The Rio 2016 Test event which was also the qualifying event for the Gymnastics saw some real good competitions. Which one of these will translate into the performances at the Olympic games slated to happen in August this year, is still to be seen.
However, an Oleg Verniaiev hat trick of golds, Arthur Zanetti & Eleftherios Petrounias tough competition both in qualification round & finals, Epke Zonderland winning gold in High Bar, while Sun Wei’s golden performance in Pommel Horse, Flavia Saraiva in Floor and silver on Beam or Dipa Karmakar golden appearance on Vault with a jump that is decisively on the risky side, Elisabeth Seitz in uneven bars or Sanne Wevers in Balance Beam can’t be seen just as outing of these super Gymnasts only-
it was a message that the Summer Games will see glittering events in Gymnastics.
The Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev left his calling card all over the Olympic arena during Artistic Gymnastics apparatus finals at the Rio Test Event. The Artistic Gymnast who was prime contributor to Ukraine’s success in its quest for an Olympic team berth, pocketed half the golds on offer in men’s finals and is seen as one of the few true challengers for the Olympic title. His scores were Floor Exercise (15.266 points), Vault (15.333), Parallel Bars (16.133).
The test event also saw a stiff competition between the Olympic gold medalist Arthur Zanetti and the World champion, Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias, wherein Petrounias was best in the qualification round, but Brazilian edged him for gold in the final by a mere 0.033.
Netherlands’s Epke Zonderland made merry with High Bar with a gold finally after he missed making to the final at the last World Championships.
Chinese Sun Wei took gold on Pommel Horse.
Flavia Saraiva is just 1.32 meters tall and she plays in the big leagues.
The incontestable favorite of the public at the Rio Olympic Arena made her name known with gold on Floor and silver on Beam, and will be expected to win some medal for Brazil in the Summer Games.
Dipa Karmarkar keeps coming out with national headlines in India for being first ever, this time she did by obtaining her ticket to the summer’s games, inscribing her name in history as the first female gymnast to qualify to represent India at a Games.
She didn’t finish her demonstration with just the Olympic ticket, but clinched the gold on Vault with a jump that is decisively on the risky side.
Uzbek Oksana Chusovitina has abandoned this particular vault after her attempt at the 2015 World Championships.
Seventh Summer Games it will be for this experienced gymnast, and silver at the test event proved that she will be a treat to watch during the Summer Games as well.
Uneven Bars has always been a strength of Germany and the day was no different as Elisabeth Seitz and Sophie Scheder took the top two places; Balance Beam has been the force of Netherlands and Sanne & Lieke Wevers made it their family business.