Italy crowned women's gymnastics European team champions at Rimini 2024
Italy rounded out a storming European Gymnastics Championships in front of an adoring home crowd by wresting back their women's team title from defending champions Great Britain at the Fiera Rimini arena on Sunday (5 May).
The Italian side of Elisa Iorio, Alice D'Amato, Manila Esposito, and Angela Andreoli, minus the injured Asia D'Amato who was carried off with a leg injury on day one, secured an all-around total across the four apparatus with a score of 164.162.
Great Britain meanwhile claimed silver courtesy of Becky Downie – who achieved the same result with the 2010 team – Georgia-Mae Fenton, Abi Martin, Ruby Evans and Alice Kinsella. The quintet scored 162.162.
Meanwhile, the competition for the final spot was between Romania and France, with the hosts of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 starting 26 July, coming out on top scoring 158.796 to 156.397.
* 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.
Italy shine brightest as Britain and France round off the podium
That's a third women's team title for Italy but if they thought GB would easily give up their history-making gold from 2023, in which they claimed the title for the first time, then the home nation were rudely awakened on the first rotation.
The Brits performed outstanding vaults with minimal form deductions to take an early lead of 41.832 to 41.232.
Meanwhile, on bars, Romania and France both started nervously with a big error from Amalia Ghigoarta, followed by a fall from Lorette Charpy, respectively, but it would be these two nations that would vie for the bronze medal throughout.
The second apparatus for the leading two was bars, with Italy's Alice D'Amato holding the crowd spellbound with her flawless performance to secure 14.566 to a rapturous roar. Becky Downie was up next for GB and went clean through her super-difficult routine to score 14.633 to keep the Brits on terms on 83.997 to Italy's 84.231.
A fall by Romania's Ana Barbosu and the same by France's Morgane Osyssek-Reimer on beam kept the duelling nations neck and neck, both on 77.498 heading into the third round.
The third rotation then, and the first to blink on beam between the teams in first and second was Angela Andreoli of Italy who was up first on the likely title-deciding apparatus, performing a stunning routine, up until coming off on a flick layout, to score 12.566.
Georgia-Mae Fenton also came undone, falling on her mount, but gathered herself to continue cleanly through the rest of the routine for 11.900.
Manila Esposito, the woman of the championships, wanted that fourth gold medal and made sure to stay on beam with that thought in mind. Not only did she stay on but performed a sensational crowd-enchanting routine for 13.966.
Europe shows strength in depth with Paris 2024 on the horizon
Italy took a commanding lead by more than two marks heading into the final rotation, the floor exercise, in which they had the newly crowned European champion, Esposito and bronze medallist, Angela Andreoli.
Despite some sensational performances from GB on floor, including from 16-year-old Abi Martin who has school exams next Friday, and Ruby Evans, the Brits secured silver, pleased with their day's work.
Becky Downie commented: "I'm super proud of the team today and personally so happy to have put the big routine out there and get the score for these amazing girls. We couldn’t have done much more as a team today, to see how Abi and Ruby in particular performed in their first Europeans was incredible. It feels like we’re in a really good place as a team and I’m excited to see what might come this summer.”
Ming Van Eijken of France, meanwhile, performed a floor routine that had her teammates jumping up and down with excitement, while Romania's Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, the silver medallist on the apparatus the day before, again performed beautifully to put Romania ahead of the French by the smallest of margins – 116.798 to 116.464, with just vault to come.
Vault champion Coline Devillard was able to score highly again on her favoured apparatus to finally secure the final podium place for the soon-to-be Olympic hosts.
Italy blew the house down with another rendition of their buoyant national anthem that had the arena rocking as they signed off the championships in style, having secured eight gold medals, six silver and two bronze, with Manila Esposito alone claiming half of those titles. To round off an already emotional evening, injured Asia D'Amato was helped onto the podium by her teammates.
Quite the championships then, and with all eyes now turning to Olympic Games Paris 2024 in less than three months' time, the European contingent are looking strong, particularly Italy.
Coach Enrico Casella commented: "For the Olympics, we will see what Asia D'Amato's situation is like, whether (the injury is) small or big. In any case we will have these five girls [Asia D'Amato, Alice D'Amato, Manila Esposito, Elisa Iorio, Angela Andreoli] and in addition we have three more at home: Martina Maggio, Giorgia Villa and Vanessa Ferrari.
"From these eight I will have to choose the five who will participate in the Olympic Games. I would say that the shortlist is now restricted to these eight athletes, we hope to have them all available and ready to work when we are in July... fingers crossed for that. The choice will not be easy for me."
European Gymnastics Championships 2024: Women's team final results
- Italy 164.162
- GBR 162.162
- France 158.796
- Romania 156.397
- Spain 153.962
- Germany 152.930
- Netherlands 149.563
- Sweden 148.596