Notice: This text is Half II of a 3-part sequence
Half I: 2018-2022
Half II: 2009-2017
Half III: 2002-2008
Ellie Downie (2017)
In 2017 Ellie Downie took the AA gold medal on the European Championships. Simply earlier than the competitors Ellie had sustained an harm on the British Championships, however fought via it whereas competing on the European Championships. However finally Downie’s ankle harm would require surgical procedure and she or he was compelled to withdraw from the 2017 World Championships.
Ellie Downie would end eleventh within the AA on the 2018 World Championships. However on the 2019 World Championships she received a bronze medal on vault. Regardless that three different gymnasts have since succeeded her as European AA Champions within the years since, Ellie Downie is the newest gymnast to win a European AA gold medal and return to win one other medal in a person occasion on the Olympics or World Championships.
Sadly for Ellie Downie, the Covid-19 Pandemic would disrupt her profession and she or he misplaced all of her momentum from 2019 through the “misplaced 12 months” of 2020. Ellie Downie would try to make the 2021 Olympic group, however was not chosen. Her profession has been on pause ever since.
Giulia Steingruber (2015)
You must go all the best way again to 2015 with Giulia Steingruber to discover a gymnast who didn’t get considerably hampered by the curse of the European Championships. After successful the AA on the European Championships, later within the 12 months Steingruber completed fifth within the AA on the 2015 World Championships.
Regardless that she positioned 4-spots decrease within the standings, Giulia’s performances had been on no account a drop-off. On the 2015 World Championships 5 of the top-7 had been North American or Asian gymnasts and ineligible for the European Championships. The one European gymnast who beat Giulia Steingruber was Larisa Iordache who had been injured through the 2015 European Championships.
Giulia Steingruber completely lived as much as her earlier degree of success on the 2015 World Championships and it is vitally arduous to argue that this was a cursed competitors for her. If one wished to be really nit-picky, Giulia completed seventh on vault throughout Occasion Finals which might technically be her lowest placement in a 5 12 months interval from 2013 to 2017. Nevertheless it got here beneath the context of Steingruber giving the perfect AA efficiency of her profession.
After her 2015 European AA title Giulia would seem within the subsequent two Olympic Video games. On the 2016 Olympics she received the primary Olympic medal of her profession. On the 2017 World Championships she received the primary medal of her profession on the World Championships degree. Regardless that she didn’t win such medals on the 2015 World Championships, there could be little question that the 2015 European Championships helped propel Giulia Steingruber to future success.
Aliya Mustafina (2013)
Within the final 20 years Mustafina is likely one of the few gymnasts to keep away from the curse of the European Championships. After successful the European AA title in 2013, Aliya Mustafina attended the 2013 World Championships the place she received a bronze medal within the AA. Like Giulia Steingruber two years later, Mustafina can be the very best rating gymnast from the European Championships within the World Championships AA Finals.
Aliya Mustafina would go on to win extra medals after her 2013 victory on the European Championships than earlier than it. This consists of one other Olympic look the place she received three extra medals. So no, Aliya Mustafina didn’t endure the identical curse that bothered different European AA Champions.
Nevertheless, there’s the lingering reminiscence of the 2011 European Championships the place Aliya infamously tore her ACL. Mustafina would go on to proceed her Corridor of Fame profession to nice success, however the harm prevented her from replicating the identical dominance she achieved on the 2010 World Championships in future years. Whereas the premise of this text focuses on gymnasts who really received the European AA as Aliya had executed in 2013, however there’s something to be mentioned of a unique sort of misfortunate between Aliya and this competitors stemming from 2011.
Anna Dementyeva (2011)
When Aliya Mustafina was injured on the 2011 European Championships, this allowed her teammate Anna Dementyeva to seize the AA title for herself. The unlikely champion tried her greatest to show her European gold medal wasn’t a fluke. Anna attended the 2011 World Championships the place she completed thirty first in AA {qualifications} and did not advance. Within the course of turning into probably the most excessive examples of this curse.
So as to add insult to harm, Dementyeva completed 14th in beam {qualifications}, the one equipment she had certified to Occasion Finals on through the 2010 World Championships. Anna wouldn’t have the ability to repeat this success in 2011. After successful the European AA title in 2011, Anna would finally fail to qualify to both Occasion Finals or AA Finals for the remainder of her profession in Group-1 competitors.
This occurring whereas Russia was reloading with the arrival of a younger expertise corresponding to Viktoria Komova, Anastasia Grishina, and Maria Paseka. Russia’s backlog of expertise solely grew to become worse when Mustafina was capable of rejoin the group in time for the 2012 Olympics. These developments would finally push Anna Dementyeva out of the beginning lineup regardless of her capacity to proceed producing viable scores in a specialist function. Russia merely had an excessive amount of expertise to make room for Dementyeva.
The 2011 World Championships was Dementyeva’s final look in a serious competitors. This occurring only some months after her gold medal on the 2011 European Championships. No European All-Round Champion suffered a faster or harsher fall from grace than Anna Dementyeva.
Ksenia Semyonova (2009)
It was Ksenia Semyonova who received the European All-Round in 2009 and kick-started the dynasty of three consecutive Russian AA Champions. Semyonova made her senior debut in 2007 and instantly received a gold medal on the uneven bars on the World Championships that 12 months. In the course of the 2008 Olympics she completed 4th within the AA and sixth on the uneven bars. Sadly, she didn’t win a single medal. However Ksenia got here shut and her efficiency was commendable, leading to Semyonova gaining main reputation amongst gymnastics followers.
This set her up for the 2009 European Championships the place Ksenia received the AA. However on the 2009 World Championships Semyonova would end thirteenth within the All-Round and failed to achieve Occasion Finals. After the 2009 European Championships Ksenia went from a top-rate All-Arounder and lovable fan favourite, to witnessing her function with the Russian nationwide group being diminished with every passing 12 months.
Regardless that she was solely 16 years previous when she took the AA title on the 2009 European Championships, quickly afterwards Semyonova grew to become a gymnast on the draw back of her profession. Ksenia wouldn’t seem in Occasion Finals at both the 2009 or 2010 World Championships, nor did she make the 2012 Olympic group. However Ksenia Semyonova did win a gold medal as a member of the Russian group on the 2010 World Championships.
It was a harsh set of circumstances in a sport the place the careers can cruelly be far too brief.
Hyperlink to Half III
Hyperlink to earlier half (Half I)
