World champion Jessica Gadirova: ‘The possibilities to improve are endless’
December 1, 2022
A month into her reign as world floor exercise champion, British gymnast Jessica Gadirova is already preparing for future feats on all four apparatuses.
Great Britain’s Jessica Gadirova: ‘I tried to start fresh, and that’s what I did’
Written by John Crumlish for International Gymnast Online
Sunday, September 25, 2022
International Gymnast Online flashes back to last month’s European Championships in Munich with this vignette on Great Britain’s Jessica Gadirova, who seemed astounded by her successful defense of the floor exercise crown she won two years ago.
“I’m in a bit of a daze,” said Gadirova after she took gold on floor exercise in the apparatus finals on August 14. “I’m shocked to have retained my title and, to be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in.”
Gadirova, who earlier in Munich placed 10th all-around and helped Great Britain win silver in the team competition, finished third all-around, first on floor exercise and second on vault at last spring’s Europeans in Basel. She won team bronze, and finished 10th all-around and sixth on floor exercise, at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
A fifth-place finish in the vault apparatus final earlier in the day fueled Gadirova to perform at her best in her last routine in Munich.
“I was quite disappointed about the vault, where I did not get the result that I wanted,” said Gadirova, who will turn 18 on October 3. “There was a big challenge in front of me to pick myself up. I wiped it away and thought, ‘I have another final, another chance to redeem myself’. I tried to start fresh in the floor final and that’s what I did. It came with the gold, which I am very pleased of.”
Gadirova, whose twin sister and fellow Olympian Jennifer Gadirova placed fifth in the floor exercise final, said other factors inspired her ultimate performance.
“As I stepped onto the floor, all I thought was it will be my last floor routine with this floor music, and I wanted to give it my all,” she said. “To hear the crowd cheer for me when I did my tumbles and my dance was amazing.”
International Gymnast Online’s coverage of the women’s and men’s 2022 European Championships includes:
Men:
British men storm to senior team title at European Championships
Greece’s Petrounias wins sixth continental still rings gold as European Championships conclude
Women:
Italy impresses on day one at Europeans, Asia D’Amato crowned all-around champion
Italian women cruise to European team title
Six countries golden in apparatus finals at European Championships
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