15. April 2018  
Antwerp, BEL  
Sports Acrobatics

26th ACROBATIC GYMNASTICS WORLDS 2018

In the spring of 2018 Antwerp will host the 26th World Championships Acrobatic Gymnastics.
The competitions will take place in the Antwerp Lotto Arena from 13 till 15 April 2018.
Depending on the team composition, we can distinguish 5 categories first in qualifying rounds, followed by the finals:
* Women Pairs, * Men's Pairs, * Mixed Pairs, * Women's Groups & *Men's Groups.
One week before this WCh elite competitions, the 10th World Age Group Competions took place in the same venue from April 04 till 110 ...

* Saturday, April14
... Second Day of Qualifying and first Finals:
* F I G - report--:  Russia once again proved utterly irresistible on Acrobatic Gymnastics’ biggest stage of all, as both the Women’s Group and the Men’s Pair claimed World Championship gold in Antwerp’s rocking Lotto Arena.
The best of the rest put up a fine fight, with the capacity crowd treated to all the sport has to offer but in the end nothing could stop the irrepressible Kseniia Zagoskina (RUS) with her two teammates and the gigantic Nikolay Suprunov and his top Igor Mishev (RUS) from grabbing the glory. From the moment they first strutted into the Arena during Friday’s opening balance exercise, Zagoskina, Daria Chebulanka and Polina Plastinina have looked unbeatable.
Russian Women’s Groups have now won nine of the past 10 World Championship titles.
Suprunov and Mishev retain title in style
If Zagoskina and her crew owned the Lotto Arena from the beginning, not many present on Saturday will forget the sight of 1.97m-tall Suprunov powering his partner to their second successive World Championship gold in the Men’s Pair. From their signature move – in which Mishev vaults from the floor onto Suprunov’s broad shoulders – through to their impeccable balance routines, the duo reigned supreme scoring 29.490.
Ri Hyo Song and Kong Yong Won (PRK) produced a fun-filled, highly creative combined exercise to snatch the silver medal from Great Britain’s grasp. Not that the British duo of Adam Upcott and Charlie Tate were complaining too much.

Belgian pair, Robin Casse and Kilian Goffaux, may well be looking to the future too. The home hopes saw their brave efforts to give the crowd the gold they so vociferously wanted end in agony. A fall during an early balance routine left the 2017 World Games bronze medallists distraught.

China shine as Men’s Group competition heads for thrilling finale
China’s remarkable conveyor belt of talent was on show for all to see as the Men’s Group completed their second qualifying exercise on Saturday. Rui Liuming, a 2016 World Champion, has long led his all-conquering Group with charisma and style to spare but he may now have a serious rival, as 15-year-old top Jiang Heng propelled China’s second quartet through a stunning display that had large sections of the Lotto Arena crowd on their feet.
Jiang, Fu Zhi, Guo Pei and Zhang Junshuo sit first in qualifying with just the combined to come, leaving Rui and his decorated team in danger of missing the final – given just one team per nation can progress.

Double Darias' show intent with Chernova looking set for third gold
An epic battle is shaping up in the Women’s Pairs, with the pre-Championship favourites, Russia’s Daria Guryeva and Daria Kalinina recovering in style from their shaky performance in Friday’s balance exercise to post a huge 29.290 in the dynamic. The 2016 Word Championship and 2017 World Games gold medallists lie in fourth. But the leaders from day one, Israel’s Roni Surzon and Mika Lefkovits remain in pole position and seem in no mood to give up their spot. It was very much business as usual in the Mixed Pairs, as the seemingly invincible Russian duo of Marina Chernova and Georgii Pataraia stretched their lead to 3.275 points with one qualifying exercise to come.

The Mixed Pair, Women’s Pair, Men’s Group and Team World Championship titles will all be decided on Sunday. 
>> Overview: Results all