The Undisputed European Champions!

They closed out the final day of team final's with commanding performances across the board, grabbing the top score on each event. The junior group continued to impress by besting their Day 1 score by two tenths with a 17.200, making them the front runners for tomorrows EF gold if no major errors occur. The Averina's stole the show today, or rather, they shined brightest on their pet event, the clubs. The impact of seeing two 19.3+ scores had fans from vk to facebook going bonkers. It normally takes an entire quad for Viner's favorites to build up to these scores but the Averina's are in a class of their own. It's a bittersweet triumph for the Team Soldy fandom as they continue to witness the Averina's showing greater promise than Sasha by doing what she yet to accomplish under this CoP: showing routines with a 10.0 or higher in difficulty.

Not everything went swell for the Averina's though. Okay, Arina was perfect over both days and she raised her reputation in the eyes of fans and Viner. But Dina struggled with the higher expectations coming into this comp. Today she made bigger mistakes than her hoop from Day 1, this time misdirecting a throw and running after it.

Dina finally receiving "the talk" from Viner after her disastrous ribbon. 

Viner believes that she made a mistake entrusting Dina with ribbon. Here's what she had to say to reporters: " Dina's performance to "the Flames of Paris" didn't go as it should have gone. I was very mistaken here, having trusted the girls to decide for themselves who would compete where."

Sasha got through her ribbon without imploding but she was massively overscored for such dirty form throughout. Sasha CAN do a clean routine but this was just elementary level of clumsiness. More than anything, I just wish they'd change the ending where she stops to put the ribbon between her toes and swirls it around in circles. Why would Viner allow such a nonsensical skill? For one thing, it disrupts the continuous flow of the routine and she must be losing artistic points for that. Secondly, it's ugly? Thirdly, giving her a body element that's only .3 is a waste of this gymnast's extraordinary talent, and yet it's saved for the near end of the routine like it's the most sublime thing to ever exist. Fourthly, Sash'a handling was poor enough without calling attention to it as she wobbles around trying to get the damn thing between her toes. Jeezus Christ, what is going on with Shumilova and Viner to make such a travesty continue for so long. It's worth so little to begin with, the entry into the skill is an artistic deduction, the skill itself is an execution deduction larger than it's worth, and it's ugly...in case I haven't mentioned that. I don't want the Averina's to overtake her because her coach might possibly murder her but if it happened I think she could lose some of the pressure of being "the heir" and get back to being just Sasha: energetic, dynamic, original, and happy.

Arina channeled Rita levels of awesomeness and competed over 10 in difficulty (I heard from one fan that he totaled her d-score at 11 and Dina's at 11.2!). She has amazing versatility when racking up that difficulty and this routine takes full advantage of her extension and fast pace. As with Dina's clubs, her rapid-fire apparatus handling was executed smooth as silk and nary a display of how taxing it was to do. Dina earned the higher clubs score with 19.325 (I still can't believe I'm writing these numbers) and delighted the audience with how she manipulates one club to move the other. Her intricate work also delighted Viner who finally showed a smile at Euros.

The UEG wrote an article on Russia's competition (x). Final team results can be found here.

The team behind the team. Thanks to all the staff who make Team Russia golden.