Romania hosted the seventh individual European Championships in Cluj-Napoca in April 2017. It was the first major European meet after Rio, and like Moscow four years earlier it came with a new Code of Points, this time for the 2017–2020 cycle.
Downie's historic title
Ellie Downie won the women's all-around title, the first time a British woman had become European all-around champion. Her win combined strong difficulty on vault and floor with composure on the two apparatus where all-around finals are most often lost. It was also a result that showed how much British women's gymnastics had grown over the previous decade.
A Romanian home crowd
Romania is one of the most successful nations in the history of women's gymnastics, and a European Championships in Cluj meant a knowledgeable and vocal audience. The event was sponsored by Petrom, which is why the official name of the championships carried the sponsor's name.
The new code in action
Every new Code of Points shifts the balance. In 2017 the changes included adjustments to element values and composition requirements, and many gymnasts arrived in Cluj with routines still under construction. Early-cycle results are not always predictive; some of the strongest Tokyo-cycle gymnasts were still adding difficulty at this point.
Format
- Individual competition: qualification, all-around finals and apparatus finals. - Two-per-country limit in each final. - Men and women in the same week and venue.
Worth noticing when rewatching
- How many gymnasts were still adapting older routines to the new code. - The vault finals, where two different vaults are required. - The atmosphere: Romanian crowds reward clean beam work in a way few other audiences do.
Related
See the 2019 Szczecin championships, the next individual edition, and our scoring explainer.
