REWIND: Week Two 01/10 : 2004 European Championships

[MaryClare]

There’s a few different coverage available, but here’s Eurosport’s English coverage.


Why this competition? Well, it feels like a curtain closing. The next quad would mark the final demise of Eastern European gymnastics (Belarus, Hungary and Bulgaria had already gone). And worldwide, the dominance of the USA, and China for a briefer period, meant that euros was no longer the high calibre event it had been in the 90s.

It’s also a meet that was somewhat “under watched”, or at least that’s what I remember of it. It was only shown on the Eurosport network, which in 2004 was only available as a premium cable/sky option. Many gymnterneters attended in person, and there were some low res videos of individual routines, but it was many years before full coverage surfaced on YouTube.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

For me, the most interesting aspect of this competition is the extent to which many people didn't see Romania's Athens success coming. I didn't watch this at the time, only caught up after the Olympics on various dodgy downloads. And I know hindsight is a wonderful thing etc etc... but there was a gauntlet thrown down here alright.

 

[MaryClare]

For me, the most interesting aspect of this competition is the extent to which many people didn't see Romania's Athens success coming. I didn't watch this at the time, only caught up after the Olympics on various dodgy downloads. And I know hindsight is a wonderful thing etc etc... but there was a gauntlet thrown down here alright.

So it wasn’t just me, this was a real difficult comp to access. I wonder if that is a big part of the Romanian surprise in Athens. We’d seen all the videos of US nationals and trials, but we’d seen almost nothing of Romania

 

[IratePanda]

Good Lord! I remember following quick hits on GymWorld (yes, that GymWorld), but I've never seen any footage from this competition. Here are some quick comments after my initial viewing:

1. Zamolodchikova is almost unwatchable.
2. Sofronie was the only Romanian I liked in Athens. This meet affirmed why.
3. I disliked Ponor's gymnastics back then. I dislike it even more now
4. Kozich and Krasnynska were delightful. After this meet, I thought Kozich would have a much greater impact in Athens, but it wasn't to be.
5. Beth Tweddle's UB is so much fun to watch.

 

[irichluck21]

International Gymnast sold DVDs of the Team and All Around finals and another of the event finals. I bought them. High quality footage but no commentary which was a bummer. That was the first and only time IG did that. I guess sales were not strong? I still have those DVDs somewhere in my house.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

One forgets sometimes just how much Beth's bars evolved over her career.

 

[Snowfan]

Beth really could do anything on bars and she adapted each quad to the new code and was always a top contender. The first time I saw her was 03 worlds and she became one of favorites. I was always rooting for her. I'm glad that she commentates now. She has become quite good over the years.

 

[MaryClare]

One forgets sometimes just how much Beth's bars evolved over her career.

Yeah, if you look at her 2002 routine when she first started making finals, it’s almost unbelievable that it’s the same gymnast doing the 2012 routine

 

[RichardL]

I remember seeing her at the 1999 Canberra Cup, where I was still a huge fan of the young WOGA group (Talbert and Vanden Eykl at that meet) and while the potential was certainly there in retrospect, it felt very rough at the time.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Baby Beth! I'd forgotten she ever did the Fontaine.

They mention her being tall in that 99 routine, and she is for a 14 year old of that era. Looks like she was probably five three already there, or close. Which looking back, probably helped? No growth spurts to contend with as a senior.

Anyway, the 04 Euros routine is a good one of course, but I think it's telling that Beth's career properly took off at the time when she became more of a release than a pirouette gymnast.

 

[irichluck21]

Mostepanovafan uploaded Juniors