Gymnastics World Cup 2023 in Cairo: Illia Kovtun takes two medals on first day of series finale

Ukraine's Illia Kovtun won two medals in the final round of the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup in Cairo on Saturday (29 April).

In the absence of Filipino star Carlos Yulo, who withdrew from the competition on Thursday, the 19-year-old took floor honours on the day with a routine featuring a spectacular flare sequence.

Kovtun's score of 14.433 saw him win from Croatia's Aurel Benovic (14.166) and Eamon Montgomery of Ireland (14.066).

Series leader Milad Karimi failed to complete one of his tumbling passes, almost landing in a seated position, and finished down in sixth place.

Kovtun had to settle for bronze on the pommel horse with Lee Chih-kai of Chinese Taipei setting a standard which no one else could match.

The Olympic silver medallist went first in the final and allied high difficulty (6.500) with solid execution for a winning score of 15.033.

He was three-tenths clear of Armenia's Gagik Khachikyan with Kovtun and another Armenian, 2022 European champion Harutyun Merdinyan, sharing third on 14.566 after achieving identical execution scores.

Dutchman Loren de Munck looked set for a medal but came off the pommel late in his routine and finished sixth.

Medals, and an injury scare for the D'Amato twins

Joscelyn Roberson took the women's vault just as she did at last month's DTB-Pokal in Stuttgart.

The American won with an average of 13.983 with Asia D'Amato in second after an injury scare.

After nailing her first vault, the Italian was unable to land her second and went down clutching her left knee. She still received a score of 13.100 for that second vault, giving her a 13.600 average.

That gave her silver by just one one-thousandth of a point from Panama's Hillary Heron.

Uzbekistan's eight-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina had two lacklustre vaults in the final with the 47-year-old averaging 12.000 to finish eighth. It was the first time she had missed out on the World Cup podium this season.

D'Amato's twin sister Alice went one better in the uneven bars, taking victory in impressive style with 14.633 ahead of teammate Giorgia Villa (14.200).

Azerbaijan's Nikita Simonov claimed another triumph on the rings this season, scoring 14.966 to secure the World Cup series title.

Salvatore Maresca (14.700) completed a good day for Italy with second place ahead of Armenia's Artur Avetisyan.

Results from apparatus finals at Cairo World Cup, Saturday 29 April 2023:

Men's

Floor Exercise

1. Illia Kovtun (UKR) 14.433
2. Aurel Benovic (CRO) 14.166
3. Eamon Montgomery (IRL) 14.066

Pommel Horse

1. Lee Chih Kai (TPE) 15.033
2. Gagik Khachikyan (ARM) 14.733
3. Illia Kovtun (UKR), Harutyun Merdinyan (ARM) 14.566

Rings

1. Carlos Yulo (PHI) 15.400
2. Illia Kovtun (UKR) 15.366
3. Cameron-Lie Bernard (FRA) 14.600

Women's

Vault

1. Joscelyn Roberson (USA) 13.983 (14.033; 13.933)
2. Asia D'Amato (ITA) 13.600 (14.100; 13.100)
3. Hillary Heron (PAN) 13.599 (13.766; 13.433)

Uneven Bars

1. Asia D'Amato (ITA) 14.633
2. Giorgia Villa (ITA) 14.200
3. Erika Pinxten (BEL) 13.233