World medallists Zhou Yaqin, Artur Davtyan, Illia Kovtun claim title on day two of the Cottbus World Cup finals
Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael of Belgium picked up 30 Olympic qualifying points to bring a Paris 2024 in reach.
Artistic Gymnastics
World championships medallists Zhou Yaqin of the People's Republic of China, Armenia's Artur Davtyan and Ukraine's Illia Kovtun shined - and won titles - on Sunday (25 February) at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)'s World Cup event in Cottbus, Germany.
The first to perform in the women’s balance beam final was Zhou, the reigning world silver medallist on the event. She delivered a stunning, fluid routine, highlighted by a front handspring to front salto acrobatic series and a clean triple full dismount for a score of 14.900.
The 2021 World beam champion Ashikawa Urara scored 14.200 for second place, while Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour added beam bronze to the uneven bars title she claimed on Saturday (24 February).
Belgium’s Nina Derwael, the reigning Olympic champion on the uneven bars, continued to collect valuable points towards securing an Olympic quota spot. She finished fifth but was the top eligible athlete, collecting the maximum 30 points.
At the halfway point of the World Cup series, Derwael leads the beam standings with 60 points.
Zhou was also the champion on the floor exercise, earning a 13.733 for the win. Her teammate Chen Xinyi won the silver medal with a 13.666 in her senior international debut. Austria's Charlize Moerez rounded out the podium, earning a final score of 13.100.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Davtyan wins vaulting title with clean effort
Davtyan, the 2022 World champion on vault, picked up another title on Sunday, slipping past the Islamic Republic of Iran's Mahdi Olfati, 15.050 to 14.900. The Armenian vaulted a stuck Dragulescu (handspring, double front, half out) and a clean front handspring Randi.
China's Chen Yilu was the bronze medal winner with a final average of 14.850.
On the parallel bars, Kovtun continued his reign in the World Cup series, holding off teammate Oleg Verniaiev for the win. Dismounting with a nearly stuck double front, Kovtun earned a 15.266 to surpass Verniaiev's 15.166. The duo finished 1-2 in the final.
Rasuljon Abdurakhimov of Uzebekistan was third with a score of 14.766.
Competition in Cottbus wrapped up with the men's high bar, where Chinese Taipei's Tang Chia-Hung used four high-flying catch-and-release moves to score 14.600 and claim the title. China's Tian Hoo settled for silver with 14.600 after losing the execution score tie-break, while Lithunia's Robert Tvorogal took bronze at 14.533.
The 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series continues in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 7 to 10 March.
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