Eleftherios Petrounias
The final of four apparatus world cups wraps up in Cairo this weekend, but while the finale will determine the overall series champions on each event, athletes hoping to qualify to world championships as specialists will have to wait until all continental championships are complete before they’ll find out if they’re getting a ticket to Antwerp.
Six athletes currently leading in the series are expected to compete in Cairo, including Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan (vault) and Anna Lashchevska of Ukraine (beam) on the women’s side, and Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan (floor), Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan (pommel horse), Artur Davtyan of Armenia (vault), and Illia Kovtun of Ukraine (parallel bars) on the men’s, and there are a number of athletes poised to take over the top spots on several events, especially in the men’s competition.
One of the most crucial performances here will come from Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece, who has only attended one world cup so far, and while he could be pretty well-positioned to stay within the top eight with his current total of 30 points, another win here boosting him to 60 points will guarantee him a spot at worlds. After missing the entirety of the world cup season in 2022, Petrounias wasn’t eligible to compete in Liverpool despite winning the rings title at Euros, so I’m glad he’s back on track for world domination once again…and as an added adorable bonus, he’ll get to compete in Cairo alongside his wife, the legendary Vasiliki Millousi, who make her return to international competition at Euros after nearly five years – and two children! – away.
Also exciting here will be the world cup debut of Joscelyn Roberson of the United States. Roberson finally made her international debut at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in March, where she posted the top all-around score in addition to winning the gold medal on vault and the silver on floor. Roberson will compete all four events in Cairo, and while she won’t need this meet to make it to worlds the way others competing here will, a strong showing could make an impression on the national team staff and will be great experience as she works toward earning a spot on the U.S. worlds team.
Qualifications begin tomorrow, April 27, and continue on Friday the 28th, with finals taking place over the weekend. Start lists and live scoring links are available here, and any potential streams will likely show up on Sport Lens TV, though nothing is confirmed as of right now.
A full list of competitors expected is below.
Article by Lauren Hopkins
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