European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023: Great Britain claim women's team title in thrilling finale

Great Britain claimed the women's European Championships artistic gymnastics team title in Antalya, Türkiye on Wednesday (12 April) pipping defending champions Italy in a thrilling last rotation.

This is the first time in their history the British women have achieved the accolade, with the team of Jessica Gadirova, Alice Kinsella, Ondine Achampong, Georgia-Mae Fenton and a returning Becky Downie all playing their part.

Italy's team of Manila Esposito, Alice D'Amato, Giorgia Villa, Asia D'Amato and Angela Andreoli did their utmost to retain the title but just came up short scoring 161.629 to Great Britain's 164.428.

The Netherlands, who had performed in the penultimate subdivision of the day, topped the table with 158.896 before the final session but had to wait it out to see if they could stay on the podium. The team of Vera Van Pol, Eythora Thorsdottir, Naomi Visser, Sanna Veerman and Sanne Wevers were rewarded with bronze ahead of Hungary (156.627), whose Zsofia Kovacs had a storming competition to sit second behind Gadirova in the all-around rankings.

• European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023: women's qualification results – full list

Great Britain women claim European team title

As expected of the 2022 European beam silver medallist, Achampong performed a classy, confident routine in the first performance of the day for Great Britain on a usually nervy piece of apparatus. Setting the fourth highest score of the day, the Brits were away on their mission of improving their second-place finish last time out.

“Unlike everyone else, I love to start on beam first,” Achampong told Olympics.com afterwards. “No one else likes it so I have to take one for the team, but I actually really like it.”

The defending champions started on vault, always a high-scoring event and so it proved with the Italians going straight into the lead, helped by a stand-out vault from last year’s all-around champion Asia D’Amato. A particularly poignant moment as this was the apparatus Asia injured herself on at the 2022 edition from which she is still recovering, opting out of the floor exercise in the team final today.

The next apparatus saw defending European world gold medallist on floor, Gadirova perform a stunning routine filled with difficulty, which set her top of the qualification table in the apparatus finals. The 18-year-old also topped the beam scores and the all-around, so has a busy few days ahead.

“I got to perform on each piece and got to express myself in each piece and I felt powerful and really got to show my gymnastics off,” said Gadirova.

Italy performed a set of stunning routines on bars, achieving three positions in the top seven placings with Alice D’Amato, last year’s silver medallist in this event, topping the standings. Netherlands’ Visser was also outstanding, coming second to Alice in the rankings.

The Brits went clean on vault, but the Italians were nervy on beam with Villa, first one up, frustrated with a fall on her mount. A number of wobbles followed until Alice D’Amato steadied the ship and her side headed into the final round in the lead.

And so to the final apparatus, which saw the Brits on bars and the return of Becky Downie, the world silver medallist on this apparatus from 2019. Hitting the routine, the 31-year-old qualified for the bars final and added a big score for the team.

After a short wait, the Brits, who came third at the world championships in November yelled in delight on seeing confirmation of the win after the final scores were in.

The quintet could do nothing but yell and hug one another.

“It’s a history-making moment for all of us,” said Fenton, “and something that we’ve wanted for a long time, and to be able to do it with these girls is even better.”

European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023: Women's team final results

1 Great Britain 164.428
2 Italy 161.629
3 Netherlands 158.896

European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023: Schedule

Thurs 13 April – day 3
• 4pm-6.45pm MAG All-Around Final

Fri 14 April – day 4
• 4pm-6pm WAG All-Around Final

Sat 15 April – day 5
• 1.30pm-2pm MAG floor apparatus final
• 2.10pm-2.55pm WAG vault and MAG pommel horse apparatus finals
• 3.10pm-3.55pm WAG bars and MAG rings apparatus finals

Sun 16 April – day 6
• 1pm-1.45pm WAG beam and MAG vault apparatus finals
• 2pm-2.45pm WAG floor and MAG parallel bars apparatus finals
• 3-3.30pm MAG high bar apparatus final

How to watch 2023 European Gymnastics Championships in Antalya, Türkiye

For information on how to watch the 2023 European Gymnastics Championships check here for list of broadcasters.