It is with pleasure that the public found the final phase of the Top 12, this Saturday, April 29, at the Zénith de Rouen. Especially since this small final delivered its share of surprises with not a golden duel among the men.
Women’s artistic gymnastics
Schiltigheim, after winning the draw, decides to start on vault with Alisson LAPP. However Meaux with Marine BOYER won the first duel of the match. Astria NELO then Coline DEVILLARD, just crowned European champion on this apparatus, also won their duel and offered 6 additional points to Meaux. On the uneven bars, Marine BOYER wins the first duel again. Schiltigheim then manages to win his first duel of the evening with Alisson LAPP, a former member of the France team. Lucie HENNA concludes with this apparatus and makes a good return to competition after a shoulder operation. It allows Meaux to total 16 points at the halfway point. On the other hand, things get complicated on the beam for the Île-de-France club. This apparatus smiles on Schiltigheim who wins 2 duels thanks to Naomi PAZON and Alisson LAPP. Marine BOYER, thanks to her experience, won the last duel on this apparatus, her favorite device. If Lucie HENNA wins the first duel on floor, it is again two gymnasts from Schiltigheim who emerge victorious from the two following duels. However, thanks to its lead, the Meaux club won the final victory 26 to 22 and therefore climbed on the 3rd step of the podium of the Top 12 2023.
Men’s Artistic Gymnastics
Antibes chose to start against Etoile de Monaco on the ground, after winning the inaugural draw and chose to send Dylan WILLAEY-GE in the very first duel of the competition. He wins the first 3 points for his club against Félix BLAQUIERE who makes a small mistake. However, the young Lorenzo AYMES of Monaco reverses the dynamic allowing his team to equalise. The third duel was also won by Monaco, thanks to the performance of Shun Petit against Timéo Lixon. The two teams continue at pommel, with a new duel won by Lilian PIOTTE against Manoah FELICITE who has just returned from his first junior world championships. But Pierre CASSAM CHENAÏ created the surprise by winning his duel against the Turkish international Ferhat ARICAN who made a mistake when exiting the movement. Antibes then continues with a new victory thanks to Melwin TOUCHAIS and thus equalizes. Monaco then took the lead in the first ring apparatus thanks to Félix BLAQUIERE. However, Antibes continues to fight and comes back to the score with Melwin TOUCHAIS. Etoile de Monaco takes the 3rd duel before half-time. After the restart, Antibes regained the lead thanks to the victories of Alexis DEMIGHA and Anthony MANSARD. Monaco still won a duel on this apparatus. Then comes the parallel bars, where the two clubs once again alternately win the duels. Thus Shun PETIT wins the first for Monaco, Anthony MANSARD the second for Antibes and finally Ferhat ARICAN, vice-champion of Europe in title a few days ago and Olympic bronze medalist, the last for Monaco. The latter then allows his club to come back to the score during the first fixed duel but Pierre CASSAM CHENAÏ counter-attacks and wins the following duel. The last duel will therefore be decisive. Lilian PIOTTE ensures despite the pressure against Anthony MANSARD and sends Monaco to a golden duel.
It was therefore on the parallel bars that the men ended up deciding. Monaco let Antibes start. The OAJLP chose Pierre CASSAM CHENAÏ who fights until the reception to offer an exercise without falling to his team. Lorenzo AYMES achieves the same performance for Monaco and even manages to crush his exit which allows his team to win the bronze medal.
This Sunday, April 30, Avoine Beaumont Gymnastique and Union Haguenau (GAF) as well as the Association Sportive Vallauris Golfe-Juan and Noisy-le-Grand Gymnastique (GAM), the four best teams of the 2022/2023 season of the Top 12 , will compete. Avoine will try to keep his title, while Vallauris and Noisy will participate in their very first final! Two finals to follow from 6:45 p.m. live on the federal platform: Ma Gym TV.
The star of Monaco
Lorenzo Aymes, gymnast: It’s incredible to relive such a small final a second time. We didn’t let go throughout the competition, we had fun all along, it was really an incredible moment. All the more so to win in a golden duel like this. We prepare and think about the possibilities of a golden duel beforehand, depending on the results and the gymnasts. This evening it was played between Kévin Crovetto and me. We discussed and he made the choice to let me pass, I am very proud of that. Just before passing I said to myself that I shouldn’t miss myself, that I ensure my movement. But the credit goes to the whole team, we supported each other throughout the competition, each one behind the other. So yes it was me who won the last duel but it was together that we won.
Lilian Piotte, gymnast: a lot of relief at the end of this competition. Every year our goal is to finish in the top four so the goal was met. It is true that with the recruits we had this season we were aiming for the grand final but that didn’t happen despite a good match in the semi-finals but Noisy-le-Grand was better than us. We had to remobilize and the team knew how to do it, winning a golden duel is incredible. Just before getting on the high bar I said to myself that I had to do my movement as best I could in order to put pressure on the opponent. That’s what I managed to do with my crushed outing but above all thanks to the encouragement of my teammates. The star of Monaco is a family, there are a lot of volunteers who help us every day so that we can train, the new recruits have been able to integrate very well, the history and the soul of the club is very strong.
Thierry Aymes, coach: relief and satisfaction because we knew it was going to be a tough and close game and the victory is for us at the end so yes very satisfied. Winning third place twice in two years in a golden duel is really nice, it’s true that we have more and more young gymnasts, it shows that despite that we’re there every time because every year we are in the last four. The job is done, the boys are invested so I’m really happy for them. We knew that the Antibes team was going to be ready, we were too, we had to play the match, the golden duel was not a big surprise. Even if it remains quits or double, for this duel we had no choice. Kevin has a parallel bars movement at 4 pts and Lorenzo at 4.5 pts. Knowing that Pierre in front makes a move at 4.7 Lorenzo had to make a big move, that’s what he was able to do so congratulations to him. With work and desire, you can beat big teams, team spirit makes a lot of difference and we got it, Antibes too, but it was a little revenge because last year we lost the semi-final against them and today we won the bronze medal again against them. The boys are all training at home in Monaco so the team spirit comes from there, it is forged over time with training, they showed a great attitude tonight and I’m proud of that.
Meaux Gymnastics
Marine Boyer and Coline Devillard, gymnasts: Victory tonight is a pleasure! we wanted it even though we knew very well that it was going to be complicated. Last year we also faced Schiltigheim and it was a golden duel. We are proud to have won against the girls of Gym Concordia which is a very good team. We knew that jumping was our strongest apparatus and that we could win all three duels, so that’s what we had a very good start to the competition. We knew we needed more than two duels to win at the end of the bars. Despite that there were a few mistakes, we win a duel on beam and on floor we win from the first duel so after that it was just fun. It was especially the first competition of the season that we did with all the girls, during the pools and the qualifications there were always injured gymnasts. Despite that, we managed to climb into the small final and take third place.
Coline Devillard: It’s my first season in the Top12 and it’s really good, the atmosphere is even more great in this final. It was awesome. I joined a great club and I’m very happy. I tried to do my job, even if I only win one out of three duels today. But I’m glad to be here with the girls
Patrick Andreani, trainer: victory is what we came for, so very satisfied! The objective of the year was already to get into the semi-finals and once in the small final it was to get the podium. Before the beam we win five duels out of six but it was a little more complicated on this apparatus where we leave two deuls out of three to our opponents. After the bars we had two duels left to take and we had to pick them up with Marine who was imperial on the beam. We didn’t need to put her on the ground because Lucie made a very good pass. Coline is a fantastic recruit in terms of behavior, atmosphere, professionalism, she melted into the mould. She gets along so well with Marine and the whole team. A big congratulations to his previous club which trained him, we are bearing the fruits of everything that has been done before. For next year we will hope to enter the grand final to get the title but one thing after another. We will savor this third place. Since 2013 we are always on the podium, since 1991 always in DN1 or Top12, it is this longevity that we retain in Meaux.
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