Britain’s Jessica Gadirova closed off another brilliant day in her career on Sunday by becoming the European women’s all-around champion for the first time, finishing with a strong score of 55.032 and edging out Zsofia Kovacs of Hungary by 0.133. The victory also marks Gadirova’s first major international all-around title.
As the top contenders of the women’s all-around final at the European Championships arrived at the decisive, nerve-wracking balance beam, the contest remained finely balanced ahead of its third rotation. While Gadirova had begun the contest as favourite, her history with the beam has not always been pleasant.
Until the World Championships last year, where she won bronze in the all-around with her career best performance on the apparatus, Gadirova had often struggled with it in major competitions. When she did not fall, small mistakes tended to add up and torpedo her score. In team finals, her more consistent teammates were usually chosen over her on beam.
But her emergence as one of the top all around gymnasts in the world is a reflection of how effectively she has improved her weaknesses alongside her strengths. Under immense pressure in Turkey she nailed her beam routine then headed to her favoured floor exercise, where she finished the job.
“It’s hard to put this into words, the emotions are running so high,” she said after securing victory. “I’m over the moon.”
It is the latest triumph in a breakthrough period for the 18-year-old. Two days earlier Gadirova led Great Britain to their first ever European women’s team gold. She has been a key member of the team’s recent success, including their Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo.
Individually, Gadirova is also world champion on the floor exercise, and she became the first British gymnast to win a women’s world all-around medal last year in Liverpool. She remains on the path to becoming one of Britain’s most successful gymnasts.
The power and technique Gadirova demonstrates on her vault and floor routines have always marked her for the top, but she continues to mould herself into a strong all-around gymnast. Along with her improvement on the balance beam, she has become cleaner and more consistent on the uneven bars, and has positioned herself to compete with the best in the coming years.
Gadirova will next attempt to defend her floor exercise gold medals and will also contest the balance beam final in Turkey. Other British gymnasts will be present in various apparatus finals, including Jake Jarman, who won a silver medal in the men’s all around final on Thursday.
