Israeli gymnast finishes 8th in European finals
Artistic gymnast Alexander Shatilov ranked eight in finals of European Gymnastics Championships held in Italy; has better chance of winning medal Sunday during floor exercise
Israeli artistic gymnast Alexander Shatilov finished 8th in the all-round competition at the 2009 European Artistic Gymnastics Senior Championships, held in Milano on Saturday. Twenty-four gymnasts competed in the finals.
Shatilov qualified for his first European championship final Friday night, both in the all-round competition and in the floor exercise.
Shatilov in action (Photo: AP)
Ranked eight in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shatilov could have been the first Israeli gymnast to win a European championship medal. In the finals he scored 14.475 points on the mat, 15.675 points for his vault jump and 14.350 points for his parallel bars routine.
The pommel horse proved a struggle for him, winning him only 13.675 points.
Germany's Fabian Hambuechen won the event with 15.500 points.
Shatilov will have a more realistic chance to win a medal during Sunday's floor exercise finals, to which he qualified from the 2nd place.
