Israel, Bulgaria, China, Armenia and Türkiye golden on first day of finals at World Cup of Osijek | International Gymnast Magazine Online

April 13, 2025 admin-dominor

Gymnasts from five countries proved golden and China tallied the most medals on the first day of finals at the World Cup of Osijek on Saturday.

2024 Olympic vault finalist Valentina Georgieva of Bulgaria placed first on women’s vault, where she also finished first at the 2022 World Challenge Cup of Osijek. Last year Georgieva was first on vault at the World Cup of Baku, and second on vault at the World Cup of Cairo and the World Cup of Cottbus.

China’s Yang Fanyuwei won her second title of the 2025 World Cup series with her victory on uneven bars. A member of the gold medal-winning Chinese team at last year’s Asian Championships, the 20-year-old Yunnan native placed first on uneven bars at last month’s World Cup of Antalya.

2024 Australian Olympian Kate McDonald notched her first World Cup medal, a bronze on uneven bars. The 24-year-old McDonald took gold on uneven bars at the 2022 and 2023 Oceania Championships, and was third reserve for the uneven bars final at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp.

In the men’s competition, Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat took gold on floor exercise. Dolgopyat, the 2020 Olympic gold and 2024 Olympic silver medalist on floor exercise, won that apparatus at the World Challenge Cup of Osijek in 2015 and 2019.

Dolgopyat’s higher Difficulty broke the tie with U.S. gymnast Junnosuke (Jun) Iwai, who claimed silver. Iwai, who will turn 19 on Jun 12, was a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. team at last month’s DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart, where he was second on horizontal bar and third on floor exercise. As a junior Iwai won the all-around title in his age division at the 2021, 2022 and 2023 U.S. Development Program Championships.

Significantly bettering his eighth-place finish at the World Cup of Cottbus in February, 17-year-old Hamlet Manukyan of Armenia captured gold on pommel horse. He finished first on pommel horse, first on still rings and sixth all-around at the 2023 Junior World Championships in Antalya.

Adem Asil of Türkiye placed first on still rings, the apparatus on which he finished first at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool, seventh at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and fifth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Greece’s 34-year-old Eleftherios Petrounias, the 2016 Olympic still rings gold medalist and 2020 and 2024 Olympic still rings bronze medalist, placed sixth on his specialty.

The competition ends Sunday with the remaining five finals.

2025 Dobro World Cup of Osijek
First day of finals (April 12)

Women:

Vault:

Valentina Georgieva BUL 14.149
Yu Linmin CHN 14.066
Jayla Hang USA 13.766

Uneven Bars:

Yang Fanyuwei CHN 13.766
Maisa Kuusikko FIN 13.566
Kate McDonald AUS 13.400

Men:

Floor Exercise:

Artem Dolgopyat ISR 14.133
Junnosuke Iwai USA 14.133*
Milad Karimi KAZ 13.966

*tie broken in favor of Dolgopyat’s higher Difficulty score

Pommel Horse:

Hamlet Manukyan ARM 14.633
Gao Tianlong CHN 14.600
Nariman Kurbanov KAZ 14.233

Still Rings:

Adem Asil TUR 14.700
Nikita Simonov AZE 14.500
Artur Avetisyan ARM 14.466

International Gymnast Online’s features on 2025 World Cup of Osijek competitors include:

Italy’s Yumin Abbadini: ‘I have gained confidence and greater awareness of my potential’
Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Alsoud on Paris 2024: ‘If I do my full routine I’ll be unbeatable’
Turkey’s Arican: ‘This is a really big, big, big medal’
Arican Credits Post-COVID Europeans Gold To “A Single Word – Dedication”
Turkey’s Arican: ‘I am ready and conscious like never before’
Turkiye’s Adem Asil on worlds: ‘I will be better prepared than the previous Adem’
Adem Asil: ‘I’m so happy because my first world medal is gold’
Turkey’s Adem Asil: ‘It took a lot of time to get to this level’
Armenia’s Artur Davtyan: ‘The landings basically decided everything’
Vahagn Davtyan’s vow: ‘to work on myself more and more’
U.S.’s Alex Diab: on World Cup successes: ‘I’m proud of the progress I’ve made’
Israel’s Dolgopyat: ‘It is the best gift for my country’
20 years later, Bulgaria’s Valentina Georgieva matches Olympic result of coach Filip Yanev
Bulgaria’s Valentina Georgieva on Paris 2024: ‘I achieved this goal through a clean and safe performance’
Bulgaria’s Valentina Georgieva credits recent success on ambition and motivation
Slovenia’s Lucija Hribar on Paris 2024: ‘I’m preparing with joy and great anticipation’
World Cup successes motivate Slovenia’s Lucija Hribar for ‘many more competitions and medals’
Austria’s Selina Kickinger kicks into high gear for 2023 challenges
Croatia’s Tijana Korent on Challenge Cup gold at age 34: ‘I never plan for medals’
Korent on COVID-19: ‘We Will All Need To Get Through Together’
World Cup series winner Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan striving for ‘golden mean’
Finland’s Maisa Kuusikko: ‘I can’t tell which medal was more satisfying’
U.S. gymnast Riley Loos: ‘I have never been so motivated to push the ranks’
European final vaults Greece’s Athanasia Mesiri closer to Olympic contention
Austria’s Charlize Mörz raises her stakes following 2024 accolades
Austria’s Charlize Mörz on Paris 2024 berth: ‘This still feels so mind-blowing and unreal’
‘The main goal is Paris,’ says two-time Slovak Olympian Barbora Mokošová
Olympic success gives Australia’s Jesse Moore “hope that I can start to push for more finals”
Olsen on Tokyo Postponement: ‘Another Year To Get Better and Refocus’
Eddie and Kevin Penev renew careers, revel in success representing Bulgaria
Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias: ‘I have my kids in my mind’
“I’m Confident Humanity Will Stay Strong,” Says Petrounias
Albania’s Matvei Petrov: ‘For gold maybe I have to be in perfect shape’
Albania’s Petrov: ‘In The Final, Everything Was Different’
Finland’s Emil Soravuo: ‘I have to give 100% commitment to challenge the world’s best’
Australia’s Stephens: ‘An Adventure Without Risk Seems Dull and Pointless, So Here I Am’
Eythora Thorsdottir on Paris 2024: ’The themes of this routine are magical, spicy and adventurous’
Thorsdottir on quarantine: ‘Time to get even better than I was before’
After top-10 Olympic finish, Spanish holiday rejuvenates Dutch gymnast Naomi Visser
Dutch history-maker Naomi Visser: ‘It felt like a victory for me’
First world championships final revs up Dutch gymnast Sanna Veerman for 2023
Sweden’s Jennifer Williams: ‘I will focus on taking my routines to a top level’