Manila Esposito is the new 2024 European champion. The seventeen-year-old from Torre Annunziata, in the province of Naples, took the first step of the podium in the general competition of the 35th European Artistic Championship in Rimini with an overall score of 55.432 (VT 13.566 – PA 14.066 – TR 14.200 – CL 13.600). The gymnast of the Fiamme Oro Sports Group of the State Police, trained at Brixia by Enrico Casella and discovered by Camilla Ugolini at Civitavecchia Gymnastics, finished ahead, by just over half a point, of Alice D’Amato who wins the silver medal dedicating it to her sister Asia who, during her third diagonal on the free body, at the arrival of the double crop, suffered a strong blow to her left knee, which had already undergone ligament surgery. Asia was promptly helped by the federal doctor, Dr. Maria Conforti and her coach Enrico Casella, who carried her in his arms amid general applause in the Rimini Fair building, and she was transported to the hospital for the necessary checks. The Genoese policewoman, with the overall of 54,831 points (VO 13.966 – PA 14.633 – TR 13.766 – CL 12.466), defeats the continental competition and also improves her performance of Antalya 2023, when she came third behind the English Jessica Gadirova and the Hungarian Zsofia Kovacs, not present in this review. And if there wasn’t the rule of two passports per country, the podium would be all blue. Yes, because Angela Andreoli obtained the third score of the day (53.766) but by regulation she must give way to the English Alice Kinsella who, therefore, obtains the European bronze with a total of 53.599 (VO 14.000 – PA 14.000 – TR 12.800 – CL 13.466). At the foot of the Romagna podium was the Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, at 52,700.
The Manila medal is the tenth European gold in the history of Italian female artistry. The third in the event after that of Vanessa Ferrari in Amsterdam in 2007 and Asia D’Amato in Monano in 2022. With Alice’s second place, the overall Italian medals at continental level rise to 31, the silvers to 11 while in the ‘all around the overall placings become 6 also counting the bronzes of Martina Maggio in Monaco ’22 and Alice herself in Turkey last year. Andreoli’s virtual bronze remains a medal of honor to the merit of an incredible group.
The Italians also won many specialty finals. On Saturday 4 May, live on Rai Sport from 4.15pm to 5.55pm, we will see Manila Esposito again on beam and floor exercise, who entered with the first and second scores respectively; Alice D’Amato accesses beam and unsymmetrical bars with the fourth and first solo; Elisa Iorio, third in this apparatus, will also keep her company on the stands, while Angela Andreoli will move up to the green and purple square of the Romagna Fair thanks to her fifth daily score. The qualifying rankings also decided the eight teams that will compete for the European title on Sunday 5 May, live on Rai Sport from 2.50pm to 5.20pm with commentary by Andrea Fusco and technical commentary by Ilaria Colombo. Italy wins the first pass with 165,296 points followed by Great Britain (161,430), France (159,130), Romania (158,798), Spain (154,462), Holland (153,995), Germany (153,995) and Sweden (152,430). For the record, the Belgian Maellyse Brassart, 11th in the European individual all-around, won the pass for the Paris 2024 Games given that the other nations have already obtained Olympic qualification.
Tomorrow we return to the stage with the junior qualifications. Four other subdivisions will mark the day which will precede the finals of the European Championship scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Italy will enter the second division from 12.30 to 14.35 and will tour with Iceland, starting their Olympic tour from the uneven bars.
