First, she won gold on the beam, and soon after she won the bronze on the floor! After Mate Žugec’s silver medal yesterday on the pommel horse, Croatia returns from Bulgaria with a set of medals, which is a great announcement for the World Cup in Osijek, which awaits us from June 9 to 12.
The Split double Olympian and member of GK Marjan already in the qualifications on Friday showed that she is more than ready for the international season. In her first competition this year with both new exercises both on the beam and on the floor, she reached the finals with the third-best scores. And then today in the finals she shone even more.
Slobodan Kadic
Ana Đerek won gold on the beam quite convincingly, with a score of 13,300 ahead of silver medalist Maise Kuusikko (13,000) and bronze medalist France’s Aline Friess (12,450).
Slobodan Kadic
“I am very pleased, overjoyed, and proud to have shown what I did today. This is my first gold at the World Cup on the beam and while the anthem was playing there were tears of joy. This gold on the beam came after a hard period of training. Since the beginning of the year, on the one hand, I have been training on the beam so much, and on the other hand, I hate her so much that this came to me like a fool’s dance. The reward for all these months of fighting with ‘do I need this device, why am I doing it so much, why is this not going to get better’… I am so proud because I have a new jump. If someone had told me at the beginning of the year ‘you’re going to do a D jump on the beam’, I would have said ‘well you’re crazy, I don’t have that in me’. In the end, I have the only jump in this competition. I am most proud of that,” said the double medalist from Bulgaria.
Soon after one podium, another came. Bronze on the floor with a score of 12,900. France’s Aline Friess (13,000) celebrated, while the silver medalist was Greta Mayer (12,950).
“I could have been better, I have better exercises, but to say I’m dissatisfied would be crazy. I did the exercise again, with minor mistakes, but since I had the beam before which tested me both mentally and physically, I pulled out the floor again. As tired as I was, 12,900 is a good grade, bronze is too good a medal. I’m satisfied.”
In her career, including Varna, Ana has competed in 29 World Cup finals and has won 15 medals. Croatian gymnastics, on the other hand, has improved its overall numbers and our women’s gymnastics currently has 123 finals at World Cups – 7 gold, 16 silver, and 15 bronze medals.
“I hope that this start of the season will not be all I will do in 2022. I am aware that I still have a lot of competition, a lot of opportunities, and that a lot of work still needs to be done so I can end the season and say I am satisfied. But this start is great, great, great!”
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