FIG Apparatus World Cup 2024 in Cairo: Olympic champion Nina Derwael reignites Paris dreams with balance beam victory
Emma Malabuyo, Jossimar Calvo Moreno, Tang Chia-Hung score valuable Olympic qualifying points in the first of four stops on the way to Paris 2024.
Artistic Gymnastics
Olympic champion Nina Derwael boosted her hopes of making Paris 2024 on Sunday (18 February) as she won the balance beam title at the International Gymnastics Federation’s Apparatus World Cup in Cairo.
The uneven bars gold medallist from Tokyo 2020 is still seeking a quota place* for Belgium at this year's Games after missing the 2023 World Championships on home soil in Antwerp with a shoulder injury.
That shoulder continues to prevent her performing on her signature apparatus, but her victory in the Egyptian capital moves her one step closer to a third Olympic appearance.
On Sunday, Derwael was seventh to compete in the women’s balance beam final and delivered a solid routine including a round off, layout stepout mount and a full-twisting, layout gainer dismount for a 13.633.
That score was nearly half a point better than teammate Erika Pinxten, who posted 13.166 for second. Japan’s Okamura Mana rounded out the podium at 13.133.
Derwael’s win gives her 30 points for the World Cup standings that will determine which athletes secure Paris quotas at the end of the four-event series. Gymnasts can enter all four competitions - their best three results count - with the top athlete on each apparatus, excluding those who have already obtained quotas, earning a maximum of one quota for their nation.
"My eyes are still on Paris. That hasn’t changed," said Derwael in a December 2023 press conference, “We are not trying to push rehabilitation faster than necessary. The health and safety of my shoulder has priority over being competitive fit as soon as possible."
That work appears to have paid off, and Derwael is set to compete next weekend at the second round of the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany (22-25 February).
Okamura won the floor exercise with a score of 13.066, tumbling a double back, a front layout to front full, and a two-and-a-half twist. Emma Malabuyo of the Philippines was second at 12.666, followed by Spain’s Laura Casabuena (12.633).
With Japan having secured a five-woman team quota at the 2023 Antwerp Worlds, Malabuyo - who was an alternate for Team USA at Tokyo 2020 - receives 30 World Cup points as the highest eligible athlete for a Paris quota.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Illia Kovtun makes statement in parallel bars
The first men’s title of the day went to Armenia’s Tokyo 2020 vault bronze medallist Artur Davtyan. He earned a 14.933 average for his two vaults: a well-controlled Dragulescu (handspring, double front half out) and a clean front handspring Randi.
Ukraine’s Nazar Chepurnyi recorded a 14.899 average score for second place ahead of Hong Kong China's Shek Wai Hung on 14.800.
World all-around silver medallist**Illia Kovtun** scored a massive 15.600 to take the parallel bars.
His fellow Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev, Olympic champion on the apparatus at Rio 2016, took second with 15.233 with Colombia’s Jossimar Calvo Moreno (15.100) in third.
Kovtun's stylish routine earned an execution score of 8.900. His intricate opening sequence included a front uprise Diamidov, a peach half and a peach to one bar.
The men's horizontal bar final closed out proceedings in Cairo with Tang Chia-Hung of Chinese Taipei the victor, earning a 14.500 for his routine punctuated by a stuck full-twisting double layout dismount.
Britain's Joe Fraser was second (14.433), followed by Colombian teenager Angel Barajas (14.400).
Shek, Moreno and Tang lead the World Cup standings in men's vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar, respectively, with 30 points each after Cairo.
The FIG World Cup series continues next weekend in Cottbus with round three in Baku from 7-10 March, and the finale taking place in Doha from 17-20 April.