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One Gold, Four Silver for Great Britain in European Age Group Games
Team GB had even more reason to celebrate when the 11-16 Men’s Four won our first Gold Medal of the 3rd European Age Group Games in Acrobatic Gymnastics 2007.
Performing their Balance routine in the Final, the Deerness Valley four of Matthew Evison, Jonathan Bell, Reece Stockport and Joseph Dean showed great confidence and perfect control in two crocodile planches, in a routine to a medley of Russian music. They scored 28.3 with Execution of 9.4 and Artistry of 8.9. Lawrie Colton, President of the Acrobatic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the European Gymnastics Union, presented them with the Gold Medal.
The other British Men’s Four from the South West, Christopher Rogers, Oliver Wright, Chester Wilmot & Jack Pothecary, had come fourth in the qualifying rounds ahead of two Polish groups and an Armenian four, but could not compete in the Final as only one partnership per country was allowed.
The Russian Men’s Four performed a lively routine with echoes of a clock face. However, their tiny top will have lost them artistry points and one of the bases put his right hand down in their round-off tuck-back to knee, giving them a total score of only 28.15 and second place.
In Women’s Groups for Great Britain, the Oxford trio of Amber Ballantyne-Styles, Joanne White and Abigail Collins, a very well-matched group whose bases came third in the European games in Poland last October, showed calm, strong balances including a straddle hold on stack. They improved on Poland to come second with a score of 28.4, including 9.4 in Execution. The younger Oxford trio, Catherine Aitchison, Rosie Green & Ellie Newitt had come fourth in the qualifying rounds, only 0.3 behind their teammates, but could not compete in the final due to the one partnership per country rule.
The winner in Women’s Groups was the Russian trio of Yuliya Esina, Nadezhda Zelenkova and Viktoriya Shcherbatykh with a score of 28.75 in their Dynamic routine. Remarkable in particular were their one-and-three-quarters tuck-back to cradle and a perfect straight-back.
The British Women’s Pair from Deerness Valley, Jasmine Danby and Hannah Bevens, performed a lively balance routine with excellent dance, earning them a high artistry score of 9.0 despite their difference in mass and maturity, and 28.3 overall to give them second place. They showed a strong balance on feet and excellent straddle on needlescale. The other British Women’s Pair, Louise Lee and Hannah Johnstone from South Tyneside, had finished third in the qualifying rounds, ahead of both Belgian pairs and the other Russian pair.
The Russian Women’s Pair of Elvira Mezentseva and Anastasia Dracheva won with 28.5 for their balance routine. Performing to ragtime music, the well-matched pair showed beautiful dance and a very still handstand to Mexican, legs together.
The British Men’s pair, cousins Lee Baker and Kieran Baker from Horsham, showed an apparently-effortless full twist, good flight in somersaults and interesting choreography in their Dynamic routine. They achieved 9.2 for Execution, 9.05 for Artistry and overall Silver with 28.25.
The other British Men’s Pair, Alex Houston & Timothy Pritchard from Deerness Valley, had come seventh in the qualifying rounds.
The Russians Dmitry Bryzgalov and Evgeny Shakhov won the Men’s Pair with 28.4. Despite losing points for mass and maturity, they showed a very controlled low flag and dramatic finish to take the Gold medals.
The stylish British Mixed Pair of Kaman Mitchell and Tasha Lawrence (King Edmund), in stunning sparkling blue leotards, showed their teamwork in a romantic routine with a perfectly-controlled, flat, legs together Mexican and gained Silver with a score of 28.4.
The other British Mixed Pair, Horsham’s Chris Cranfield & Ellie Stewart-Croker, had come fourth in the qualifying rounds, only 0.1 behind the third-placed Russians.
Winners of the Mixed Pairs were Russians Julia Khakimova and Ruslan Faskhutdinov with their Dynamic routine. With a perfectly-executed straight-back and Rodochler pike front they were worthy winners on 28.7, with Execution of 9.55.
British morale has never been higher, with the gymnasts realising they can beat Russia and come home with Gold!
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