ceremony cultural presentations and performances of young gymnasts were shown as well as a video- and laser- presentation of the participating nations.

After a greeting of IOC- president Jaques Rogge which was transmitted by video and an opening speech of UEG- president Dimitrios Dimitropoulos (GRE), the President of the Slovenian Gymnastics Federation Tomaz Cas also spoke to the public and the gymnasts.
Juri Chechi and Miroslav Cerar invited the athletes, coaches and judges to respect a spirit of loyalty. The Slovenian Prime Minister, Anton Rops, declared these 26th European Championships of Artistic Gymnastics open.
The competitions will now start on Thursday (juniors) and Friday (seniors). Exciting competitions with a “pre-Olympic preview character” can be expected.


.>>.. more IMPRESSIONS by F.I.G. photographer Volker Minkus

Men’s podium training
With this team mode everything is possible!
With this competition format (3/3) everything seems to be open in the team decision as well concerning the medals as also for the following ranks:

During today’s podium training Romania was the most consistent team. Alexei Nemow did start for the Russian team today. With him and the two young former juniors the Russian team certainly will be a strong competitor of the title holder.
Also France did not have any problems today. They can present equally strong routines on all apparatus. But there are also the teams from Ukraine and Switzerland…
“Oldy” Chechi will probably start on rings and bars for Italy in the competition, a start on pommel horse is unlikely.
It will definitely be an exciting competition on Friday and most probably the decision will only be made with the last routine. – Surprises can be expected!


Ivankov at the podium today

In memoriam Alexander Beresch
On the occasion of this 26th European Championships in Ljubljana the German vice team champion EnBW KTV Stuttgart and the 
German team champion SC Cottbus want to commemorate 
the all-around European Champion of 2000

ALEXANDER BERESCH, Ukraine
who died in a car accident on February 29th 2004.

(The two clubs started fund-raising campaigns in which the members of each of the two clubs collected a four-digit EURO amount.  This amount will be transferred directly to the family of Alexander Beresh.)

 TV-Program EUROSPORT (without guarantee)
    > Friday,     16-April:   6.00 - 8.30 p.m.  Team decision (LIVE)
    > Saturday, 17-April:   4.30 - 6.30 p.m.  AA Final (LIVE)
    > Sunday,   18-April:   5.00 - 6.00 p.m.  App. Finals (LIVE)
13-Apr-2004   Podium Training of the Juniors
Russia’s juniors made a strong impression at the today's podium training of juniors.
 Especially on rings they convinced with start values of 9.8, 9.9 and even 10.00!
Other medal contenders are the teams from Switzerland, Ukraine but also France and Italy…
It also went well for the German juniors today. Especially on bars and high bar, were Fabian Hambüchen and Waldemar Eichorn present routines with start values of 9.9 and 10.00, they made a strong impression.

Everything is working well
"Everything is working well here“, confirmed Jens Milbradt, the coach of the German juniors. “The venue and the training gym are equiped with very good SPIETH-apparatus and the hosts are doing a perfect job!” 

On Wednesday the podium training for the seniors takes place in Ljubljana. The opening ceremony then follows on Wednesday evening.


Milbradt (Germany)

Chechi's Comback...
Of course the prominence is to win a continental medal, but some athletes need a good result to qualify for the Olympic Games. So it will be very interesting, how some "oldies" of the international scene will be present here in Ljubljana:
So the former "Lord of the Rings", the 5-times world champion Jury Chechi, trying to optain an Olympic qualification...
Some of other “old” ones" as Ivan Ivankov (BLR), Jordan Jovtchev (BUL), Jesus Carballo (ESP) or Jani Tanskanen (FIN) are still present and ready for great performances on one or the other of their favourite apparatus.
Of course Romania wants to defend the title from 2002 und arrived with a strong team, but rival Russia will start with a good mix of experienced and young gymnasts - two of the junior medalists from Patras - but without Alexei Nemov.
ECh features a new triangle-formed stamp
The Slovenian Post has issued a fresh collection of commemorative stamps to mark the upcoming Ljubljana European Championship in Gymnastics.... 
for the first time, the national post published a stamp in a triangle form > 

...the one to mark the Gymnastics Championships that is due to be held in the Slovenian capital between 15 and 18 April. The stamp is a right-angeled triangle with the side length of 40 mm. It has a comb perforation and comes in a 4-colour offset in sheets of 12 stamps. The stamp will be sold until 24th of March 2005.
12-Apr-2004   PREVIEW
To the first time the host of world championships 1922 and 1970, the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, is also host of European Champs of artistic gymnastics.
Athletes - elite and juniors - from 38 nations will fight for the medals from April 14 to 18 in the country of the Slovenian Olympic Gymnastics Hero Leon Stukelj, 3-times Olympic and 5-times world champion of history.
Ljubljana and its legend Miroslav Cerar, the World Champion from 1970 (pommel horse) will welcome about 321 gymnasts this year....
Venue: 
The venue is one of the most traditional sports hall of Slovenia, the TIVOLI SPORTS HALL of Ljubljana.
- Legend  Miroslav Cerar (SLO)
Built in 1965, reconstructed 1995 it was the place of the 1970 World Championships of artistic gymnastics.
This was the second World Championship in gymnastics organized in Ljubljana.
The first was 48 years before. It was in the times of our great Slovenian athletes like Leon Stukelj, Sumi, Derganc and others. Leon Stukelj, who also won the Olympics, won in parallel bars, Derganc took places 2 to 6, and Stukelj and Sumi won in horizontal bar. Only Czechoslovakia team was better than the Slovanian which was displayed at multiple teams competition....

Titleholder 2002:              Romania, in front of Russia and Belarus
All-around winner 2002:  Dan Potra (ROM), 2nd: Jovchev (BUL), 3rd: Bondarenko (RUS)
Apparatuses:                   Nemow (FX), Urzica (PH), Jovchev (RI), Dragulescu + Kasperovich (VA),  
                                       Tsolakidis (PB), Maras (HB).