A monopolized podium, if it weren’t for an absurd rule that prohibits the presence of three athletes from the same nation on all steps. And the bad news of an injury to Asia D’Amato.
The first real day of the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rimini gives contrasting emotions to the blue colours. Yesterday the Fates reached the qualification for the team final on Sunday and achieved a fantastic first and second place in the All Around with Manila Esposito and Alice D’Amato respectively.
The D’Amato twins should have both competed in all the exercises, but an injury to Asia during a floor exercise element (she was forced to go out touching her right leg) changed the plans of Casella’s team who then deployed Iorio and Andreoli. Italy’s turn comes on the beam after their Ukrainian rivals and Esposito immediately qualified for the apparatus final in first place, with Alice D’Amato fourth. A good start for the girls of coach Casella who, however, were unable to shine in the floor exercise as in the previous exercise but still took home two finals on the apparatus, again with Esposito and then with Andreoli. The vault opens with Iorio replacing her injured partner Asia D’Amato, the absence weighs heavily and the girls are unable to excel, but they are not discouraged and continue on the platform with the last exercise: the asymmetric parallel bars.
It is on the stands that the first champion of this Senior Women’s European Championship is anointed: Manila Esposito wins with an excellent performance that allows her to grab the gold medal in the ‘full lap’. The joys don’t end here because sensationally the second step of the podium is also Italian and it is occupied by Alice D’Amato. This had never happened before in the history of the Fairies.
However, the passport rule (the podium cannot be occupied by three athletes from the same national team) prevents Italy from also winning the bronze medal with Angela Andreoli in the All Around, which she won mathematically. On the parallel bars, the silver medalist D’Amato and Elisa Iorio flew to the final. “I managed to do the race I wanted – says Manila Esposito –. Compared to last year in Antalya I did better, there are many more hours of training and the experience has certainly helped. Asia’s injury destabilized the team ‘balance of the team, but we were able to move forward because we supported each other.”
Appointment today with the Juniors and on Saturday with the Seniors apparatus finals.
