Russian athletes win major medals at European Championships

Russian athletes achieved significant success at the European Championships in both artistic gymnastics and aquatics. In Zagreb, the Russian women’s artistic gymnastics team secured the team all-around title, finishing ahead of Italy and France. Despite competing with only three athletes instead of the permitted five, the team earned six medals. Angelina Melnikova was the top performer, winning gold in the all-around and vault, alongside bronze medals in beam and floor. Anna Kalmykova earned silver in the all-around.

The gymnasts faced initial travel difficulties when Croatia initially declined visas for Melnikova, Kalmykova, and Viktoria Listunova. These issues were resolved following an appeal by the Croatian Gymnastics Federation and intervention by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

At the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, Russian competitors earned 32 medals, including 10 gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze. The team finished closely behind the United Kingdom and Italy in the overall standings. Notable performances included Ruslan Ternovoi winning two gold medals in diving and Kornev setting Russian records in the 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly.