German gymnasts disappoint: Dunkel comes fifth in Leipzig!

German gymnasts disappoint: Dunkel comes fifth in Leipzig!

At the European Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig this year, the German gymnasts showed themselves strongly, but the hoped-for medal victory in the all-around competition did not materialize. Nils Dunkel and Timo Eder competed in the final, with Dunkel taking fifth place with 80.932 points. Eder finished 13th with 79.231 points after improving throughout the competition. While Adem Asil from Turkey won the title with 82.398 points, Dunkel particularly impressed on floor and pommel horse, but had to lose points in the last exercise that separated him from a medal. Despite his great achievements, Dunkel expressed mixed feelings about finishing fourth on the team. “This is the wooden medal,” said the gymnast, who wants to concentrate on additional opportunities in the competition.

The German gymnasts were able to improve as a team in the team rankings and took fourth place. The team consisted of Nils Dunkel, Timo Eder, Milan Hosseini, Dario Sissakis and Andreas Toba. With 242.595 points, they delivered a convincing performance and improved significantly compared to the ninth-place finishers at the 2024 title fights in Rimini. Victory went to Great Britain with 247,528 points, followed by Switzerland and Italy. Coach Jens Milbradt was satisfied with the team performance and particularly praised the performances of Andreas Toba, who competed in the high bar final and achieved top marks.

Gymnasts' competition history

The German team started the competition stable on the rings, where there were only a few mistakes. Milan Hosseini, Timo Eder and Dario Sissakis showed their best attempts on the vault. On the parallel bars, Eder impressed with a clean routine, while Dario Sissakis showed a strong performance, which, however, counted as a strike value. However, they could not prevent Italy from passing them as the gymnasts had difficulties on the floor.

Timo Eder was disappointed with how things went, even though he was able to qualify for the parallel bars final. His poor start on the pommel horse with only 13.066 points made for a difficult start from which he had difficulty recovering. His coaches and Eder himself recognized the need to improve performance in the all-around competition.

Raising awareness through Safe Sport

As part of the European Gymnastics Championships, an important focus will also be placed on the Safe Sport project, which promotes violence prevention and a culture of observation. The aim is to sensitize everyone involved and to create positive cooperation. An anchored code of honor defines rules of conduct for respectful cooperation, which can be viewed in the gymnastics festival program guide. In cross-border situations, a support telephone is available to provide assistance.

The European Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig not only offer exciting competitions, but also a framework to promote important social issues and the development of young gymnasts.