The 2018 European Championships took place this past weekend in Glasgow, Scotland, with medalists from a variety of countries, including Russia, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Belgium, to name a few. We saw very high difficulty on all the events, from Boglarka Devai’s 6.0 vault to Nina Derwael’s 6.3 bars routine. We also saw some impressive execution, with gymnasts scoring in the mid- to high-8.0s on bars, beam and floor, and into the 9.0s on vault. 

We took a look at the top difficulty and execution scores from both the juniors and seniors, across all four events, from qualifications, team, event finals. Check out who made our rankings below.

Vault: Devai’s Cheng Tops Difficulty Rankings, Villa Earns Best Execution

The highest difficulty on vault came from Hungary’s Boglarka Devai, who competed a Cheng, worth 6.0. Her Cheng had some form issues, with a big pike on the landing and a step out of bounds, however it did have good amplitude and her difficulty was rewarded in her earning the top score in the event finals for the seniors. Following Devai, three gymnasts tied for the second highest difficulty, all performing Rudis, worth 5.8. Russia’s Lilia Akhaimova competed this vault and placed fifth in the event final, as did France’s Coline Devillard, who placed sixth. Angelina Simakova, also from Russia, competed the vault in the qualifying round and placed ninth.

In terms of execution, the junior competitors actually topped the rankings, albeit often with easier vaults. Italy’s Giorgia Villa had the highest E-score for both of her vaults, a 9.300 for her 4.6 vault in the event final, and a 9.266 for her 5.4 Yurchenko double during qualifications. Villa finished second in the event final. She was followed by Great Britain’s Amelie Morgan, Ukraine’s Anastasiia Bachynska, and Russia’s Vladislava Urazova. 

On the senior side, Russia’s Angelina Melnikova took the highest E-score in the event finals for her Yurchenko double, scoring a 9.166. The Netherlands’ Naomi Visser tied the 9.166 E-score for her Yurchenko full, as did Great Britain’s Lucy Stanhope for her Yurchenko double. Three senior gymnasts scored a 9.100 in execution: Romania’s Denisa Golgota (for her Yurchenko double), France’s Marine Boyer (Yurchenko full), and Spain’s Ana Perez (Yurchenko full).

Vault - Top D Scores

1.  Boglarka Devai (Hungary) - 6.0

2T. Coline Devillard (France) - 5.8

2T. Lilia Akhaimova (Russia) - 5.8

2T. Angelina Simakova (Russia) - 5.8 

Vault - Top E Scores

*Denotes junior athlete

1. Giorgia Villa (Italy)* - 9.300 (EF) (4.6 D)
Giorgia Villa (Italy)* - 9.266 (QF+TF) (5.4 D)
Giorgia Villa (Italy)* - 9.233 (QF) (4.6 D)

2. Amelie Morgan (Great Britain)* - 9.266 (EF) (4.6 D)

3T. Anastasiia Bachynska (Ukraine)* - 9.233 (QF + EF) (4.6 D)

3T. Vladislava Urazova (Russia)* - 9.233 (QF) (4.6 D)

5T. Angelina Melnikova (Russia) - 9.166 (EF) (5.4 D) 

5T. Naomi Visser (Netherlands) - 9.166 (TF) (4.6 D)

5T. Lucy Stanhope (Great Britain) - 9.166 (TF) (5.4 D)

5T. Yana Vorona (Russia) - 9.166 (TF) (4.6 D)

9T. Denisa Golgota (Romania) - 9.100 (EF (5.4 D)

9T. Marine Boyer (France) - 9.100 (TF) (4.6 D)

9T. A Perez (Spain) - 9.100 (TF) (4.6 D)

9T. Phoebe Jakubczyk (Great Britain) - 9.100 (TF) (4.6 D)

Bars: Derwael Takes Top Difficulty, Dutch Gymnasts Nail Execution

Unsurprisingly, Belgium’s Nina Derwael came away with the top difficulty score on bars in this competition, hitting a 6.3. Her routine is jam-packed with high difficulty skills, such as her signature Derwael (an F skill) and a Nabieva (a G skill), but she also has incredibly hard connections. She connects her Derwael to an Ezhova to a Shaposh to a Pak for huge bonus. Just behind Derwael in difficulty rankings is Sweden’s Jonna Adlerteg, who actually qualified in first place but finished just behind Derwael in the event final. 

Adlerteg has a 6.2 D-score with a routine that also has some big skills and good connections (she connects her Shang to a Pak, and a Shaposh to a Bhardwaj). Adlerteg is tied with junior Carolann Heduit from France, who also hit a 6.2 D-score. Her routine includes an inbar 1/1 to Komova II to Ricna, a difficult combination, as a well as a Galante to Pak. 

When it comes to execution, the Dutch gymnasts take the top spots. Although they do not have the most difficult routines, they perform them exquisitely. Celine Van Gerner had the highest E-score of the competition with an 8.733 in the team final. Her routine composition is similar to what you might see in NCAA, with a few bar transitions and a big Ray as her single bar release, but it was all done to perfection, with hit handstands and legs locked together. Her teammate, Sanne Wevers, followed with the next highest E-scores, with an 8.633 hit in the team final and 8.566 hit in qualifications. Junior Dutch gymnast Astrid De Zeeuw had the third highest E-score with an 8.466, and her routine was the most difficult of the three with a 5.5 D-score. She will be a key contributor for the Dutch team going forward

Uneven bars - Top D Scores

1. Nina Derwael (Belgium) - 6.3

2T. Jonna Adlerteg (Sweden) - 6.2

2T. Carolann Heduit (France)* - 6.2

Uneven bars - Top E Scores

*Denotes junior athlete

1. Celine Van Gerner (Netherlands) - 8.733 (TF) (5.0 D)

2. Sanne Wevers (Netherlands) - 8.633 (TF) (5.1 D)
Sanne Wevers (Netherlands) - 8.566 (QF) (5.1 D)

3. Astrid De Zeeuw (Netherlands)* - 8.466 (QF, TF) (5.5 D)

Beam: French Gymnasts Show Off Difficulty, Derwael Is Nearly Flawless

The French gymnasts showed great difficulty on beam at this competition — in particular, Boyer and Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos. Boyer had the highest difficulty score of the competition with a 5.9 that she hit in qualification, followed by De Jesus Dos Santos who hit a 5.7 in the team final. Boyer’s routine incorporated some unique mixed combinations, including a front aerial to split jump to tuck jump 1/2, and an aerial cartwheel to split leap to side somi. Following the French, there are four gymnasts who hit a 5.6 D-score during the competition: Romania’s Golgota, Turkey’s Tutya Yilmaz, the Netherlands’ Wevers, and junior Russian Kseniia Klimenko. Wevers walked away with the gold medal in the event final, and her routine consists of her signature style of beautiful combinations and unique skills, such as her full twisting L spin to backspin to double spin to split leap. 

Although Derwael is known for her work on bars, she really impressed on beam as well at this championships. She does not have the highest difficulty, but her execution is incredible, and she placed second in the event final (and first in qualifying) despite only having a 5.0 D-score. Most notable is how she gets well beyond 180 in her leaps, and it looks easy for her. Derwael hit an 8.600 E-score in the event final, and an 8.500 in qualifications. The next highest E-score came from Italian junior Villa, who hit an 8.333 in the event final to claim the gold medal. Third place is a tie between Wevers (who hit an 8.300 in the event final) and Belgian junior Fien Enghels, who hit an 8.300 in qualifications for her 4.7 D-score routine. 

Balance Beam - Top D Scores

*Denotes junior athlete

1. Marine Boyer (France) - 5.9 (QF)
Marine Boyer (France) - 5.8 (EF)

2. Melanie De Jesus (France) - 5.7 (TF)

3T. Denisa Golgota (Romania) - 5.6 (QF)

3T. Tutya Yilmaz (Turkey) - 5.6 (QF)

3T. Sanne Wevers (Netherlands) - 5.6 (EF)

3T. Kseniia Klimenko (Russia)* - 5.6 (QF)

3T. Marine Boyer (France) - 5.6 (TF)

Balance Beam - Top E Scores

1. Nina Derwael (Belgium) - 8.600 (EF (5.0 D)
Nina Derwael (Belgium) - 8.500 (QF) (5.0 D)

2. Giorgia Villa (Italy)* - 8.333 (EF) (5.3 D) 

3T. Sanne Wevers (Netherlands) - 8.300 (EF) (5.6 D)

3T. Fien Enghels (Belgium)* - 8.300 (QF) (4.7 D)

Floor: Melnikova’s Tumbling Ranks First, Van Gerner Takes Execution Title

Russia’s Melnikova was a favorite going into the floor event final, having qualified first with a 5.9 D-score, the highest of the competition. Her routine included a full twisting double layout, double layout, and several difficult turns which maximize her D-score if she hits them all, such as her double L spin connected to double spin. Melnikova’s difficulty is followed by France’s De Jesus Dos Santos with a 5.6, which she hit in team final, and Romania’s Golgota, who hit a 5.5 in the event final. Like Melnikova, De Jesus Dos Santos also opens with a full twisting double layout, and she follows that with a full-in. 

Van Gerner takes the execution title hands down, having secured the highest E-scores from the qualification, team final and event final. Her highest was from the event final with her signature cat makeup, where she hit an 8.700. Her artistry in this routine is incredible, and, on top of that, she hits every move with such precision. Van Gerner placed highest in the event final out of those who ranked in the top for execution, just missing a bronze medal by placing 4th. Her E-scores were followed by Great Britain’s Georgia-Mae Fenton, who hit an 8.400 on her routine in qualification and the team final, and the Netherlands’ Sara Van Disseldorp, who also hit an 8.400 for her routine.

Floor Exercise - Top D Scores

1. Angelina Melnikova (Russia) - 5.9 (QF)
Angelina Melnikova (Russia) - 5.6 (TF)

2. Melanie De Jesus (France) - 5.6 (TF)
Melanie De Jesus (France) - 5.500 (QF, EF)

3. Denisa Golgota (Romania) - 5.5 (EF)

Floor Exercise - Top E Scores

1. Celine van Gerner (Netherlands) - 8.700 (EF) (4.6 D)
Celine van Gerner (Netherlands) - 8.500 (TF) (4.6 D)
Celine van Gerner (Netherlands) - 8.466 (QF) (4.6 D)

2T. Georgia-Mae Fenton (Great Britain) - 8.400 (QF, TF) (4.8 D)

2T. Sara Van Disseldorp (Netherlands) - 8.400 (QF) (4.6 D)

Related:

Day 1: 2018 Euros Full Event Replay

Day 2: 2018 Euros Full Event Replay