Goldrausch in Leipzig: Karina Schönmaier cheers in the jump over EM victory!

Goldrausch in Leipzig: Karina Schönmaier cheers in the jump over EM victory!

Leipzig, Deutschland - Karina Schönmaier showed an impressive performance at the European Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig and won the title in the individual finals on the jump. The 19-year-old gymnast from Chemnitz scored an average of 13.983 points and thus secured the gold medal in front of the Bulgarian athlete Walentina Georgiewa (13,900 points) and Belgian Lisa Vaelen (13,666 points). Schönmaier not only celebrates the triumphant victory in the jump, but also her third medal at these continental championships after she had already won silver in the team and gold in the mixed competition. This makes it the first European Championship gold medal in the jump for a German gymnast since Oksana Chusovitina in 2008, such as tz.de reported.

The way to this success was not an easier. Schönmaier, who only finished fifth at the last European Championship in Rimini, presented himself significantly improved in Leipzig. Their individual jumps were assessed with 14.066 and 13,500 points, which is a total of 1.5 points above their qualification grade of 13.833. In qualification, she achieved the highest average grade of all 24 participants. She describes itself as a jumping and has developed through targeted training adjustments, under the guidance of her trainer Gerben Wiersma.

a fantastic experience

Schönmaier described the home European Championship as a fantastic experience, not only because of its medals, but also because of the atmosphere in Leipzig. She will also compete in floor gymnastics on Saturday. However, her success does not come without any setbacks: her teammate Helen Kevric was seriously injured during the competition and had to be taken to the hospital. Kevric, who is currently considered a medal candidate, is replaced by Janoah Müller, who won the 20th place. Trainer Wiersma reported on a "kneecap injury" and hopes for a quick recovery for Kevric.

The title fights in Leipzig are of particular importance for the German Turner Bund (DTB). It is the first medal for the German gymnasts since the 2022 European Championship in Munich when they were able to get silver in the team competition with a total value of 158.396 points. Italy won the gold medal with 161,930 points, followed by France with 156.728 points. However, the DTB is under pressure through persistent allegations of abuse at federal base in Stuttgart and Mannheim, which makes these success even more meaningful. DTB sports director Thomas Gutekunst described the European Championship as a special event that brings hope for the future.