2019 Europeans: 6th place for Jade Vansteenkiste on floor!

The European Championships concluded this Sunday with the last apparatus finals. Jade Vansteenkiste did great in her first major final and placed 6th. 

Credit: Belgian Gymnastics

Jade was the 4th gymnast to compete in this final. She kept her head cool and showed a clean exercise with a good triple twist and expressive choreography. Her difficulty level is not yet at the level of the top gymnasts but she had the third execution score from the finalists with 13.233.

French all-around champion Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos won the gold, Eythora Thorsdottir from the Netherlands the silver and Russia's Angelina Melnikova the bronze.

Floor final results:

1. Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos (FRA) 13.833

2. Eythora Thorsdottir (NED) 13.666

3. Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 13.466

4. Denisa Golgota (ROU) 13.366

5. Claudia Fragapane (GBR) 13.266

6. Jade Vansteenkiste (BEL) 13.233

7. Alice Kinsella (GBR) 13.100

8. Marine Boyer (FRA) 12.933

2019 Europeans: Jimmy Verbaeys 22nd, Jade and Maellyse in the top 20 in the all-around finals!

On Friday Jimmy Verbaeys, Maellyse Brassart and Jade Vansteenkiste competed in the all-around finals. The girls both made the top 20 while Jimmy placed 22nd. 

Credit: Belgian Gymnastics

Jimmy competed on Friday afternoon in the men's final. He started on vault with a solid Kasamatsu full for which he scored 13.766. He showed clean work on parallel bars and was rewarded with a 14.000. On the horizontal bar, he miraculously managed to stay on the apparatus after he lost direction on one of his pirouettes (12.466). He moved on to the floor where he had to make some adjustments on his landings (13.133).

Things were a little bit more complicated for him on pommel horse but he managed to stay on to score 12.300. He finished his competition on still rings with a solid routine for which he got 12.700. Overall he was happy to be back in an all-around final at this level and was pleased with his final. Jimmy placed 22nd with a total of 78.365.

The gold was won by Nikita Nagornyy from Russia ahead of his teammate Arthur Dalaloyan. Marios Georgiou from Cyprus wrote history by winning the first medal for his country with bronze.

Men's all-around results:

1. Nikita Nagornyy (RUS) 88.665

2. Arthur Dalaloyan (RUS) 87.832

3. Marios Georgiou (CYP) 84.398

4. Joe Fraser (GBR) 84.365

5. Ahmet Onder (TUR) 84.299

...

22. Jimmy Verbaeys (BEL) 78.365

Credit: Belgian Gymnastics

Jade Vansteenkiste and Maellyse Brassart started their final on floor. They both showed solid routines which scored 12.533 and 12.100. They performed a full twisting Yurchenko on vault. Maellyse got 13.400 and Jade 13.366. They then moved on to the uneven bars, where several gymnasts had to count falls, Jade included. She fell on her Jaeger release and scored 11.966. Maellyse had to improvise a bit throughout her routine, but nevertheless scored 12.766. Jade had some troubles on beam too as she fell on her wolf turn. Maellyse delivered a good routine with a few balance checks to score 12.900.

Maellyse Brassart finished on the 12th place in this all-around final with a score of 51.166. Jade Vansteenkiste got 48.798 and ended on the 20th place. Not bad for a 15 year old newbie. She gained lots of experience for the future! 

Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos from France won the gold medal, ahead of the defending champion, Ellie Downie, and Russia's Angelina Melnikova. 

Women's all-around results:

1. Melanie de Jesus dos Santos (FRA) 55.433

2. Ellie Downie (GBR) 55.365

3. Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 55.065

4. Alice D'Amato (ITA) 53.233

5. Anastasiia Bachynska (UKR) 53.133

...

12. Maellyse Brassart (BEL) 51.166

...

20. Jade Vansteenkiste (BEL) 48.798

You can find the full results here.

On Sunday Jade Vansteenkiste will compete in the floor final. This last day of competition will start at 13:30.

2019 Europeans: 3 finals for the girls !

Today Jade Vansteenkiste, Fien Enghels and Maellyse Brassart competed in qualifications in Szczecin.  They qualified for 3 finals.

Credit: Belgian gymnastics. 

In her first major competition as a senior,  Jade Vansteenkiste was the very first gymnast to compete on floor exercise. She scored 13.133 for her routine that included a triple twist and lots of jungle themes. She moved on to the vault were she scored 13.500 for her full twisting Yurchenko. She kept the head cool on bars with a solid routine (12.733). She finished her competition on beam and that's where the nerves hit her. She fell twice and scored 10.366. She finished 27th in the all-around standings with 49.732 but nevertheless qualified, thanks to the two-per-country rule. She also qualified for the floor final in 5th position !

Fien and Maellyse started their qualifications on beam. Maellyse was really solid until she fell on her switch ring leap (11.366). Fien showed a solid routine including a free carthweel connected to a layout step out. She scored 12.900. Maellyse came back strong on floor and got 12.233. Fien impressed with her neat choreography and clean execution. She scored 12.866. Maellyse showed a clean full twisting Yurchenko for 13.400. Fien and Maellyse finished their competition well on uneven bars. Fien got rewarded with 13.933 and just missed the final (1st reserve). Maellyse got 13.300.  With 50.299, Maellyse qualified in 23rd place to the all-around final.

You can find the full qualification results here.

Tomorrow, Jimmy Verbaeys will be in the men's all-around final starting at 1pm. Jade and Maellyse will be in the women's all-around final at 5:30pm !

2019 Europeans : Jimmy Verbaeys qualified for the all-around final!

The Polish city of Szczecin is hosting the 2019 Individual European Championships the coming days. Today the men took the stage for their qualifications. Jimmy Verbaeys qualified for the all-around final.

Credit : Belgian Gymnastics

Luka Van den Keybus competed in the first of the three subdivisions. He started his competition on pommel horse with a score of 11.233. On rings, he scored 12.533 and 13.700 on vault. He made a small error and received 11.633 on parallel bars. He came back strong on the horizontal bar with 13.766, his best score of the day. He finished his competition on floor with a 13.566.  He finished 44th in the all-around qualifications, with a score of 76.431.

Jonathan Vrolix  and Jimmy Verbaeys competed in the second subdivision. They started on floor. Jimmy scored 13.566 and Jonathan received 14.300. He went out of bounds on his first pass, which cost him a qualifying spot for the final. Jimmy mastered the pommel horse and scored 13.300. Both Jonathan and Jimmy had a good rotation on still rings and scored 13.300 and 12.766 respectively. On vault Jimmy received a 13.633 from the judges and he got 13.733 on parallel bars. He finished his competition with a decent 13.200 on high bar. Jonathan also competed on high bar and scored 12.666. 

With total of 80.198, Jimmy placed 19th and qualified for the all-around final, that will take place on Friday !

You can find the full results here.

Tomorrow, Maellyse Brassart, Fien Enghels and Jade Vansteenkiste will compete in qualifications, starting at 10 am!

Doha World Cup: Gold on bars and silver on beam for Nina!

Event finals took place on Friday and Saturday in the Aspire Dome in Doha. Nina confirmed her status of reigning world uneven bars champion by winning the gold. She also added a silver on beam to her collection.

Credit: Doha Artistic Gymnastics - Qatar

Nina was third up on the uneven bars. She confidently performed the same exercise she showed at the World Championships last year in the very same arena. She scored 15.033. Her main opponent, the 2017 World Champion Fan Yilin from China was up right after her. Fan showed a 6.5 routine, the same level of difficulty as Nina,  but her execution couldn't match the Belgian's. She won the silver with 14.933. Russia's Anastasiia Iliankova won the bronze with 14.700 (6.3D). 

Uneven bars final results:
1. Nina Derwael (BEL) 15.033

2. Fan Yilin (CHN) 14.933

3. Anastasiia Iliankova (RUS) 14.700

4. Jonna Adlerteg (SWE) 14.216

5. Kim Bui (GER) 14.000

6. Martina Rizzelli (ITA) 13.016

7. Yumika Nakamura (JPN) 12.933

8. Diana Varinska (UKR) 12.400

Credit: Doha Artistic Gymnastics -Qatar

Let's not forget the amazing performance of Jonathan Vrolix, who was also competing on Friday. He impressively qualified for his first ever World Cup final in 3rd place with 14.500 thanks to his excellent execution. In the final however he could not repeat his qualifications performance. With 14.033, he placed 6th.

His qualification results gives high hopes for the future and shows Jonathan belongs among the world's best gymnasts on floor. Alexander Shatilov from Israel won the gold, ahead of Rayderley Zapata from Spain and Carlos Edriel Yulo from the Philippines. 

Floor final results:
1. Alexander Shatilov (ISR) 14.633

2. Rayderley Zapata (ESP) 14.433

3. Carlos Edriel Yulo (PHI) 14.266

4. Emil Soravuo (FIN) 14.233

5. Ahmet Onder (TUR) 14.233

6. Jonathan Vrolix (BEL) 14.033

7. Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) 13.166

8. Chris Remkes (AUS) 4.566

On Saturday, Nina was first up on beam. She performed very confidently and even improved her qualification score by 1 tenth (13.633). The Chinese Li Qi showed impressive combinations of leaps and acrobatic elements. She was unbeatable with a 6.0 D-score and strong execution. She scored 14.333. Marine Boyer from France won the bronze medal with 13.333. 

Balance beam final results:

1. Li Qi (CHN) 14.333
2. Nina Derwael (BEL) 13.633

3. Marine Boyer (FRA) 13.333

4. Adela Sajn (SLO) 12.833

5. Aneta Holasova (CZE) 12.800

6. Hua-Tien Ting (TPE) 12.400 

7. Yumika Nakamura (JPN)11.800  

8. Soyoka Hanawa (JPN) 11.466

Full results

World Cup Doha 2019: 3 finals for Team Belgium!

This week, Doha welcomes the Apparatus World Cup series, the 4th of 8th qualifying World Cups for Tokyo 2020. The Belgian gymnasts qualified for 3 finals with impressive results! 

3 gymnasts represented Team Belgium in this World Cup: Dennis Goossens competed on still rings and Jonathan Vrolix on floor, pommel horse and high bar. Nina Derwael competed on uneven bars and balance beam. 

In her first competition of the year, Nina Derwael did not disappoint. She topped the uneven bars standings with 15.033 and will be the gymnast to beat for the gold on Friday. 

Jonathan Vrolix showed impressive work on floor. He opened with a double twist forward immediately followed by a double tuck forward and showed great form overall. He received the highest execution score in an impressive field. He placed 3rd and qualifies for his first World Cup final. Jonathan also competed on pommel horse, where he scored 12.866 (32th).

Dennis Goossens competed on still rings. He was not at the top of his game and finished 16th with a score of 13.966.

On thursday, Nina was the first to go on beam. She did an excellent job and set the bar for the other competitors with a score of 13.566. No one was able to beat that score during the qualifications. 

Jonathan also competed also on high bar. He finished 25th with 12.100.

Nina and Jonathan will compete on Friday at 2pm (Belgian time). On Saturday Nina will compete at 2pm in the beam final.

MAG Qualification results:

Floor

1. Carlos Edriel Yulo (PHI) 14.600

2. Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) 14.533

3. Jonathan Vrolix (BEL) 14.500

Pommel horse

1. Lee Chih Kai (TPE) 15.166

2. Harutyun Merdinyan (ARM) 14.966

3. Kohei Kameyama (JPN) 14.916

...

32. Jonathan Vrolix (BEL) 12.866

Still rings

1. Lan Xingyu (CHN) 15.166

2. Vahagn Davtyan (ARM) 14.908

3. Artur Tovmasyan (ARM) 14.866

...

16. Dennis Goossens (BEL) 13.966

Horizontal bar

1. Tin Srbic (CRO) 14.333

2. Milad Karimi (KAZ) 14.300

3. Alexey Rostov (RUS) 14.133

...

25. Jonathan Vrolix (BEL) 12.100

WAG Qualifications results

Uneven bars

1. Nina Derwael (BEL ) 15.033

2. Fan Yilin (CHN) 14.900

3. Anastasiia Iliankova (RUS) 14.633

Balance beam

1. Nina Derwael (BEL) 13.566

2. Marine Boyer (FRA) 13.366

3. Li Qi (CHN) 13.300

Full results

Great results for our WAG teams in Jesolo and Canada !

The past few weeks saw both our Juniors and Seniors WAG teams travel abroad for international competitions : the Trofeo Città Jesolo and the International Gymnix!

Credit : International Gymnix

On 2-3 March, Stacy Bertrandt, Noémie Louon, Lisa Vaelen and Jutta Verkest represented Belgium in Italy for the Trofeo Città Jesolo. They achieved amazing results, placing 3rd as a team (152.734), behind Russia (165.234) and the United States (163.899).

Individually, the all-around final was won by USA's Konor McClain (56.167), followed by Vladislava Urazova (Russia, 55.200) and Elena Gerasimova (Russia, 55.000). Noémie Louon was the best Belgian, with a total score of 51.601 for the 11th place. Stacy placed 15th (50.133), Lisa placed 19th (49.633) and Jutta was 26th with 47.666.

Noémie qualified for the uneven bars final and placed 4th with 13.700, just 0.050 from the bronze medal. Stacy competed in the balance beam final but unfortunately fell. She placed 8th, with 11.450.

Credit : Simone Ferraro/FGI

Last week-end, several Juniors and Seniors gymnasts traveled to Montreal, Canada for the 2019 edition of the International Gymnix.

Juniors Stacy Bertrandt, Noémie Louon, Charlotte Beydts and Jutta Verkest competed as a team. Maellyse Brassart, Fien Enghels and Jade Vansteenkiste composed the Seniors team.

Calisse Kums competed as an individual in the Challenge Gymnix. She placed 24th with 45.283.

Our Juniors did a fantastic job by placing 2nd in the team competition, with 154.530. The United States won the gold medal (159.463) and Canada won the bronze medal (154.463). Noémie Louon was once again the most solid among the Belgians. With 52.432, she placed 4th. Stacy Bertrandt earned 50.999 and placed 6th. Jutta got 50.032 for the 8th place, while Charlotte got a total score of 48.265 for the 15th place.

They also qualified for several individual finals, where Noémie proved she was in great shape, earning 3 medals, including one gold. On floor, Noémie presented a beautiful exercise, for which she received 12.966, enough for the bronze medal. She placed right ahead of Jutta Verkest, who placed 4th with 12.933.

Noémie then won another bronze medal in the uneven bars final, with a great 13.400, devancing once again another of her teammates, this time Stacy Bertrandt, in 4th with 13.200. On beam, Stacy unfortunately fell twice, scoring 10.600. Noémie closed her already fantastic day with a stellar routine on beam, for which she earned a 13.200, winning the gold medal !

Credit : International Gymnix

Our Seniors team placed 6th in the team competition with 138.662. Sadly, Margaux Daveloose got injured shortly before the competition and couldn't compete. Fien Enghels also couldn't compete on vault, meaning the team was a score vault short. Nevertheless, they achieved a pretty good result. The team final was won by the United States (165.261) ahead of Canada (155.196) and Australia (154.963).

Individually, Maellyse placed 10th in the all-around, with 51.565. Jade Vansteenkiste got 47.865 for the 19th place. Fien qualified for the uneven bars and balance beam finals. She placed 6th on beam with 11.633, after falling off the beam. On bars, she placed 7th with 12.100, just ahead of Maellyse, who finished in 8th place with 11.700. On floor, Maellyse scored 12.400 and placed 6th.

Next weekend, our MAG team will compete at the DTB-Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart. The team will be announced in the coming days. Also next weekend, Jonathan Vrolix and Dennis Goossens will compete at the Baku World Cup. They will then travel to Doha, where they'll be joined by Nina Derwael.

Trofeo Città Jesolo results : click here

International Gymnix results : click here