The 29th European Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics took place at Toto Arena in Holon, Israel, from 30 October to 3 November 2019. They followed the European Age Group Competitions held in the same venue the week before, so Holon hosted two weeks of acrobatic gymnastics in a row.
A setting that lifted the event
The Israeli Gymnastics Federation invested in the presentation, from the hall itself to the competition set-up and lighting. Acrobatic gymnastics benefits more than most disciplines from good staging, because so much of its appeal lies in choreography and visual impact, and gymnasts in Holon responded with some of the best routines of the season.
Four triple crowns
Only the European Championships, not the age-group event, offered three sets of medals per category: balance, dynamic and combined. Winning all three is the triple crown, and in Holon four units achieved it: - Israeli junior women's pair Almog Green and Maayan Zunenshine. - Israeli junior women's group Meshi Hurvitz, Nikol Aleinik and Inbal Zeitounei. - Belgian senior women's group Talia De Troyer, Britt Vanderdonckt and Charlotte Van Royen, already double European Games champions from Minsk. - Russian senior mixed pair Viktoria Aksenova and Kirill Startsev, following compatriots Marina Chernova and Georgiy Pataraya, who won the triple crown in 2015 and 2017.
Israel's expressive style
Israel was already known for original choreography and expressive routines, and home support turned that strength into medals. The success of the junior units suggested a programme with depth, not just one strong generation.
The value of age-group competitions
Holding the age-group event first gave younger gymnasts a full international experience in the same arena. It also let coaches and judges see the next generation before the senior championships started.
Related
Read our highlights of ACRO2019 and the 2015 acrobatic Europeans.
