DOHA: Ukrainian Illia Kovtun maintained his calm and composure with his routine performance on the parallel bars to qualify for the men’s final at the 14th Taishan Artistic World Cup at the Aspire Dome on Thursday.
This was his second successive finals after winning the gold at the FIG Artistic World Cup series opener in Cottbus, Germany, last Sunday (February 27).
The 18-year-old, who won All-Around bronze at 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, was at his level best to amass 14.666 in the qualifiers.
The 2021 Olympian and European all-around bronze medalist will hope to extend his winning run here in the Qatari capital, the second stop in the World Cup Series.
For the record, Kovtun has also qualified for the men’s vault, pommel horse and horizontal finals in this edition.
A total of eight gymnasts from the qualifiers will compete in the finals.
Russia’s Aleksandr Kartsev and Ivan Kuliak finished second and third in the parallel bars qualifiers.
Australia’s Mitchell Morgans, who won silver in Cottbus, was the last gymnast on the list.
Another Ukrainian, 19-year-old Nazar Chepurnyi also qualified for the finals.
Chepurnyi, winner of 2020-2021 series title on vault and who won a silver in men’s vault in Cottbus, finished second on the list of qualifiers.
Other Qualifiers
MAG Vault: Andrey Medvedev; Nazar Chepurnyi; James Bacueti; Artem Dolgopyat; Aurel Benovic; Yahor Sharamkou; Jun Ho Lee; Illia Kovtun.
MAG Parallel Bars: Illia Kovtun; Aleksandr Kartsev; Ivan Kuliak; Robert Tvorogal; Milad Karimi; Utkirbek Juraev; Ivan Tikhonov; Mitchell Morgans.
MAG Horizontal Bars: Alexander Myakinin; Illia Kovtun; Ivan Tikhonov; Ioane Jimsheleishvili; Krisztian Balazs; Khabibullo Ergashev; Aleksandr Kartsev; Joshua Jack Williams.
WAG Balance Beam: Vladislava Urazova; Nora Peresztegi; Anastasiya Smantsar; Hiu Ying Wong; Lucija Hribar; Tjasa Kysselef; Csenge Maria Bacskay; Korkem Yerbossynkyzy.
WAG Floor Exercise: Vladislava Urazova; Anastasiya Smantsar; Dorina Boeczoego; Mariia Minaeva; Daniela Batrona, Bianka Schermann; Aida Bauyrzhanova; Keira Rolston-Larking.
