The 18 years old junior Brian Gladow, member of the golden Germat team at the last European Junior Championships in Volos, und the Ukrainian European all-around juniors champion Mykola Kuksenkov ranked on firsat and second position at their very first seniors competition at the world cup in Moscow. The youngsters reproved the world champion Aljaz Pegan from Slovania on third place...

The Russians won three gold medals at the finals for the 'World Stars 2006': Yulia Lozhechko on balance beam, Alexander Safoshkin on still rings and Anton Lobachyov on men's vault....

VAULT
1. Anton Lobachev RUS 16.125
2. Sean Golden USA 16.050
3. Tomas Gonzales CHI 16.025

4. Andrei Isayev UKR 15,925
5. Raphael Wignanits FRA 15,725
6. Alasi Ali Moh'd JOR 15,575
7. Adan Soares dos Santos BRA 15,300
8. Isaaac Botella ESP 15,225

PARALLEL BARS
1. Mitja Petkovsek SLO 16.00
2. Roman Zozulia UKR 15.450
3. Andrei Isayev UKR 15.250

4. Dmitri Gogotov RUS 15,100
5. Adam Kierzkowski POL 14,900
6. Alexander Safoshkin 14,600
7. Alexander Tsarevich BLR 14,550
8. Roman Kulesza POL 14,450

HIGH BAR
1. Brian Gladow GER 15.450
2. Mykola Kuksenkov UKR 15.400
3. Aljaz Pegan SLO 15.350

4. Roman Kulesza POL 15,200
5. Max Finzel GER 15,100
5. Alexander Tsarevich 15,100
7. Dmitri Gogotov RUS 14,350
8. Marizo Moznik CRO 13,850

... read more on the German GYMmedia Portal
>> www.gymmedia.de

Today the long time President of the Artistic gymnastics men's Technical Commitee of F.I.G., the German Karl-Heinz ZSCHOCKE celebrates its 75 birthday in Zeuthen, a green area nearby the German city of Berlin.
Zschocke experienced nine Olympic Games, eighteen worlds and fourteen European Championships and participated at 30 international congresses.

He was one of the most creative framer of the different Olympic cycles of the Code of Pointages for a long time....

Third Change since 2004 ....
The Chairman and Chief Executiv Officer of the 'Vneshtorgbank', the nextlargest Russian bank, Andrey KOSTIN (49) was elected new President of the 'Russian Gymnastics Federation' on 19 May at an election meeting of this national public organisation.

Kostin is the third Russian gymnastics president since 2004 in this top position, after the retirement of Leonid Arkaev (December 2004) and the last change from Yuri Titov to Yuri Dedykh in January 2006....

At the meeting Andrey Kostin said that
“there are considerable opportunities to secure the reputation of the Russian competitive gymnastics. However, today it is extremely important to keep the unique sportsperson formation school, the Russian sport coaching traditions by a well-deserved financing to both the professional and the amateur youth sport. In this case only we will succeed in continuing glorious traditions of great victories and at the highest international level.'

The worldwide gymnastics family feels sorrow for the death of the former Soviet star Yuri BALABANOV (43), who passed away 2006, May 10 after a sudden heart attack in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts /USA.
Balabanov, 43, had been the head girls' coach at 'Gymnastics Learning Center' in Shrewsbury, Mass., for the past two years.
The gymnastics community is seeking donations to aid the family of former Soviet team member Yuri Balabanov, who died of a sudden heart attack May 10 in Massachusetts.

Svetlana and Alex, who had been a Level 4 gymnast at Gymnastics Learning Center, had recently moved back to Belarus. 'His death has been a shock', said Marianne Frongillo, president of Gymnastics Learning Center in Shrewsburry. 'Balabanov was a 'phenomenal' person and coach!'
**********************************************************************

Fund Set Up for Balabanov Family
The gymnastics community is seeking donations to aid the family of former Soviet team member Yuri Balabanov.
Frongillo said funds collected will be used to help keep Demitri, who is a member of the dean's list for academic excellence, at Univerity of Massachusetts.
BALABANOV Family FUND
Nikolai Brovin
136 Turnpike Road
New Ipswich, NH 03071

- or:
Igor Kniazev
Gymnastics Village
13 Caldwell Drive
Amherst, NH 03031

or electronically to:
Routing #: 211391825
Member #: 5069019-6

Source: Website of INTERNATIONAL GYMNAST

David Kikuchi of Halifax, Nathan Gafuik of Calgary, Nansy Damianova of Montreal each won two gold medals in the artistic gymnastics event finals to conclude the Canadian gymnastics championships.
In men’s competition, Kikuchi, the all around champion earlier this week, took top honors on high bar and pommel horse and was also second on rings. Gafuik was first on parallel bars and added a third place finish on floor. Other winners were Adam Wong of Calgary on floor and Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., on rings.
In the women’s event finals, Damianova was first ....

The 3rd World Cup Ghent saw three Chinese victories today at the Topsporthal Vlanderen: So the reigning world champion XIAO, Qin was the best gymnast at the pommel horse in front of the Hungarian specialist Berki, and HUANG, Xu beat the Slovanian European champion at parallel bars Petkovsek; in women's category China's LI, Ya won on uneven bars, followed by Russia's Svetlana Klyukina. The Spaniard Lenika de Simone blocked the sucsess of Ashley PRIESS and Hillary Mauro (both USA) on beam and together with her teammate Patricia Morena she reproved Ashley Priees on thord place on floor exercises....
Veteran Oksana Chusovitina was top again on vault, followed by Alicia Sacromone (USA).
Bogonosyuk (UKR; floor), Angioletti (ITA; rings), Golotsutskov (RUS; vault) and Pegan (SLO; high bar) were the other European winners in Ghent...

Sunday's Finals

>> Men's Final Startlist // >> Women's Final Startlist

R E S U L T S, Finals

>> Men's Finals // >> Women's Finals

Winning team gold but also the titles on floor and rings the Russians finished the 28th European Championships in Volos, Greece as the most successful nation.
Romanian's Dragulescu (vault) and Koczi (pommel horse) won two gold medals at today's finals.
Slovenian's Petkovsek defended his title on parallel bars and the Greek host jubilated about the gold on high bar, gained by Vlasios Maras.....

In the morning, the German juniors -Friday's team gold winners, - won another two golds and finished the junior championships as the best nation, in front of the Russian boys...!

In a public announce the 'British Gymnastics Association' (BAGA) is seeking for the position of a 'Technical Director' for men's artistic gymnastics.
Suitable applicants should submit their CV and a special Olympic strategic ideas containing their vision for men’s gymnastics in the lead up to 2012 to the British Gymnastics Federation...
>> ... detailed Information but also in our
>> GYMmedia Job Exchange

The apparatus finals at the 27th European Championships are over.
< Russia was the most successful nation in the juniors field with gold for Karina Myasnikova on vault and uneven bars and for Daria Elizarova on beam and silver for Elena Kokareva on uneven bars. Romania improved at the end of the finals with gold for Aluissa Lacusteanu on floor and two times silver on beam and floor for Andreea Grigore. Further medals in the juniors field went to Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg.
In the seniors field another victory on vault for Russia by Anna Grudko. The victory on uneven bars clearly went to Elizabeth Tweddle - the very first European title for British gymnastics!
The victory on beam went to Olympic Champion Catalina Ponor who previously had announced her retirement after these European Championships. The floor final was won by her teammate Sandra Izbasa. Further medals in the seniors apparatus finals went to Ukraine, Germany, Spain and Italy.

The Rumanian press reports that Olympic Champion Catalina Ponor's coach, Matei Stanei, said that he will quit coaching and return to his old passion which is yachting.
According to Stanei, Ponor supposedly is determined to quit gymnastics after the Women's European Championship in Volos, Greece between April 27 and April 30.
'Catalina quit gymnastics but reconsidered her decision,' said Stanei to the Rumanian press....