© AFP
A week after her victory in Cairo, Nina Derwael did not get further than fifth place in the beam final at the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany on Sunday. She achieved a score of 13,433 points. Erika Pinxten came seventh with 10,333 points. The gold went to the Chinese Yaqin Zhou (14,900 pts), to the Japanese girls Urara Ashikawa (12,200 pts) and Haruka Nakamura (14,000 pts).
On Friday in the qualifications, Derwael finished third with 13,700 points. Pinxten then achieved 13,333 points and finished joint fifth.
For Nina Derwael, the World Cup in Cottbus was her second competition of the season. On her return last weekend, she immediately won gold on beam during the World Cup round in Cairo, ahead of Pinxten. Cairo was Derwael’s first competition in 472 days. The 23-year-old from Limburg underwent shoulder surgery in September. A month later she had to forfeit the World Cup in her own country, in Antwerp. The Olympic champion on the uneven bars still has to punch her ticket for the Olympic Games in Paris.
After the four World Cup events this spring (Cairo, Cottbus, Baku and Doha), the two best gymnasts who have not yet qualified on each of the four apparatus will earn an individual ticket for the Games. Then there is one last chance for qualification during the European Championships in Rimini, Italy (May 2-5).
On Saturday, Maellyse Brassart won a bronze medal in the bridge final in Cottbus.