Petrounias European champion for the 7th time in rings

After an amazing effort that gave the Olympic champion 15,000 points Lefteris Petrounias won for the 7th time the gold medal in the rings at the European Gymnastics Championships held in Rimini, Italy.

See the effort of the Greek champion:

Excited at the award

Petrounias, although he has stood many times on the highest step of the podium, appeared excited during the award ceremony and during the playing of the national anthem.

On August 21, 2022 in Germany, Lefteris Petrounias equaled the performance of Hungarian side horse specialist Christian Berkiwho held the all-time record of six titles on the same instrument (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012).

Tonight at the European Gymnastics Championships the 33-year-old “golden” Greek Olympian managed to do what no other gymnast in the 69-year history of the institution (from 1955 to date).

It turned out European champion for 2024 after a great performance in the rings final, he reached nine medals in the event, including 7 gold and two bronze.

The Greek gymnast passed with the best performance from the preliminary (14,966 points), in the final he collected 15,000 surpassing his main rival and last year’s European champion in Antalya, Adem Asil (Turkey), who collected 14,900 points.

Petrounias was the last to perform his program in the final among the eight finalists, collected 15,000 points (difficulty score: 6,300, performance score: 8,700) and triumphantly returned to the top of Europe!

At the same time, sent the most resounding message ahead of the Paris Olympicsas the Rimini European was his first and only official match this year before the big appointment of the summer.

The silver medal was won by Nikita Simonov of Azerbaijan with 14,900 points, prevailing on a tie with last year’s winner, who is of Egyptian origin but competes for Turkey, Adam Asil, who also got 14,900 points but finished 3rd because it had a lower individual execution grade.

Before this year’s seventh European title for Petrounia, they were preceded by the bronze medal in his debut at the event, in 2011 in Berlin, then six consecutive victories in 2015 in Montpellier, in 2016 in Bern, in 2017 in Cluj, in 2018 in Glasgow , in 2021 in Basel and in 2022 in Munich, as well as another bronze last year in Attalia.

Alongside, reached a total of twelve gold medals in major eventsincluding his triumphs in three World Championships (2015, 2017, 2018), the 2015 European Games and of course the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

In the rest of Friday’s (26/04) finals, the British Luke Whitehouse (14.866 b.) emerged European champion in floor exercises, ahead of the Israeli Artem Dolgopiat (14.833 b.) and the Hungarian Christopher Mesaros (14.600 b.), while in the pommel horse the Irish Rhys McClenaghan (15,300 m) prevailed, with 2nd the Dutchman Laurent DeManck (14,933 m) and 3rd the Cypriot Mario Georgiou (14,800 m), who won another medal in Rimini after the triumph in the combined individual, which was combined with the Olympic qualification.

The results in the final of the hoops: