Jessica Gadirova relives journey to European all-around gold
The British gymnast was crowned all-around champion at the European Championships in Antalya, Türkiye – but how did that winning moment feel? Jessica Gadirova spoke exclusively to Olympics.com.
Artistic Gymnastics
Needing to score more than 13.800 on floor to be crowned all-around winner at the artistic gymnastics European Championships in Antalya, Türkiye on Friday (14 April), Jessica Gadirova had it all to do.
After the three previous apparatus, the Brit was sitting in third place on 41.099 points. Hungary’s Zsofia Kovacs (41.633) was in the lead and aiming to improve on her silver medal from 2017, and Italy’s Alice D’Amato, was on 41.400 and hoping to keep the gold medal in the family after twin sister Asia D’Amato won the title last time out.
Both D’Amato and Kovacs had performed on floor and their scores were in – 13.366 and 13.266, respectively, with their score total from all four apparatus, 54.500 and 54.899.
Up stepped the last gymnast on any apparatus in the Antalya Sports Hall, one Jessica Gadirova, to stake her claim.
The reigning world champion in the discipline scored 13.900 in qualification two days earlier but a lot more was on the line here – a first-ever international all-around title.
“I just thought it was the last routine I was going to do in the all-around, so give it my all and perform with my heart and just give a performance that everyone will enjoy,” she said afterwards.
Gadirova’s trademark elegant, characterful floor exercise incorporating the most difficult tumbles of the day then followed, wowing the arena crowd.
Now it was just a waiting game for the score to come up.
Jessica Gadirova: European gymnastics queen
Gadirova’s coaches – another sibling pairing of Joshua and Molly Richardson from Aylesbury Gymnastics Academy – hugged their charge after her wonderful performance before letting her know where she stood.
“When I did come off the podium, my coach did tell me what certain score I needed to be crowned all-around champion. So I was literally waiting for that score to come up.”
She wasn’t the only one.
The eyes of the arena focused on the scoreboard, which, when the score came through, brilliantly drew out the tension by starting a gymnast’s name at the bottom of the standings before scrolling up through the board until the name dropped in the correct ranking position.
Gadirova’s name went up. And up. And up. Until her name reached the top three. Could she beat D’Amato? Yes. And Kovacs, the one who had been leading in the past two rounds? Yes. Gadirova had done it, scoring 13.933 to take her total to 55.032 to become only the second Briton to have won the women’s all-around title since Ellie Downie did it in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2017. The gymnast Downie beat that day – one Zsofia Kovacs. Tears fell for the 23-year-old after coming so close only to be thwarted by a Brit yet again, but Gadirova was on the opposite emotional spectrum.
“I got butterflies in my stomach and seeing my name gradually rise up there and be number one is like, 'oh'. It's so crazy and I'm just so proud of myself and my team and everyone else along the journey who helps me.”
One of those she cites is twin sister, Jennifer Gadirova, who was not at these championships but regaining fitness after injury. Famously close, Jess said she hadn’t spoken to her yet, “but I bet she’ll be screaming on the phone”.
Jessica Gadirova's hardware collection keeps on growing
Gadirova's rich vein of form started at the Basel European Championships in 2021 where she won three medals – bronze in the all-around, silver on vault, and gold on floor.
An Olympic bronze medal in the team event at Tokyo 2020 followed, repeating the feat with her compatriots at a home World Championships in Liverpool in November 2022 that secured a quota place for Team GB at Paris 2024, plus the history-making team title earlier this week, Gadirova is stacking up the accolades. However, there’s more than hardware at play for the teen.
“The reason why I do gymnastics is because I find it fun, and I love to perform.”
The increasing medal count appears just a bonus.
European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023: Schedule
**Sun 16 April – day 6 **
1pm-1.45pm Women's beam and men's vault apparatus finals
2pm-2.45pm Women's floor and men's parallel bars apparatus finals
3-3.30pm Men's 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.