Artur Dalaloyan tops qualifying at Russian Championships
The former world all-around champion was competing without his main rival: Nikita Nagornyy, who withdrew due to illness
Artistic Gymnastics
2018 world all-around champion Artur Dalaloyan of Russia qualified in first place Wednesday, 10 March, at the Russian Gymnastics Championships in Penza. Newcomer Alexander Kartsev, just 19-years-old, is second in the standings, followed by two-time Olympic medallist David Belyavskiy. The all-around final is Friday.
Dalaloyan earned a total score of 85.331, followed closely by Kartsev who posted an 85.198. Belyavski scored 83.165.
Notably, reigning European and world all-around champion Nikita Nagornyy withdrew from the competition Tuesday, citing a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. In a Clubhouse chat, Nagornyy said he had been diagnosed with strep throat, according to Gymnovosti.
Dalaloyan, for his part, appears to be finding the form that has won him nine world medals. He scored above 14.000 on every apparatus except for the pommel horse. It was an impressive improvement on his scores from November 2020’s Friendship and Solidarity competition where Dalaloyan only broke into the 14s on two events. His top score of the day, a 14.833, came on the vault where he performed a clean Yurchenko triple twist.
In the team competition, the athletes representing Central Federal District 1 took the title ahead of teams from the Volga Federal District and Moscow.
Competition continues tomorrow with the women’s team event. 2019 World all-around bronze medallist and star of the Olympic Channel series All Around Angelina Melnikova competes in the day’s third session, scheduled for 5 p.m. local time. The competition will stream on the federation’s website.