Angelina Melnikova shines with three golds as the best participant, Croatian gymnasts miss the finals, and the men's competition kicks off on Tuesday.
With a team victory by the Russian gymnasts ahead of Italy and France, the women's portion of the European Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb concluded on Monday, August 17, 2026. This final set of medals brought down the curtain on the 26th senior and 15th junior European Championships.
The standout performer of the championship was Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who claimed three gold medals-team, all-around, and vault-along with bronzes on balance beam and floor exercise. Single golds went to France's Elena Colas on beam, Italy's Manila Esposito on floor, and Germany's Helena Kevrić, of Bosnian-Herzegovinian descent, on uneven bars.
Colas and Esposito left Zagreb with three medals each. The Frenchwoman added a silver on floor and a team bronze to her gold, while the Italian secured gold, silver on beam, and silver in the team event.
The remaining individual medals went to one more German, one Belgian, and two Italians. In vault, the silver went to Germany's Karina Schönmeier, while Belgium's Lisa Vaelen took bronze. On uneven bars, Elisa Iorio finished second, and Giulia Perotti third. Both Italians contributed to their country's team silver.
In the team competition, Russia fielded Melnikova, A. Kalmikova, and Roshchina; Italy featured Iorio, Perotti, Sisio, Esposito, and Marano; and France was represented by Colas, Charpy, Prat, Osyssek-Reimer, and Chassat.
As for the Croatian gymnasts, Lotta Kalinski placed 15th on vault, while Dora Žuljević was 33rd in that event. Žuljević was the best Croatian on uneven bars with a 76th-place finish, followed by Nera Đurić in 96th, Eva Oštarčević in 102nd, and Kalinski in 108th.
On balance beam, the standings were: Kalinski in 84th, Žuljević in 88th, Oštarčević in 102nd, and Đurić in 107th. On floor exercise, Kalinski was 69th, Nola Žiković 70th, Đurić 78th, and Žuljević 103rd. Unfortunately, the hoped-for and dreamed-of qualification for the finals did not materialize.
The men's competition begins on Tuesday, marking their 27th senior and also 15th junior European Championship. Croatian gymnasts are expected to show improvement in results, perhaps even a medal, despite the strongest possible competition returning now that Russian gymnasts are back in the fray.
The overall impression after the women's competition is flawless, as confirmed by the best gymnasts of the Old Continent, who, without exception, emphasized during and after the competition that Zagreb and Croatia fulfilled their responsible and demanding task with the highest marks.
