24th European Championships for Seniors
and 8th European Championships for Juniors
and 4th European Age Group Games
in Acrobatic Gymnastics in Vila do Conde / POR

Organising Committee:

PORTUGUESE TRAMPOLINE & SPORTS ACROBATICS FEDERATION
Av. João Crisóstomo, 35, 2 Esq.
1050-125 LISBOA, Portugal

Tél.: + 351.21.353.75.58
Fax: +351.21.354.50.80
E-Mail: secretariafptda.com
Internet: http://www.fptda.com

EC ACRO : final ranking in seniors: 4 nations share the titles 2009

Russia (womens trio and mens four), Belgium (mixed pair), Belarus (womens pair) and Bulgaria (men's 4) are the new title holder 2009.

 The last competitions in Vila do Conde will attribute the all-around European titles for 2009. A very large audience attent the competition venue for the senior programme.  

Mixed pairs

It is a pleasure seeing the five pairs once again and to wait for the final verdict who of the pairs - the Belgians or the Russians - will win the title. Thanks to a great and new choreography, Julie von der Gelder and Menno van der Gothe, the favourites of the local spectators, obtain the very high score of 28.655.  The Russian pair Tatiana Okulova et Revaz Gurgenidze  seems not to be too satisfied with their routine (28.250). The British gymnasts Katie Axten and Nicholas Illingworth get this time the second best note of 28.351.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Belgium 86.064
2. Russia  85.253
3. Great Britain 84.908
4. Ukraine  83.250. 5. Lithuania 82.100.

Women’s Pairs

7 pairs compete. The gymnasts from Belgium Florence Henrist and Tatjana De Vos present a good exercise and get 28.112, to their entire satisfaction. They are closely followed by the pair from Azerbaijan, Ayla Ahmadova and Dilara Sultanova; one would like to see them a bit more graceful, apart their technical qualities (28.070). The beautiful pair from Belarus Alina Yushko and Katsiaryna Murashko obtain 27940. This is the only category where no Russian gymnasts are on the podium.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Belarus 84.552
2. Grande-Bretagne 84.106
3. Azerbaijan 83.981
4. Belgium 82.925 ; 5. Germany 82.261 ; 6. Ukraine 81.947 ; 7. Russia 81.403

Men’s Pair

8 Men’s Pair compete. Immense applause for the Pair Tiago Figueiredo and Joao Maia. Supported by their public, the two gymnasts from Porto realise a great routine rewarded with a score of 28.455 which can’t be beaten – the hall explodes! They can go home with a third medal, a bronze one. For their combined routine, the Russians get 28.406 and the British 28.262

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Russia 85.356

1. Great Britain 84.526
2. Portugal  84.418
3. Ukraine 83.404 ; Belarus 83.305 ; 6. Poland 81.807

Women’s Trios

10 trios will compete. The trio from Portugal has a gymnast who was injured during a recent national championship and could only present the balance exercise ; therefore, this trio had to withdraw for the combined. Without surprise, the Russian trio wins easily and one can once again appreciate their brio. Their exercise receives once again the best note of the day: 28.800. The 2008 World Vice Championships leave behind them the Ukrainians (28.450) and the Belarussians (28.150).

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Russia  86.187, the best total
2. Ukraine  85.252
3. Belarus 84.658
4. Great Britain 84.540 ; 5. Belgium 84.009 ; 6. Poland 80.520

Mens’s Four 

The Ukrainians came to Vila do Conde to defend their title, but their hopes fell with the first series of the pyramid. The rest of the exercise showed also smaller faults. Score  25.770 and not much chance to finish on the podium. The Russians (28.207), the Belarus (28.101) and the British (28.010) were much better. As the FIG had forbidden the quadruple salto as it is considered too risky, it needed courage to realise the triple salto backwards. The most regular of the three competitions goes home with the title, Belarus.  

1. Belarus 83.693
2. Bulgaria 83.489
3. Poland 82.630
4. Great Britain, 82.332; 5. Ukraine 81.859; 6. Russia 81.394

D. Duchoud UEG

ECh ACRO: Final ranking of the juniors: 4 titles for Russia, one gold for Great Britain

Last competition day with the combined exercise. All competitors, but no more than one per country, presented the combined exercise. 4 Gold medals for Russia, one for Great-Britain

Combined programme

The combined movement must regroup three balanced and three dynamic pyramids, including choreographic gymnastics elements on the floor. Added to the qualification scores for the balance and dynamic exercises, the combined routine determines the titles of the all-around competition. The participation is limited to a group or pair per country in the five categories.

Women’s Trios

13 trios competed. The best combined routines were presented by Russia 28.550, Great Britain and France, both 28.150. 0.150 points separated the 2^nd from the 6th.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Russia 85.550
2. Great Britain 85.300
3. France 84.650
4. Belarus 84.300; 5. Belgium 84.300 ; 6.Portugal 83.900.

Women’s Pairs

11 pairs participated. Last to compete, the pair of Belarus obtained the best note (28.250). The pairs from Russia and Great Britain follow with 28.150. The other competitors are below 28 points.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Russia 85.150
2. Belarus 85.150 (tie-break)
3. Great Britain 84.650
4. Poland 83.650 ; 5. France 82.850 ; 6. Ukraine 81.950.

Men’s Four

4 groups competed; the British group was the best with a score of 28.200. The Russians obtained 28.000, the Ukrainians 27.500 and Poland only 26.600.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Great Britain 84.600
2. Ukraine 81.350
3. Poland 80.9850
4. Russia 79.000

Men’s Pairs

9 Men’s pairs participated in the competition. The last pair, the Germans, succeed the second best performance with 28.150. Only the Russians were better with 28.500 and the British team nearly equalled the score with 28.100. Thanks to this good performance, they can go home with a bronze medal.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Russia 85.500
2. Great Britain 84.500
3. Germany 84.300
4. Bulgaria 84.300, Portugal 83.650 ; Azerbaijan 83.350 ; 6. Ukraine 82.050

Mixed Pairs

The Russian duo ended its routine very easily with 0.400 points ! ahead of the British pair with 28.350. The third best score was given to Belarus 27.950.

Ranking of the all-around competition:

1. Russia 85.650
2. Great Britain 2 85.150
3. Belarus 83.700
4. Poland 83.650. 5. Germany 83.200 ; 6. Ukraine 82.400.

For the last award ceremony, the end of the Russian anthem could be heard (of course, no one did recognise it). Only the Russian champions did not seem to be surprised.

D.Duchoud/UEG

Direct live in Acrobatics Gymnastics

ECh in Acrobatic Gymnastics in Vila do Conde/Por: nominative registrations

From 25th to 29th September the 4th European Age Group Games will take place in Vila do Conde (near Porto, north of Portugal), followed by the 24th ECh seniors and 8th ECh juniors in acrobatic gymnastics (ACRO), from 1st to 4th October 2009.

Some 422 gymnasts from 18 NF will complete end of September and beginning of October in Vila Do Conde (POR) in the categories women’s pairs, men’s pairs, mixed pairs, women’s trios and men’s groups. Of the different winners in 2007 in the senior’s category, only the Ukrainian men’s four will defend its title. The titleholder in the juniors category (Russia) will also complete, but in the seniors’ category. Several medalists of 2007 will be present in Portugal in a different category or with other partners.

The nominative list of participants can be downloaded in the Downloads section.
Titleholders Seniors 2007 in s’Hertogenbosch/NED
(Detailed results under www.ueg-gymnastics.com/Statistics)
Women’s Pairs : 1. RUS Khakimova/Ploskova
Men’s Pairs : 1. UKR  Popov/Shcherbak
Mixed Pairs : 1. RUS Kovtun/Glazkov
Women’s Trios : 1. GBR (Grove-Morrison-Lamkin)
Men’s Four : 1. UKR (Kriuchkov/Lytvak/Urazbakiyev/Bilozor)

Participation and categories:
AGE GROUPS: 18 NF, 157 gymnasts from 11 to 16 years, complete in the following categories:

11 21 7 21 4

mixed pairs women’s pairs mens’s pairs women’s trios men’s groups (4 gymnasts)

JUNIORS: 15 NF, 157 gymnasts between 12 and 19 years:

16 15 12 21 5

mixed pairs women’s pairs men’s pairs women’s trios men’s groups (4 gymnasts)

SENIORS: 15 NF, 112 gymnasts, minimum 15 years old, as follows:

6 8 10 12 7

mixed pairs women’s pairs men’s pairs women’s trios men’s groups (4 gymnasts)

The athletes can complete only in one category.
The pairs, trios or groups having already completed or will complete the same year in WCh, World Cups, WG or ECh seniors, cannot participate in the European Age Group Games.

General programme :
AGE GROUPS :
Sunday 27th September: Qualifications 09h30 – 20h30 in the Sports Hall
Monday 28th September: Finals 16h00 – 19h30 + closing ceremony

JUNIORS and SENIORS :
Thursday 1st October 
09h00 - 17h35  Qualifications Juniors and Seniors
17h40 - 18h15  Opening ceremony
18h30 - 20h00  Finals Juniors (women’s pairs, women’s trios, men’s four)

Friday 2nd October 
09h00 - 17h50  Second part and end of qualifications Juniors and Seniors
18h15 - 19h15  Finals Juniors (men’s pairs, mixed pairs)

Saturday 3rd October 
09h00 - 20h45  Finals Seniors and Juniors

Sunday 4th October :
10h00 -17h50  All around Final Seniors (combined exercise)
As from 17h55   Award ceremony + closing ceremony

Nice participation

The figures of the provisional inscriptions of the 20 announced federations represent a nice participation for the European Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics that will take place from September 28th to October 4th in Vila do Conde/POR.

The 24th European Championships for Senior / 8th European Championships for Juniors and 4th European Age Group Games in Acrobatic Gymnastics will be organised by the Portuguese Federation in Vila do Conde / POR. Some twenty National Federations have announced their participation, which corresponds to the usual average.

A total of 585 gymnasts will participate at the different competitions. Details of the provisional inscriptions:

SENIORS (min. 15 years old)

Women’s pair	12
Men’s pair	13
Mixed pair	12
Women’s Trios	15
Men’s Four	9 = total of seniors gymnasts: 155.

JUNIORS (12-19 years old)

Women’s pair	20
Men’s pair	14
Mixed pair	16
Women’s Trios	25
Men’s Four	8 = total of junior gymnasts: 203

AGE GROUP (11-16 years old)

Women’s pair	28
Men’s pair	12
Mixed pair	16
Women’s Trios	29
Men’s Four	7 = total of gymnasts age group cat.: 227.

Vila do Conde
Vila do Conde belongs to the district of Porto, in the north of Portugal and counts about 26'000 inhabitants. The city is ideally located in the delta of the river "Rio Ave", bordered by some rich green forests and on the see side by some beautiful white and sandy beaches with some apparent rocks. Thereby it offers a wide range of rich and diverse landscapes.

It is above all a charming town with a culture and tradition of former times.
Entering the city, your eye is caught by the monumental convent of Santa Clara which literally dominates the city and the valley of Rio Ave. Founded in 1318, the convent was restored and enlarged in the 18th century. Apart from its remarkable architecture and its intimidating position, another important feature of the convent is the aqueduct. Taking its source in the mountains at 5 km from the city, the aqueduct is the 2nd largest in Portugal with 999 arcades.
A stroll through the streets and alleys of the historic centre will bring you to Gothic architectural treasures. However, the Manueline style predominates; decorative references to maritime adventures (ropes, boats) and distant lands carved in stone. You can visit some remarkable monuments: the Museum of Religious Art, the Church of Mercy, the City Hall, the "Casa de São Sebastião" now renovated as Memory Centre and Museum, the Church of Sao Francisco, the Municipal Library ... and many more! The houses and their facades are equally impressive with their refined architecture and ancient mosaics.
Finally, do not forget to taste the traditional pastries called " Doces de Convento de Santa Clara." They are small cakes tasting as delicious as original: limão (lemon), feijão (beans), chila (watermelon), but also cream, almonds, etc..