Les Bleues with Devillard, without De Jesus Dos Santos at the European Championships
The French leaders had announced it: the women’s team which would compete in the European Championships in Antalya (Turkey), from April 11 to 16, would be made up of experienced gymnasts and other more novices to toughen them up. The selection made public on Tuesday confirms this. It will revolve around Coline Devillard and Marine Boyer, both 22, who have just won two medals each in the World Cup.
Devillard, European jumping champion in 2017, won on her favorite apparatus at Doha and Baku in less than a week ; as for Boyer, double European medalist on the beam (2nd in 2016, 3rd in 2018), she won the floor and finished 2nd on the beam in Azerbaijan. Results that augur at least two podiums in Turkey.
Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos rests
With them, were retained Morgane Osyssek, Sheyen Petit and Djenna Laroui, who will have the mission to climb into the Top 5 by team. “We made the choice to let […] Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Carolann Héduit and Aline Friess are slowly returning to competition so as to be ready to perform at the qualifying World Championships”, justifies Véronique Legras-Snoeck, the high-level director for the women’s sector. Knee operated this winter, the quadruple European champion Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos thus continues her preparation in Texas in view of the Worlds in Antwerp (Belgium, September 29-October 8).
Men play Olympic qualification
If the young women can afford to rotate the workforce thanks to their 8th place in the world last fall which qualified them directly for the Worlds in Belgium, the men have the obligation to score points in Antalya to obtain the right to join them there and play the Olympic qualification.
The team will be made up of Cameron-Lie Bernard, who has just won a bronze medal on the parallel bars in Baku, by Mathias Philippe, Jim Zona, Lucas Desanges and Léo Saladino. For this competition with a particular format, which gives the opportunity to add a sixth person entered on an individual basis, who will be able to line up on a maximum of three apparatus, France has chosen to bet on Benjamin Osberger, floor specialist (4th at the last Worlds) and pommel (4th in Baku).
