Nakonechnyi, Sankova win Ukranian Cup

Vitali Nakonechnyi (UKR)

Ukranian gymnastics is in a crucial moment for its future. While the men’s team qualified to this summer’s Olympic Games, the women’s team didn’t even qualify for the Test Event and will be in London with only one gymnast. This year and the next quadrennium will be important to see if the Ukrainian can recover its golden past or follows in the steps of Belarus.

The Ukranian Cup was celebrated this past weekend with good results for the gymnasts. In the women’s category, Kristina Sankova won the all around with 56.400 points and an apparent new Yurchenko 2/1 on vault. The biggest surprise of the competition was the second place of Mariya Livhikova, who was injured after podium training at the 2011 World Championships. Livchikova, a classic, elegant Ukranian gymnast, didn’t perform her full difficulty, but showed she is on track for success at the European Championships on May. The bronze medal went to Irina Romanchuk, a first year senior. Olympic hopeful Nataliya Kononenko won the uneven bars gold with a 6.4 D routine, while stand out junior Olena Vasilieva took the beam title (14.300). Another junior, Olesiya Sazonova, won the floor exercise and vetaran Marina Kostyuchenko once again dominated vault.

Vitaliy Nakonechnyi suprised with his victory in the men’s all around competition. A strong vault and floor gymnast, Nakonechnyi scored 89.200. In second and third places came the Olegs, Oleg Vernaiev and Oleg Stepko. The two young gymnasts struggled on rings, which will open a door for a rings specialist such as Igor Radivilov or Oleksandre Vorobyov to be in the Ukranian team. Radivilov is the more complete gymnast of the two and won gold on rings and silver on vault at the Ukranian Cup. Ukraine’s top all around, Mykola Kuksenkov, did not compete.

Women’s All Around

1. Kristina Sankova 56.400
2. Mariya Livchikova 55.500
3. Irina Romanchuk 53.900
4. Yevgeniya Cherniy 53.033
5. Olena Vasilyeva (Junior) 52.933
6. Marina Kostyuchenko 52.867
7. Nataliya Kononenko 51.733
8. Alina Fomenko 51.400

Men’s All Around

1. Vitaliy Nakonenchyi 89.200
2. Oleg Vernayiev 88.400
3. Oleg Stepko 87.200
4. Maksim Semnskyi 85.400
5. Oleksandre  85.300
6. Roman Zozulya 85.300
7. Petro Pakhnuk 83.400

Event Finals

Women

Vault
1. Marina Kostyuchenko 13.563
2. Olena Vasilyeva 13.538
2. Dorina Lyubtska 13.538

Uneven Bars
1. Nataliya Kononenko 14.400
2. Mariya Livchikova 13.750
3. Angelina Kylsa 13.700

Balance Beam
1. Olena Vasilyeva 14.300
2. Nataliya Kononenko 14.075
2. Mariya Livchikova 14.075

Floor Exercise

1. Olesiya Sazonova 13.600
2. Dariya Kolptsova 13.475
3. Marina Kostyuchenko 13.450

Men

Floor Exercise
1. Petro Pakhnuk 14.750
2. Oleksandr Suprun 14.675
3. Oleg Vernayiev 14.400

Pommel Horse
1. Oleg Stpeko 14.625
2. Viktor Stepanenko 14.500
3. Maksim Semnskyi 14.275

Rings
1. Igor Radivilov 15.150
2. Oleksandr Vorobyov 14.850
3. Roman Zozulya 14.700

Vault
1. Oleg Vernayiev 16.063
2. Igor Radivilov 15.738
3. Vitaly Nakonechniy 15.625

Parallel Bars
1. Oleg Vernayiev 15.500
2. Oleg Stepko 15.000
3. Maksim Semiankiv 14.525

High Bar
1. Maksim Semiankiv 14.550
2. Andrii Sienichkin  13.000
3. Oleksandr Suprun 12.725