Grasse gymnast Léo Saladino crowned European vice-champion in the all-around competition

Cock-a-doodle-doo! Frenchman Léo Saladino became European vice-champion in artistic gymnastics in the all-around competition on Thursday in Leipzig, Germany.

The bronze medal went to Hungarian Krisztofer Meszaros (81.164 pts) who narrowly beat another Frenchman, Anthony Mansard.

The 18-year-old gymnast, who was last year's European junior champion in the event, took fourth place with 81.098 points in his first year as a senior.

Eighteenth after qualifying, Saladino scored 81.430 points across the six apparatuses thanks to a flawless performance. He was only beaten by Turkey's Adem Asil (82.398 points), who won his second title after 2023 thanks in particular to an impressive performance on the rings.

At 22, Saladino won his first medal in an international championship and gave France its first continental podium in the event since Dimitri Karbanenko won silver in 1998.

"I tried to do the best lap possible, I knew there was a chance to play. There were zero falls, so overall there was nothing to complain about," the gymnast from Antibes told AFP. "I'm happy that the work is finally paying off. This kicks off the Olympic cycle in the best possible way."

The bronze medal went to Hungarian Krisztofer Meszaros (81.164 points), who narrowly edged out another Frenchman, Anthony Mansard. The 18-year-old gymnast, European junior champion in the event last year, finished just off the podium by just 0.66 seconds. "He was disappointed, but I think he'll soon realize that this is a huge achievement for his first year as a senior," commented Saladino.

Reconstruction

The French men's national team begins its reconstruction in Leipzig. For the second time in a row, the French team failed to qualify for the Olympic Games last year.

They started the week with a solid fifth-place team finish, a year after their 11th-place continental finish. "We wanted to play a successful match. Little by little, we're moving up," Saladino said.

The Frenchman can still aim for a medal in the parallel bars final on Saturday, while Mansard will defend his chances in the high bar final.