Rhythmic Home Nations: Action-packed day one as Christie pips Ekimova to Senior All-Around gold

There was plenty of excitement on day one of the 2023 Rhythmic Home Nations Championships at Sport Wales National Centre.

With Welsh Gymnastics having the pleasure of hosting, the competition has seen rhythmic gymnasts across the age groups from Wales, Scotland and England come together to compete and put on a brilliant show of rhythmic gymnastics action in the Welsh capital.

First up were the Espoir gymnasts, followed by the Juniors, for their respective Team competitions and individual apparatus qualification.

Then it was the turn of the Espoir and Junior Groups for their Team competition and apparatus qualification, before the Seniors’ individual all-around competition and apparatus qualification lit up the stage to close out day one.

The main event saw Scotland’s Louise Christie, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist with the ribbon in Birmingham last summer, pip England’s Marfa Ekimova, the reigning Commonwealth all-around champion, to the Senior individual all-around title.

Christie scored 111.534 across her four pieces ahead of Ekimova (110.267) – as our very own Commonwealth gold medallist with the hoop Gemma Frizelle, currently out through injury, watched on.

Congratulations to our Espoir gymnasts Grace Woods, Ella Rose Thomas, Imogen Coslett, Athena Chan and Bonnie Williams and our Juniors Mali Lane, Gabriele Dzejyte, Wiktoria Barcewska, Eleni Spear and Amelie Haines for their performances.

Imogen, Athena, Bonnie, Grace, Amelie, Wiktoria and Mali will all return for apparatus finals tomorrow.

Meanwhile there was a clean sweep for the English rhythmic gymnasts for the overall, Espoir and Junior Team titles.

RESULTS