Highlights Gymnastics: European Championships

Welcome to highlights of the final day of action from the European

gymnastics Championships in a maniac and whilst it's been a relatively

new and young team competing for Great Britain the results have been

everything we could have hoped for and the medals are just kept on

rolling and? In Romania. I tell you what, it is on! Well done

James, what a fantastic performance. James Hall makes his mark with a

bronze medal. Well than Ellie, fantastic result. Plenty of

supporters. And they have had plenty to shout about. Get in the Courtney

Tulloch! Making history! Silver medal. What a Championships she is

having. What about that! Magnificent! Great finish, that was

excellent! Ellie Downie has done it! She is the new women's all-around

European champion! And we are just halfway through the

championships with lots more still to come. We will talk through all

the action and are joined by Beth Tweddle and Christian Thomas. As you

are of the men's team, what's it been like to observe this from home

and watching how well the team have done? It has been incredible, I

think they have exceeded expectations, they have stepped up

to the mark and performed well, consistently and they have left a

stamp on these championships without a doubt. They have done exceedingly

well, James in the all-around went out there, took the all-around

bronze medal, Courtney Tulloch on the rings... Did you expect that? I

was quietly confident, I knew what he was capable of in training, he

goes about his business in a controlled and confident manner and

you could see that in his approach to the final. He got stronger as the

competition went on. And young Joe Fraser alongside, again, absolutely

brilliant, he has made the transition from Junior up to senior.

They gave him an opportunity and he ran with it and he did well to

finish Beth. Talking of someone making the transition from junior to

senior, Ellie Downie, she has been gobsmacking. Unbelievable. To come

into these championships, you never know with it being a new cycle you

don't know what new faces will be around, what the teams will be

scoring so you are going in blind. She has come out so composed and so

far has done, I cannot even work out in my head, ten out of ten routines

without any mistakes. That's all you can ask from your gymnasts. But then

you have the younger member, Alice going into the all-around with

little notice she was even coming out to the Championships and very

much like Joe has took it in her stride and is going to show us what

she can do. Ellie making headlines all over the world. Five more

finals, Dominic Cunningham involved, Claudia Fragapane involved, and

James Hall in the high bar final which we will see later but we start

on the vault. Dominic Cunningham involved.

COMMENTATOR: The first gymnast to go. The judges are ready. Compact,

powerful gymnast. Wraps it, superb! Triple twisting. He gets the final

underway. You looked up to the sky because they do not come much better

than that. What a perfect start, he has nailed about troubled West. That

is three twists. -- he has nailed that troubled West. Landed on the

match exactly where he wanted to be. Just over 15 the score, an enormous

first vault and could well have given him the extra that he needs to

help with the second vault. So as we said, two vaults and the averages

taken so this is vital if he wants to get another medal. He took silver

in the all-around. Last chance. Need something big, strong and powerful

approach, the handspring, what a challenge! Very difficult to land I

am sure you will agree. Yes, handspring approach, had to split

his legs and bend them slightly, not going to get much better than that I

have to say. I'm the first man up in the final, setting the tone like

that will put the pressure on the rest of the gymnasts who will

follow. He will be happy with that! Please welcome Dominic Cunningham,

Great Britain! Now it is the turn of Dom Cunningham, Great Britain, 21

years old. A fired up gymnast. He is very spatially aware. The two and a

half twists, unfortunate on the landing, this step forward, the

plunge will be costly but not too bad an opening vault. He did not

quite get the left he wanted so troubled a bit further. You can see

on the replay. Did not quite get the block on the second-hand and then a

bit of height lacking to get the twists in. But it's a good start to

his final. 14, fair score? Yes, he was probably

hoping for a better landing but a pretty solid start. Can you give us

the heads up on his second vault? Eight triple

a harder difficulty. Big vault. Blocks in, two and three quarters,

not just rounding up, that will be heavily deducted. You can see the

look on his face, two and three quarters is not a triple. But this

is great experience for him. He came into high, are they going to give

the trouble? Or poorly. It's going to be tight for the judges, he's

left them with a few questions but in the air very clean. At least he

managed to find his feet. The all-around champion this year,

current European vault champion, has had the benefit of watching all of

the previous gymnasts go. He knows what he needs to do and how

difficult he needs to go, opting for a 5.6 to start with. It's a big

vault and a big ask. A slight adjustment online thing but so

impressive. That's a relatively easy for him. Look how smooth it is.

Plenty of height, kicking out from the have to West. -- from the have

this needs to be a big vault if he wants to retain the European title.

15.066 the current leaders scored. 5.6 difficulty, going to be good,

that is a triple twist. Slight adjustment on landing. He has laid

down the challenge. Did not get the height. Strong approach. Just the

one step out, it will be a deduction but other than that very clean.

He is in a silver medal position at the moment. But no doubt this man

will have something to say about that. The crowd roar as the

four-time world champion, three-time European vault champion is back. No

doubt he will want to give them a bit of a firework display. Gets the

big one, handspring, double front half turn, slight adjustment online

thing. What a challenge. -- on landing. Bit of a step on the

landing, judges will take deductions. Still quite clean in the

air. I think perhaps will score a bit lower. Nine for execution. It

will be a different entry to the platform. Two and a half twists. He

has certainly laid a challenge. Is it good enough to go into first

place? We will have to wait and see. His lead shoulder not quite all the

way around. Definitely two and a half twists.

He matches what he did last year, taking the silver medal. That means

the first gymnast to go is the new European vault champion. Sum up the

experience? It has been great, to make the final is immensely hard out

here. It's great to have made both finals. To come out here and compete

in a whole different world gymnastics, no warm up before the

competition, it's been great to be out here. Many more to come I hope.

You have been working hard to get here, you are 21, what are your

hopes for the rest of the year and going forward? I'm going to work as

hard as I can when I get back home, that's what I will be doing, working

really hard to get back into the team. You have got your work cut out

to stay in the team Kristian. There is real fighting talk within the

team about what is possible as far as the World Championships are

concerned but interesting hearing him talk about a whole new world of

gymnastics, going out without a warm up and having to produce the goods

straightaway. And the young Russian had the opportunity of being the

first gymnast up so he was pretty fresh out of the blocks. But the

skill level on this first vault. The first man up, first vault, not many

who can do it as good as that. This was just, look at how he opens out.

Does not get much better than that. Making his way into the Russian team

as a youngster, again, without a warm up. Big powerful vault. Again,

solid landing. And a tough act to follow for all of the gymnasts, to

burst of go out there, that was the gold medal performance.

Most of them probably were not watching but they will see the

scoreboard, and if they don't, the coaches will tell them. To see that

score, they will be thinking, I've really got to do my best

performance. But sometimes that raises your game. If you see people

perform, it puts pressure on, to go on and take the title. Marian

Dragulescu is 36, vastly experienced, he knew exactly what he

had to do. He ended up taking the silver medal. Let's treat ourselves

to another look. He was so for this in front of the home crowd. He loves

it, he has always been a performer. Since his comeback, he genuinely

loves what he does. He has the interaction with the crowd, the fact

it was a home crowd, he played up to it. As soon as he finished his

vault, he celebrated... That vault is named after him. The second

vault, with two and a half, such big difficulty. You can see the little

pace on landing. He has a bit of time, a bit of form lost, but he has

a few months to consolidate both of those vaults ready for the World

Championships. It was great to see Niger, net in the audience. Just

celebrating with them. -- Nadia Comaneci in the audience. And the

aeroplane celebration. Now we will move onto beam, and we expected to

see Becky Downie in the final, but because of what happened on bars,

she is sitting this out. She had a small fall, a bit too much pressure

through the arms. The British team decided to pull her out, but luckily

Claudia in ninth position show she will come in. Becky is going to get

a scan, and they will keep an eye on her. Ellie Downie is also in this

final, she made every final. Quite a performance for British gymnastics.

Another gymnast to keep an eye on, Catalina Ponor, who has been in and

out of retirement for the latter part of her career. A trip down

memory lane for you. Competing in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she

took gold. Of course she wanted a superb performance in front of her

home crowd at this European Championships. Well, she didn't

disappoint. COMMENTATOR: Larisa Iordache, the

highest qualifier. European champion.

The Romanian gymnasts are renowned for good pace. Working speedily.

Nicely joined the first two jumps, a leap and a jumper. Very positive on

the landing of the free cartwheel. She works with good rhythm so can

pack a locked into the beam routine. The big series, negotiated well. --

a lot. Strong in the free walked over, just

a little pause. Barely a wobble, but not quite good

enough to link to the next element. Very nice change of legs. Gymnasts

have to include at least three non-acrobatic skills. She has done

two difficult leaps and a difficult double spin.

We have seen plenty of acrobatic skills already, there's beside

somersault. Lovely pace. -- the side somersault.

Iordache has already had an excellent dismount. -- always had.

Backflip, triple twist. Oh, she held onto the landing. But until then, it

was a really good performance. At least 0.8 for the run backwards.

What a shame. That routine was really well constructive. The free

cartwheel, no wobble. Picking up lots of difficulty. The big series,

the flick into the full somersault. The camera missed it. And the double

spin. The feet were slightly over rotated, but she covers it. And then

into the triple twist. Slightly with her weight behind her, but she

managed to pull it back onto her feet. What a shame.

Iordache in gold medal position at the moment. Strong competition still

to come. Britain's Claudia Fragapane. Replacing the injured

Becky Downie. She was fourth at the European

Championships in 2015 on this piece. To come in as a late replacement,

just coming back to full fitness, just working two pieces here. The

standing Arabian, beautifully performed. A blind landing. Nicely

done. Two jumps. The acrobatic series, the backflips,

oh, a straight somersault and that is very uncharacteristic for

Claudia. Last season, we saw her complete that element with a full

twist, so this was a bit easier. It is a very difficult format for

the gymnasts, no warm-up on the apparatus in the arena. Lovely full

twisting back somersault from the standing position. So powerful, so

quick. One of the non-acrobatic moves to be included.

Has gained a lot in terms of maturity and positive performance.

This is much classier. The experience of Strictly Come

Dancing is certainly showing here. Very expressive arms. Two flips into

a double twist. That is a great shame, because other than the fall,

it was a very polished performance. It was. It looked very classy. The

standing Arabian, so difficult, the blind landing. This is where the

error came in. The flip into the straight somersault and the front

foot came off to the side. Unfortunately, not a lot you can do

to save that. Well, she is in third with a fall.

Yet another final for Great Britain's Ellie Downie. 17 years

old. All around champion here. Silver on floor, bronze on bars.

This was the piece in the all-around that she said she was a little shaky

on, but she has been so tough in these championships. Always

difficult, the beam. Lovely- somersault. It's the peace

where there is the least margin for error, and this is a very difficult

skill. Beautifully done. You just don't see

the beam, you have to trust you have taken off in a straight line.

The skills she had a big wobble on in the all-around, clearly done this

time. Lovely double spin. The acrobatic series that has to be

included, one flip, one layout, just a little wobble, but fighting hard.

All about a strong core, and body tension. Split leap.

Free cartwheel. Good discipline with the arms. A bit of a sideways dance

that has to be included. The two and a half twists, a great

landing. That was a truly mature performance of a champion.

She started well with the standing Arabian. Used the double spin, where

she had the problem in the all-around, but she sorted it out

today. Such a great routine. Two and a half twists, performed so well.

Her coach, very pleased with that routine. A couple of connections she

maybe would have hoped to get that she didn't get today, but a very

positive routine. She is in second. That's quite a scalp for her, ahead

of Weavers. Peruse the performances have not been a flash in the pan at

all. -- proves the performances. We still have Thorsdottir and Kovacs

to go in this final. 18-year-old Thorsdottir. The second

Dutch gymnast in these finals. Very interesting, the leap into the

free cartwheel. The Korbut flip, named after Olga Korbut. Extremely

artistic, this gymnast. Elegant. Lovely and supple, she took her head

right back and touched it with her foot. Extra points for that. And a

very difficult illusion turn. She really does look like she is dancing

on the beam. Quite a different style to some of the other gymnasts we

have seen. Smooth free walked over, brilliant discipline with the arms.

Lovely spin with the leg up, but just a single.

We haven't seen masses of acrobatics, but usually a big

dismount, triple twist and very clean. That dismount is whether a

lot. I would be surprised if that is not our top scorer so far. A very

classy performance. The first connection, what a gorgeous

connection, very original. She dances the whole routine, every

skill is incorporated into the artistry. The spin they have to

show. Then she takes a break before going into the next connection. The

big dismount, the round off into the triple twist, just a step back but a

great routine. It is a golden smile at the moment.

Ellie Downie still in bronze medal position. 13.433.

Now the former Olympic champion and European champion four times over

the mounts the beam. A very positive start from Catalina Ponor. One of

the great acquis workers over the years. Look at the speed of the

backflip and two layouts. Super supple. Lovely combination. This

really is a pacey routine. No hanging about.

This is what makes the gymnasts look confident on beam. There is a mark

for mastery of the apparatus. This case and confidence...

Comes from an era where Romanian gymnastics was dominant. The half

turn into the forward walk over. Holds it well. That was a bit of a

challenge. After all the fast work, to hold the handstand...

Strong free walk over. The split jump with the head back, the sort of

things the judges have to decide whether the head went far enough

back. Certainly in terms of performance, this has been very

confident. The double pike, a pace back but

that was fabulous beam work. So very, very impressive. 29 years old.

Wow. 14.066 the score to beat, Nadia Comaneci joining in the applause.

The sheer respect for being able to do that... If you look at her

routine from 2004, the skills in it haven't changed massively. She has

maybe changed the construction of it. Interestingly in qualification

she scored 14.066, so interesting to see what the judges do with it. The

first combination was so confident, the flick, layout, layout. Gymnasts

who get the three elements together get a serious bonus. The blind

landing into the leap, straight into the three quarters flick. She had to

hold it, and the big dismount. Just a big step on the landing, but

fantastic routine. I think that would go into first position. Nadia

Comaneci, very pleased with that. This Romanian crowd is not going to

be happy if that is not the golden performance at the moment. That is

very true. She had loads of pressure on her shoulders. The Romanian women

haven't had a medal, haven't even had a sniff so far. She knows how

much everyone is depending on her. A huge performance under absolute

pressure. Just the relief that it went her way is the emotion she is

feeling at the moment. We just have to have it confirmed from the

judges. That that is the best performance so far... We all think

it is. She has had a long journey to get back to the fitness she is at.

It looks very good! She is in gold medal position, what

an emotional moment for her, she has been on the scene for so long. You

must always be thinking about when to retire but to have a European

Championships, at home, then you just keep on going. And to produce

gymnastics in that way with that grace and that skill, it's a

beautiful thing to watch. So the results... For the fourth time she

becomes European beam champion. You could sense the relief that

everything happened just the way she wanted it to in front of the home

crowd. It was very much like the floor, you could see how much it

meant to them, they had different journeys, coming in and out of

retirement but they are so proud to represent their country. It meant a

lot to be stood on that podium. And she did not hold back, going through

at an incredible pace. They are very confident, you would never think

they are nervous. The somersault connection, building the difficulty

straightaway. The thing is her routine has not changed massively

since 2004. This kills sheep farms are very much the same skills may

just put together in a different way so I think that is why it has worked

to her advantage. It's great to see the confidence with her now, it's

taken a couple of years to get that back. This is what she was like in

2004. When you watched her in training, I remember watching her in

2003 she was just the reserve and I were still in all, she did ten

routines and did not flutter. They are she had to fight and you know

she has done it thousands of times. You have experienced the show in the

gym haven't you? Yes, what struck me was the lack of hesitation. Full of

confidence. No adjustments or a wobbling. You can see it is nice

even though she has been, she has not lost the natural touch or

ability. Third in the end, maybe we expected more but that this might,

she was looking so good. It's such a shame, the whole routine, she has

had a couple of tough years, she did not go to Rio and was really

disappointed. She came out so confident, qualified in top position

and we thought she had it. Went for the best mind which is normally so

Steve, had a few staggers and staggered off the side of the map

and as soon as she presented you could see the disappointment. Fair

to say LA Dhoni did better than expected, finishing fourth in that

company. It is amazing, her confidence has kept growing. Each

medal giving her more and more and she is coming back out fighting. For

Amanda and her personal coaches, she is a huge competitor and she loves

the pressure and the atmosphere and to be able to do it on the fourth

day of competition and so she is still on top of the world is great.

No British interest in this final but still a wealth of top-class

talent on show. We knew it was going to be close and so did the reigning

Olympic champion. The German now 29 years old. The

door is open for him as the highest qualifier. Scored 15.166 in

qualification. The score to beat is 14.633 for the gold medal. If you

liked variety on the parallel bar as this is a routine to watch. Style as

well. Slight adjustment, better in the turn. Nice in the double back,

plenty of kick out. It's what the judges look for, all the way round,

and again, front up rise into the double back. Such difficult work.

Under somersault, Lockwood straight arms. And again with the half

turned. Long swing popping out for good measure and the double back.

Exquisite to watch. Double back with the full turned. Super work. Huge

difficulty and threw it with relative ease. Plenty of height, the

kick as well which the judges want to see. Some very difficult

gymnastics. A third double back, so you can see why he is wearing the

arm pads. Very unique dismount. He is in gold medal position as it

stands. Now his chance to make a mark on the parallel bars. Really

come on on the parallel bar is bulls. Strong start. Pops again to

handstand. Very clean. Controlled. Front somersault. No problems.

Straight to handstand. Great line and extension from the shoulders to

the feet. Good struggle front. Wet. High, real variety in this routine.

Pops up. Going well so far. Turned. This could really challenge, can he

hang on? Slight adjustment. Looks good, looks very, very good. Good

height. Absolutely, the struggle front. Important to catch cleanly as

well. Leads the competition with 15. He

goes into the lead. The youth Olympic champion now. Got himself

into the parallel bar final at last year 's Europeans. Needs over 14.633

to get into the medals as it stands at the moment. Fluid start. Precise

and on the turns. That's the difficult skill.

Beautiful transition. One bar back into support. Working well. Solid

hands. The little movement will cost, pirouette back in. Needs to

hang in the dismount. Double front half turn, slight adjustment.

Quarterfinal we are seeing here. Looks so controlled and almost

effortless throughout the whole routine. No mistakes are big hand

adjustments. For me that should take him top. He punches the air. 15.2

66. He leads for now. But this man is capable of very strong bid. The

third highest qualifier. People good line in the handstand. Long

swing. Nice flight in the long swing. That is powerful gymnastics.

Performed cleanly. Slightly over, brushed the parallel bar. Front up

rise, need to pick dismount. Double front half turn, slight adjustment

but he is happy with that. A few little mistakes the judges will have

picked up on two is going to be taken at the top. So difficult. This

is the skill will you just brushed the bars, does not look too bad but

the judges might have picked up on it. He's gone into the league! 15.3

66. It was a huge score. How close is this final? David looking

slightly shocked by what he saw. European champion. Olympic bronze

medallist. Beautiful, front our Price. -- front our price. Split the

legs. -- front very compact, dynamic gymnast.

Working well. Slight adjustment. Should have gone to the hand stand.

That will be costly full stock got a good dismount, double bonds have to

turn. Good routine. But not good enough for me. Doing everything he

can to hang on to that title, but 15.366 is a big ask. You can see how

high he got. This mode, stuck landing, the judges

will pick up on how low the chest was. -- dismount.

From one former European champion to another. A silver last year,

Verniaiev, on this piece. But he is the fourth highest qualifier. He

scored 14.9. Can he do enough? Can he get up into the medals? He has

had a long wait. Now is the time. Olympic champion. On this piece of

apparatus. A beautiful start. This is the big

skill. Clean with the half turn. Under somersault, one bar.

He normally does the Healy turn out of there, so he must work well for

the rest of the routine. Accurate with the hands. Must fix

the shape. Dismount, double front half turn. He

lays a challenge. What a routine. Wow.

He needed to put that one bar Healy in to put up the difficulty for

execution. Up there. With the top routines. This is what you want in

an apparatus final. You want the top guys fighting for that position.

Would be nice to see him with a medal. He's gone into the lead! He's

done it! 15.466. Well, what a performance under severe pressure.

He had to watch every single one, and my word, the scores were big,

one after another. He just had to watch and wait. And then, by jingo,

did he do the job. Oleg Anaya is once more European

parallel bars champion. Lukas Dauser takes the silver medal. -- Oleg

Verniaiev. STUDIO: As we have seen from

previous finals, never easy being the last gymnast and watching

everybody, but Verniaiev knew that he was Olympic champion and what he

had to do. Half a mark better than he has done at these championships

on that apparatus. What a performance. Exactly. That is where

his experience comes in, he has been European and Olympic champion, he

knew what he needed to do and step up to the mark. All of the gymnasts

had already been and they put in some really good performances. So he

had to up his game. And he delivers, as he usually does. European

champion again. I love a P bar final, but that was one of the best.

Lukas Dauser is really making a name for himself. Absolutely. His routine

is so unique. Skills that not many other gymnasts do. He is tall, it

has the aesthetic quality, something extra for the judges' attention. I

would like to see him over the next few months, before the World

Championships, really make a mark. Especially on the world stage. He

has done it at European level, the whole stage is the next step. With

the competitive spirit, he seems like a real character in the mix,

which helps as far as firing up everybody else. Now the floor. In

addition to the beam final, Claudia Fragapane has also qualified for the

floor final. She has been off, around the dance floor, but now

strictly down to business. It's so good to be back. It hasn't changed a

bit. I feel so supported. There to say you have had quite a six months

since Rio. I have had quite a while off, so to be here is really good.

The whole Strictly thing has been amazing, great to be a part of. Nice

to do something different and then go back to gymnastics. I have

learned from Strictly. Before when I was doing gymnastics, I was very

tense and stressed quite a lot. Now I have done all these competitions

and every single international, gone to Strictly and am something

different, I have come at a different person, more chilled and

relaxed. Now before competitions, I say, I've done all the work I can,

now I have to enjoy myself and not feel so tense. That's what I'm

doing. In Romanian, you are through to the final on the floor. How happy

were you with qualifying? It was an amazing feeling. I didn't do all my

jumps and my bonuses, but hopefully in the final it will all click.

Eythora Thorsdottir. The fifth highest qualifier. Capable certainly

of mid-to high 13s. Quite a special routine.

Needs to hit the tumbles. Triple twist, punch front, and a deduction

as she stepped out. But enjoy the dancing.

Very expressive, arms, hands, face. Lovely double tuck.

Little bit of theatre in this performance.

Lovely two and a half twist at the finish.

Really dramatic. She sells the floor beautifully. Unfortunately, a

deduction on the first tumble. And however beautiful you are on the

dance, you cannot get away from the fact that she took a big step out.

The first tumble. Quite high in the flip. The triple twist into the

punch front, and that is where the step that was. And then the double

tuck somersault. The tumbles don't have huge difficulty, but where she

bills it up is with the spins. Four in a row, and all of them are

difficult spins to link together. So as long as the judges credit all of

them, the difficulty will be built up. And the final tumble, the two

and a half, just a tiny move. Apart from the step out at the

beginning... You can see the facial expressions really bringing it to

life. Her coach uploading. I do think, it is a fairly newish routine

for her, and given another six months, it would be fantastic. It

takes quite a lot out of you to perform like that with the facial

expressions and sell it. That's taking away a little bit from the

performance of the gymnastic moves. But once it beds in, I think it will

be really special. She has dropped down to 13.366, which would not be

enough for a medal. We will have to wait and see. It's going to be

close. For the Dutch, it's important for her to be seen and to gain the

reputation, for people to look forward to seeing the performance.

They will trade a medal right now for a one in the future. So her

reputation is known. And she has the routine now, so she has a few

months... 13.7, the judges loved it. In gold medal position at the

moment. Thank you very much indeed, she says, I'll have that. And looks

as surprised as us. But there is artistry involved, and she would

have got the top scores for artistry. Angelina Melnikova, the

young Russian gymnast, 16 years old. Also made the vault final. This

gymnast has got a high difficulty score, big tumbles. Very classical

and elegant. Two lovely spins. Sometimes struggles with the

landings. Not this time. Lovely double Arabian.

Beautiful combinations so far. Full twisting double pike. Super stuff.

Double pike, makes the landing. So pleased to see that. She struggled

in competition this season, and she is such a classical, complete

gymnast. That was fab. Feels like a real celebration of floor

gymnastics, this final. She came to the O2 and in Stuttgart, the leading

gymnast for Russia in the world series, and every time she has

fallen on floor. But not today. The spin with the leg up, pointed toes.

And one of the big tumbles, and to do that in your third tumble, you

have to have lots of stamina and power. And the final tumble, the

double pike. A great routine. 13.7 is the Golden score at the moment.

For me, that is the combination of both dancing and tumbling, spins and

leaps, that we want to see. Not predominantly one or the other.

Let's hope it's rewarded. Melnikova has gone into the lead! 14.1.

It all came together at the right time. You could well be looking at

the European floor Champion there, but, well, what a job Ellie Downie

has. From Great Britain. She was the highest qualifier with a score of

13.9. Ellie, a very different style, but

huge tumbles. Double twisting double back. That's

how you do it. This is hugely difficult tumble. One

and a half walk out, and up into the double Arabian. Does it easily.

Really maturing as a performer. Double pike, sky-high, easy.

What a Championships for Ellie Downie, what a fantastic floor

routine to finish. She has not put a foot wrong. That was a fantastic

routine. Well, this one is going right down to the wire. It really

is. Ellie Downie has just performed out of her skin here in Romanian. Do

you know what, Ellie? Job done. Relax, it's over. You can see, it's

almost like, oh... Four days, what a great competition. To finish in that

way shows everyone how good a character she is. Very little to

deter up. The one and a half walk out, straight into the double

Arabian somersault. Did well to hold the landing. She has spoken about

how she's had to really work on the artistry side, and really work on

those facial expressions. It's great to see. And there's the double pike,

nothing to deduct there. It's going to be very close with this score.

Interesting to see who they bring out on top. 14.1, the score to beat.

13.7, Silver. 13.566, bronze at the moment. Two to go, one of which is

Claudia Fragapane. 14.066, Ellie is happy with that. Huge

congratulations with the way that she has performed.

So Claudia Fragapane now, the second-highest qualifier. Silver

back in 2015. Commonwealth champion on the floor. And a new routine for

the season. The big opening tumble, full twisting double straight,

fantastic. Big challenge here on this second

tumble. Has to be clean. Sky-high double Arabian and she just

overcooked it. Great choreography and here on this

bird tumble run, super double straight, into a jump.

Really expressing the dance work well. Big double pike dismount,

that's the way to land. That's going to be a fantastic routine, it is a

fantastic routine but they step out and the big step from the double

Arabian will be costly. Such a shame, it was a fantastic routine

and I saw her coaches at the National Championships and they were

seeing how they wanted to bring the strictly performance alive, they

spent a lot of time choreographing it, how could they bring the

elements she lured into it and it comes to live in cheaper forms it.

The full twisting double straight, absolutely spot on. This is the

second tumble, got the flying landing, just to springing. It's not

that she is not without power, that is the point. Too much power. Then

the double straight, straight in to the jump, three out of the four

tumbles absolutely nailed on the landing. The double Arabian just

need a bit more time to control the energy. A special talent to be back,

competing at that level with a brand-new routine. Fantastic and you

saw her with her coaches, they've done a great job with her. She spent

all that time on Strictly Come Dancing and just two pieces to

prepare for this championship, but very disappointed with herself. She

is a gritty competitor. Her scorer will give her an indication of what

she will be capable of in the future I am sure but you can see she is

filled with disappointment from the landing on the trouble. But a lot to

take away from that performance. -- from the landing on the tumble. By

the end of the year she will be back on all four pieces and be a real

force to be reckoned with. Some deliberation... Yeah, she worked in

the first round, early morning of the women's qualification so she has

had a tremendously long wait for this moment. It's always tough when

you are working, this has been the big emphasis of the competition for

her. It has, that was the final she wanted. 13.533, she finishes sixth.

But that scorer with a step out, that is a big score. But there is

your new European floor champion. Ellie Downie takes the silver.

Definitely very happy, did not have gone a lot better for me, my main

aim was to come and hit my routines and I have hit 12 out of 12 which is

unbelievable really. To come out with four medals is crazy. I am so

pleased. How is the body holding up? 12 routines is the maximum anyone

can do. I am pretty knackered to be honest. Going into the day it was

the most tired I have felt, but with the crowd and the adrenaline and

knowing what I had done in the past couple of days, it pays to be on and

my coach said I had nothing to lose. We have been watching the last

couple of years, so you get the bronze all around in France a couple

of years ago, we saw you come forth in Rio, agonisingly close. What has

been the difference, what have you done to push on? I have really

knuckled down after Rio, it was disappointing for me. I took a break

and came back and was ready to go again. I worked so hard, pushed my

fitness and rehab. Although it has paid off here. Could not be happier.

What is next for you, what you do between now and the World

Championships? First of all I take a rest and then I will get back into

the gym, maybe learn some new combination skills which were not

ready for this Championships. But my aim is to get back in there and work

as hard as I have been. We know your sister could not compete because of

her injury yesterday, how is she? She's just got a bit of a sore elbow

at the moment, we don't know the diagnosis. She was pretty upset but

I cheered her up and have been encouraging her. She is strong and

fighters so I know she will come back stronger. I am sure another

medal for you will cheer her up further, well done, thank you. Thank

you. What a way to wrap up the European

Championships, a fourth medal, gold, two silver and a bronze. Ellie

Downie becomes the most successful European gymnast we have ever had as

an individual. And she did it in style. She has been fighting all the

way through this Championships, a superb floral routine had been laid

down but Ellie did not disappoint. We keep talking about it, but it was

her fourth day of competition and doing 12 out of 12 was great. Using

the double bubble and coming straight back down on the diagonal,

into the double Arabian which most people would struggle as the first

tumble. All credit to her. She has surely worked on the artistry, you

can see the facial expressions coming in, at the beginning of the

season and she was saying how much she was looking forward to

performing the routine and you can hear the crowd getting involved and

no deduction on the last tumble. Great way to round off her European

Championships. Really laying on the pressure with this stylish beautiful

gymnastics. The three medallists were very different. She is very

artistic, powerful tumble, leaping, flexibility. Then you have Ellie

Downie who is very powerful. She is wearing socks so if you wonder why

that is it's to be able to do all the spinning and get the connection,

get the difficulty. They come at a price as far as tumbling goes? Yes,

you saw on the first tumble her feet were slightly in front of her and

she could have slept but she is used to training on it. You said you

could not believe she did it in socks. Yes, for me, especially at

the major championships, new floor, new carpet, it has that layer where

it can feel a bit sloppy and it takes time to get a warning about.

It's unique in that sense. Some of the Chinese gymnasts have done it so

it might catch on. Quickly, full of drama, that performance. The

different styles, lovely to watch. And Claudio Bravo panic back with a

new routine -- cloudier Fraga Panny back with a new routine, plenty in

between the tumbles. -- Claudia Fragapane back with a new routine,

plenty in between the tumbles. She was just too powerful. That comes

with numbers, being able to control the energy. Great to see her back

out there competing, she has had time out so to be at these

championships and performing at this level is great. I think she was a

bit disappointed with it but she has to take the positives. I hope she

doesn't put herself under too much pressure from what she was expecting

out there to be honest. What she has to look at is what she scored and

what they will have deducted. Not all the step out but also the steps

to make her step out so the scorer can drastically increase. With a few

more numbers in the gym. Role in Canada. As always the men's high bar

closes the championship and with high hopes of claiming another medal

from a closely matched final aid is the all-around bronze medallist

James Hall. The high bar final, what can we look

out for? It will be similar to the last routine, not to much more I can

put in without jeopardising the safety of the routine as it where. I

will just try and clean it up, catch all the releases and stick the

dismount. You could walk away from here with two medals. It's a

possibility, try not to think about it too much, just going to go out

and do my job but it's an exciting prospect to think what could be. The

other guys have done it so it is possible.

He's got a difficulty of 5.8, keep your eye on the difficulty score as

we go through the final. We'll find it interesting to see execution

versus difficulty. Into the intricate full turnaround the one

arm. That's the squat, into the handstand with one turn, good

position, winding up for a big release. Good catch, straight arm. A

bit close there on the normal Kovac. Half turn, into the full long swing,

squatting again, but late on the full turn. Winding up for the

dismount. Full twist, double back, great start. What a storming routine

and if you have never seen a high bar final before I am sure you are

gathering people around the TV because that was a fine example of

how you do it. It certainly was, that is what you want to see at the

start of the final, some big releases. Almost looked like he had

to catch with his right arm. And the rest of the routine very clean on

the releases. The dismount, stuck the landing. Chester bit low but

other than that leaving an impression on the judges. -- Chester

bit low. Stand by your bed is everybody.

James Hall mode. Third highest qualifier. Scored a 14.2 in

qualification. It's a big routine. Strong start. Winding up, this is a

big test. Great catch, full stretch, full twist. Nice again. In the

double park, one more to come. Great full turn in the tuck position. No

must lock the handstands, squat full, little but late is costly.

Better on a half turn. That's a requirement, hot full, just the

dismount to go. Punts, it's good! Double twisted, double straight,

James Hall plans the landing. Well done James Hall. He has taken like a

duck to water in this competition. The way he stepped up, the release,

knees together, he did one more release in qualification and other

than the fact he will be pretty tired from the all-around final

couple of days ago, that's the reason perhaps he did not compete

here today but finishing off with the double twisting straight, nailed

the landing. Joint first! I'll have that every day of the

week, James Hall. Currently in the lead. Now it's the turn of the

highest qualifier, Oliver Hegi. Quiet start. Good extension there.

The half turn. The handstand and a bit of a leg

split. That was the one-and-a-half twist. However he caught very close

to the bar, and that will be three tenths.

Markelov. Has to keep the arms locked out.

Just a full twist, step on landing. Qualified first, but there were a

few little errors in that routine. I like the flow, the way his routine's

constructed. Fairly unique. He lets go and does the one-off twist, and

catches again. It was eight had close. Probably the only gymnast to

perform that skill. -- a tad close. You have to use a bit of strength

rather than the momentum to get back up into the handstand. But generally

it was a clean routine. So I think he's definitely going to be pushing

for top spot. Very close at the top already. Yes. He's in the lead with

14.5. In high bars in past European

Championships, unlucky, always missing out on a medal. Stand-by for

the hardest so far, this is 6.4. He is going all out for difficulty and

hoping that the judges won't mind a bit of execution. It's a big

routine. That was huge. Full twist into the Kovacs. And another one in

the tuck position. Straight Tkachev, and a straddle

Tkachev into the half turn. And again, the straight with the

half turn. On the full. The one-and-a-half into the mixed

grip. Into the double twisting double

straight. Come on! Wow. That was a recipe that paid off, difficulty and

execution. Without a doubt. He went for broke and I think he should sit

fairly comfortably in first position. It had the releases, the

terms and the bar work. To top it off, the dismount, the double

twisting double straight, and he nailed the landing. Slightly bent

legs the judges will have spotted, without a doubt. But he spots the

floor and sticks the dismount. They are all shouting, Pavlovich! They

want to see him in top spot. --! It's the top spot. 14.933 for Pablo

Braegger. David Belyavskiy, fresh from

parallel bars. Got a bronze in this final last year. Has qualified with

the second-highest score. This is a slightly easier routine, but he is a

master of execution. Just watch his form.

And originality within his work. Nice full twist on the one arm.

Squat half turn. High and flighty. The straight

Tkachev. The half turn, executed perfectly.

Into the bar... Known as the Siderman swing. A real favourite of

the crowd. Full twist, the adjustment on landing. Belyavskiy

challenges for a medal. You can see how tight his legs are to get

through all the release elements and all the swings, which most gymnasts

haven't been able to do. That was the Markelov. Slightly bent arms,

but recovers pretty well. He is in third, 14.36, knocking James Hall

out of the medals. Next, Oleh Verniaiev. What can he do?

Not renowned for his high bar work, but nevertheless qualified into this

final. Nice with the straight Markelov half

turn. Nice with the half turn again. The

execution of these elements. Straddle... Oh, I was going to say

straddle Tkachev with the half turn, but let go a little bit too late.

Smiling to himself. 30 seconds. So he'd better be quick.

I thought he had hurt his hand a bit when he came down.

Certainly knows how to battle through his routines either way, so

I'm sure it won't put him off for the rest the routine. It certainly

won't. Squat full, another Markelov. Better

that time. Good extension on the catch. A nice little hop full. Half

turn. Into the Healy turn. Endo again.

Winds up for the dismount... He looked at the bar as if to say he

wasn't happy with the grip. If you feel like you're going to slip off,

I suppose bailing out at the last minute is the best option. He's

going to repeat the dismount by the of it. Jump on, jump off. The mark

of a champion, because most other people would have just presented and

left the podium. Better, double twist, double straight, a hop

forward. Well, he might not have performed to his best on the high

bar, but certainly excelled in these championships. Ah... Something is

not right with him. Looks a bit shaken. That was the straddle

Tkachev where he tried the half turn. Slightly too far away. And

then the double twisting double straight. A large jump forward on

the landing. He looks pretty exhausted after quite a few days

consecutively of competing. That's the result of competition

back-to-back to back. Being able to do all those finals, he just needs a

good long rest. Pablo Bragger takes the gold ahead

of his compatriot Oliver Hegi. David Belyavskiy takes the bronze

medal. You see high bar finals all over the

place, and that had some huge names and huge start values. To come

fourth I'm pretty pleased. Probably as never as I could get to perfect.

Can't ask for much more. To get on the world stage to begin with, it is

huge in itself. A massive confidence boost. You've always dreamt of

coming out here and doing well, not coming away with a medal, but

showing your country and the rest of Europe and the world what you are

made of. In my books, I think I have done that. All you want is a safe

and happy high bar final, and that is exactly what we got. The thrills

and spills. It was a good final, Chris. It was. The is the showcase,

the high bar, always the last apparatus, so you want a great

final. The two Swiss lads put in the performance. The big releases,

Braegger had some in bar work, the handstand and he stuck the dismount

at the end. He really did live up to the expectations, and the Swiss will

definitely be happy. Very hard to see where you will improve on

something like Braegger's routine, because he went all out for

difficulty and yet the execution was so fine. The gymnasts get to see an

opportunity, OK, that's what I need to be aiming for. You can see the

skills, and until the World Championships it's an opportunity

for the young guys to say, OK, that connection works well and the judges

are not taking many deductions, maybe that is worth sticking into

the routine and having a play with, changing the formation of the

routine. That is what is good about the European Championship, an

opportunity to have a little jiggle until the World Championships of how

the routine will look for the future. Beth, David Belyavskiy saw

the other gymnasts go first and he opted for a slightly easier routine,

performed beautifully. That is an example of how the different styles

can compete even in something as dramatic as the high bar. They are

such a classical gymnast to watch, his lines and execution always very

good. Even though he had a slightly easier routine, the judges are

looking at execution, and that allowed him to place third. Just

finding that blend. It always happens at the start of the Olympics

cycle. With this being the first major competition in that, what has

it told you about the gymnastics on offer going forward? It showed us

that Great Britain have some very good potential. Great depth within

the squad. It has also shown that perhaps the judges are taking a lot

more deductions than they used to, with the old code. Definitely a lot

more strict with some of the skills. Beth? Similar. It will take time to

settle. The gymnasts will see which routines have been credited in this

Championships, where the big deductions came from. So they now

have five months to go into the World Championships and think,

right, this is what I have to work on two ensure I get the execution

score ready. Standout performance? It has to be Dragulescu, home crowd,

European champion on the floor, twice European champion on vault.

Doesn't get better. Obviously Ellie, all-around title, making history for

Britain. But it was also great to see Ponor back on top of the podium.

Plenty more sport to come on BBC Two. The Wilson at the championships

from the Crucible in Sheffield today. -- the snooker World

Championships. This Europeans has been a case of opportunity knocks.

The question is who will be working through the door of the arena at the

World Championships in Canada? Join us in five months to find out. From

all of us here, goodbye. So long as you make

the right decision in the moment. What we need to do is light

that short fuse of his. Watch brand-new Jamie Johnson

on BBC iPlayer now.