FIG Challenge Cup 2016 turns first page of International Calendar in Baku

/By Azernews/

By Amina Nazarli

The first FIG Challenge Cup 2016, a grandiose sporting event bringing together many gymnastics fans, has ceremonially ended in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.

The biggest sporting event opened the international World Calendar of artistic gymnastics in the Olympic year in Baku on February 19-21.

The World Challenge Cup with excellent level of organization and impressive atmosphere could become a real milestone in the gymnastics world.

A total of world's 146 best gymnasts within the delegations representing 19 countries showed brilliant performances for three days of top-class competition. But only 45 male and 22 female gymnasts had a chance to compete for medals in Apparatus Finals.

Alongside the foreign gymnasts, the national athletes including male gymnasts Oleg Stepko and Petro Pakhnyuk, as well as Kristina Pravdina, Marina Nekrasova, Yuliya Inshina and Maria Smirnova delighted fans with brilliant results.

The national gymnasts grabbed four medals from 30 available at the World Cup.

Oleg Stepko, who was irresistible at the first European Games, winning five medals was also invincible grabbing three medals at the FIG Challenge Cup. Marina Nekrasova excelled well, replenishing the national trophy with a bronze medal.

Azerbaijan hosted the grandiose competition at its impressive 9,000-seat National Gymnastics Arena designed to host all gymnastics disciplines.

Baku holds the FIG World Challenge Cup in Artistic Gymnastics on an arena, which has all the necessary conditions for organizing important events, said President of the women’s artistic gymnastics technical committee at International Federation of Gymnastics, female Olympic champion Nellie Kim.

Men competed in six categories such as Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar, Floor and Pommel Horse. Women performed in four events such as Floor, Vault, Balance Beams and Uneven Bars.

The last day of the World Cup announced the winners.

Stepko could justify his fans' expectations in the final on Parallel Bars taking one of the gold medals among six existed with 15.550 points. He was followed by an athlete from Turkey, Ferhat Arican (15.350) and from Japan, Kaya Kazuma (15.250), who took the silver and bronze of the Cup respectively.

On vault Oleg was awarded with silver medal, gaining 14.650 points. The winner became Japanese Kenzo Shirai with 14.975, while Ahmet Onder from Turkey was the third, securing 14.400 points.

Rings was an apparatus to complete Oleg’s set of medals. Receiving 14.700 points for his routine executed on Rings, he won the bronze medal. Turkish gymnast Ibrahim Colak (15.450) took the first, while Japanese Kaya Kazuma (14.800) won the silver.

Nekrasova could show successful performance on Floor exercises with 13.200 points, gaining her the bronze. Flavia Lores from Brazil and Emma Larsson from Sweden were the first and the second respectively.

In Pommel Horse among men Tomomasa Hasegawa (JPN) took the first. Belgium athlete Maxime Gentges claimed the second and Saeed Reza Keikha (IRI) third places.

In Horizontal Bar event Japan Hasegawa earned gold, leaving behind Ahmet Onder from Turkey and Tin Srbic from Croatia.

Japan athlete Kenzo Shirai with 16.150 points lead the finals in Floor event and next came Rok Klavora (SLO) with 14.800 points and Alexander Shatilov (ISR) with 14.550.

Women’s competition in Uneven Bars finished with the victory of German Lina Philipp, followed by two Brazil gymnasts Daniele Matias and Flavia Lores, taking silver and bronze accordingly.

In Vault finals Oksana Chusovitina (UZB) secured the gold, while Tjasa Kysselef (SLO) silver and Lisa Ecker (AUT) bronze.

Balance Beams ended with the victory of Flavia, securing 14.800 points. Emma placed second with 13.650 and Elisa Haemmerle (AUT) third with 13.350 points.