Category: floor (women)

In praise of gymnast Manila Esposito

Tony Retrosi has worked with Manila for 10 years as a guest coach.

He knows the Gymnastics superstar very well.

Tony wants people to know just how hard she’s worked:

The True Measure of a Gymnast: More Than Looks

  • Silver in TEAM at the 2024 Olympic Games 
  • Bronze on BEAM at the 2024 Olympic Games 
  • two-time European all-around champion (2024, 2025) 
  • European Beam and Floor champion 2024

    Before this controversy erupted online, I watched Manila win Floor — second on Beam — at European Championships 2026 in Zagreb last week. Against Russians.

She was the gymnast who impressed me most.

At Men’s Europeans, it was AA champ Illia Kovtun who impressed me most.

With both these superstars, I can’t understand how and why they are so good. So consistent in competition.

Manila is very difficult for a judge to deduct. Her movements so fluid. On Beam she shares that kind of quality with Sanne Wevers & others of the Dutch system.

European Gymnastics Championships Apparatus Final JR. RESULTS

Full official results.

The headline ➙ Three finals, THREE titles for Polina Dmitrieva. How soon will she be on the Senior team?

Vault

🥇 Aniela Tudor, Romania, 13.383
🥈 Daria Mironova, WG 2, 13.166
🥉 Lilou Marliac, France, 13.133

Aniela Tudor used Kasamatsu and Kas + 1/2. Juniors can use 2 Vaults from the same family. Romanian fans excited. Her father was interviewed on the big screen.

Overall I was quite impressed with the Juniors. They are very short & light to get much power off the Spring Board.

Bars

The future looks bright for Putin’s dictatorship.

🥇 Polina Dmitrieva, WG 2, 13.900
🥈 Aleksandra Andrianova, WG 2, 13.666
🥉 Clarissa Rinaldi, Italy, 13.533

Andrianova was the better executed routine. But Dmitrieva had 0.3 higher difficulty. Both excellent. Amazingly good form.

Bars was a stronger Final than Vault. Many of these gymnasts are already close to competitive Senior routines.

I’m disappointed that some gymnasts begin their routine with a weak Kip on low bar. No extension on the glide. In some cases, jumping in with feet staggered. Kip is a skill and should be executed as well as possible.

Beam

A very impressive Final. Some falls. But the quality of work was excellent.

🥇 Polina Dmitrieva, WG 2, 13.933
🥈 Louane Plisson, France, 13.166
🥉 Elisabetta Cardelli, Great Britain, 12.833

Louane Plisson was near perfect. THAT means she was awarded 8.1 E-score. (Beam judging is insane.)

Dmitrieva was fantastic too. 8.133 E-score.

Floor

Dmitrieva clearly had the best routine overall. And she looks to have potential to develop the kind of power needed for senior tumbling difficulty.

🥇 Polina Dmitrieva, WG 2, 13.233
🥈 Aleksandra Andrianova, WG 2, 12.966
🥉 Clarissa Rinaldi, Italy, 12.633

I enjoyed Clarissa Rinaldi’s choreography best. Dramatic.

Lucia Piliarova had the prettiest routine. Beautiful form on twisting. Lovely line and foot point. Tight Double Tuck with hands on shins. Best technique.

Martina Bozzola was fantastic too — but put her hands down on Double Pike dismount. That routine could have medalled.

Read Lauren’s LIVE blog.

Follow European Gymnastics on Facebook.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Summing up EU Apparatus Finals

A Medal-Packed Day for Colas, Esposito and Melnikova in Zagreb

Lauren’s 2026 European Championships | Senior WAG Apparatus Finals LIVE Blog

Melnikova, Kevric, Colas and Esposito reign in senior European apparatus finals

Full results linked from the event website.

Click PLAY or watch a few highlights on YouTube.

European Gymnastics Championships Apparatus Final RESULTS

Full official results.

Vault

No falls. A good final. But nothing particularly Andrade brilliant.

🥇 Angelina Melnikova, WG2, 14.166
🥈 Karina Schönmaier, Germany, 14.066
🥉 Lisa Vaelen, Belgium, 13.983

Bars

🥇 Helen Kevric, Germany, 14.500
🥈 Elisa Iorio, Italy, 14.333
🥉 Giulia Perotti, Italy, 14.233

Sanna Veerman, Netherlands, was 4th. I couldn’t decide between her (6.3 difficulty) and Giulia (6.1). It was close.

Three of the finalists had falls. What a shame.

The winners will be competitive at Worlds 2026, for sure. Great routines.

Beam

Easily the best Final. Only one fall ➙ and that on a terrific Round-off Layout 1/1.

🥇 Elena Colas, France, 13.933
🥈 Manila Esposito, Italy, 13.833
🥉 Angelina Melnikova, WG 2, 13.700

Pauline Schäfer misses by 0.067 due to an overtime penalty 😭

4. Pauline Schäfer, Germany, 13.633
5. Alia Leat, Great Britain, 13.433
6. Aitana Pacheco, Spain, 13.300

All amazing routines, contenders for the World Championships Final.

The kid is a super talent. BUT hers wasn’t my favourite of the finalist routines.

Floor

An entertaining Final.

🥇 Manila Esposito, Italy, 13.700
🥈 Elena Colas, France, 13.633
🥉 Angelina Melnikova, WG 2, 13.566

I’m not convinced judges can justify exactly these scores.

Subjective artistry deductions, for example, seem to be more personal preference than anything measurable.

That said, I’m happy Manila took the Gold. Her routine to me was the most balanced: tumbling, dance, leaps, jumps, turns. The whole package.

Read Lauren’s LIVE blog.

Central American and Caribbean Games results

Best coverage online was provided as LIVE blogs by The Gymternet.

WAG Team

🥇 Mexico 151.150
🥈 Panama 144.800
🥉 Dominican Republic 143.450

All-Around

🥇 Natalia Escalera, Mexico, 51.450
🥈 Victoria Mata, Mexico, 50.850
🥉 Jahzara Ranger, Jamaica, 49.900

Vault

🥇 Natalia Escalera, Mexico, 13.500
🥈 Victoria Mata, Mexico, 13.500
🥉 Jahzara Ranger, Jamaica, 13.125

Bars

🥇 Victoria Mata, Mexico, 12.950
🥈 Rachel Rodriguez, Costa Rica, 12.350
🥉 Keyla Leyva, Cuba, 12.000

Beam

🥇 Alyiah Lide, Panama, 12.950
🥈 Natalia Escalera, Mexico, 12.650
🥉 Brithany Herrera, Guatemala, 11.850

Floor

🥇 Alyiah Lide, Panama, 13.000
🥈 Paulina Guerra, Mexico, 12.550
🥉 Samantha Marin, Costa Rica, 12.350

MAG Team

🥇 Colombia 239.350
🥈 Puerto Rico 231.300
🥉 Mexico 228.750

All-Around

🥇 Angel Barajas, Colombia, 81.100
🥈 Camilo Vera, Colombia, 79.800
🥉 Jaycko Bourdet, Guatemala, 75.550

Floor

🥇 Jorge Vega, Guatemala, 14.200
🥈 Camilo Vera, Colombia, 13.750
🥉 Jose Lopez, Puerto Rico, 13.200

Jorge Vega is age-31. And still won Floor and Vault over his much younger rivals. Respect.

Pommel

🥇 Nelson Guilbe, Puerto Rico, 14.050
🥈 Camilo Vera, Colombia, 13.250
🥉 Juan Pablo Porras, Mexico, 12.900

Rings

🥇 Francisco Velez, Puerto Rico, 13.850
🥈 Angel Barajas, Colombia, 13.450
🥉 Ariel Villalobos, Costa Rica, 13.209

Vault

🥇 Jorge Vega, Guatemala, 13.875
🥈 Camilo Vera, Colombia, 13.825
🥉 Jensuel Soto, Puerto Rico, 13.825

P Bars

🥇 Angel Barajas, Colombia, 13.950
🥈 Yan Zabala, Colombia, 13.600
🥉 Francisco Velez, Puerto Rico, 13.100

H Bar

🥇 Angel Barajas, Colombia, 13.950
🥈 Yan Zabala, Colombia, 13.200
🥉 Isaac Nuñez, Mexico, 12.900

Ellie Black – 2026 choreography

It’s always interesting to see what Ellie brings with each successive Floor routine.

This one dramatic. Choreographer Julia Spivak.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Manila Esposito – Floor

Manila always impresses me. STRONG tumbler. Great active flexibility. And memorable choreography.

The start of this routine shows real commitment to artistry.

Commonwealth Games Finals day 2

An excellent competition well hosted AGAIN by Glasgow, Scotland.

Vault

🥇 Félix Dolci, Canada, 13.766
🥈 Luke Whitehouse, England, 13.749
🥉 Neofytos Kyriakou, Cyprus, 13.733

Beam

🥇 Breanna Scott, Australia, 13.933
🥈 Amanda Yap, Singapore, 13.233
🥉 Lia Monica Fontaine, Canada, 13.000

P Bars

🥇 Jesse Moore, Australia, 14.000
🥈 Marios Georgiou, Cyprus, 13.800
🥉 Félix Dolci, Canada, 13.300

Floor

The best apparatus Final in my opinion. Good artistry. Clean tumbling. Much better leaps, jumps, and turns than usual.

🥇 Ruby Evans, Wales, 13.500
🥈 Abigail Martin, England, 13.333
🥉 Shantae-Eve Amankwaah, England, 13.300

H Bar

  1. Félix Dolci, Canada, 14.233
  2. Marios Georgiou, Cyprus, 14.166
  3. William Émard, Canada, 13.566

Full results.

Read Lauren’s LIVE blog.

Félix Dolci the biggest Gymnastics star at Commonwealths 2026. One of the biggest in all sports.