- Teenager overcomes moments of self-doubt to win gold
- Ondine Achampong secures silver on the balance beam
There have been tumbles and tears, doubtless the odd bruise too. Crises of confidence that required reassurance to repair. Even since arriving in Munich for these European championships, Jessica Gadirova felt her belief waver under the microscope with errors often invisible to the naked eye.
On Sunday, though, the 17‑year‑old Briton was resolute and rigorous and the reward was gold in the floor exercise and a successful defence of her continental crown. Skipping and leaping with the greatest of ease, she headed her rivals with a score of 14.000, with her twin sister Jennifer fifth. A team silver-medallist here already, this was a level above, validation for skipping the Commonwealth Games to give this her all. And for occasional moments of damaging deflation, including a slip on the beam during qualification, she simply had to push through.
