The 3^rd edition of the European Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships is about to start. Being the first big competition after the Olympics and under the new Code of Points, this edition of the Europeans is being awaited with a lot of interest by the gymnastics fans and specialists all over the world. In Milan two generations are going to meet: the champions from last year and the new hopes of each country for this new Olympic cycle.

The complete list of participants can be found here.

Romania will be represented by:

– Sandra Izbasa, Anamaria Tamirjan, Gabriela Dragoi, and Diana Chelaru in the WAG competition

– Daniel Popescu, Flavius Koczi, Marius Berbecar, Robert Stanescu, Alin Jivan, and Cosmin Popescu in the MAG competition

Although not in top form, according to a series of interviews of the head coach Nicolae Forminte in Prosport, the Romanian girls will fight to defend a European floor title (Sandra), as well as other medals on beam (Sandra, Anamaria) and on floor (Anamaria). First time in a major competition in her senior carrier, Diana Chelaru is going to fight for a place in the vault and the AA final. Anamaria is actually the most complete gymnast that Romania has at the moment and, in fact, with quite good chances in medaling in the AA competition. Gabriela Dragoi, insufficiently recovered after the leg injury suffered recently, is going to only compete on the beam (her favorite event) and on the uneven bars.

The biggest chances of winning medals are this time on the men’s side. With a new head coach starting January (Nicusor Pascu), the guys have pretty big chances of getting into finals and winning medals: on AA (Flavius), vault (Daniel, Flavius, Alin), pommel horse (Flavius) or rings (Robert). Unfortunately one of the top Romanian gymnasts having big chances of winning medals in the AA and floor finals, Razvan Selariu, has an injury which stopped him from training and from going to Milan. He has been replaced by Cosmin Popescu, a debutant in a big competition, but with good exercises on parallel bars and on pommel horse. Marius Berbecar, the Romanian gymnast with the fastest progress rate in the last months, according to Pascu himself, is a strong candidate for AA, parallel bars and even floor finals.

The competition schedule, according to the official website:

Tuesday 31^st March – podium training

10:30 – 12:30 WAG official podium training (Subdivision 1)

13:30 – 15:30 WAG official podium training (Subdivision 2)

15:45 – 17:45 WAG official podium training (Subdivision 3)

18:00 – 20:00 WAG official podium training (Subdivision 4)

Wednesday 1^st April – podium training

10:00 – 12:30 MAG official podium training (Subdivision 1)

12:45 – 15:15 MAG official podium training (Subdivision 2)

15:30 – 18:00 MAG official podium training (Subdivision 3)

20:00 Opening ceremony

Thursday 2^nd April – qualifications

10:30 – 12:30 WAG qualifications (Subdivision 1)

13:30 – 15:30 WAG qualifications (Subdivision 2)

15:45 – 17:45 WAG qualifications (Subdivision 3)

18:00 – 20:00 WAG qualifications (Subdivision 4)

Friday 3^rd April – qualifications

10:00 – 13:00 MAG qualifications (Subdivision 1)

14:00 – 17:00 MAG qualifications (Subdivision 2)

17:30 – 20:30 MAG qualifications (Subdivision 3)

Saturday 4^th April – AA finals

13:00 – 15:00 AA final WAG

15:30 – 18:00 AA final MAG

18:15 Award ceremony

Sunday 5^th April – event finals

10:30 – 13:30 Event finals 1

– MAG: floor, pommel horse and rings

– WAG: vault and uneven bars

13:15 Award ceremony

15:00 – 17:30 Event finals 2

– MAG: vault, parallel bars and high bar

– WAG: beam and floor

17:45 Award ceremony

18:15 Closing ceremony

The order in the competition can be found here.

We would like to wish good luck to all participants! And, of course, HAI ROMANIA!

Ioanavol