In episode 8 of ‘The European Gymnastics Podcast’, Olly Hogben and Blythe Lawrence focus on the upcoming TeamGym European Championships in Espoo (FIN) and the World Championships in Artistic Gymnastics in Rotterdam (NED).

• Blythe recaps the gymnastics news, starting with the ever spectacular Paris World Challenge Cup where host France and neighbour Belgium divided the women’s titles, the World Cup in Szombathely (HUN) and the retirement of 2017 World medallist Bart Deurloo (NED).
  • Who won a European floor title with the music playing in the background?
• Olly looks back on his highlights of the recent World Championships, starting with Aerobics in Pamplona. Our last episode’s special guest Miquel Mane became the star of the event, retaining his World title, while Greece celebrated its first ever medal courtesy of Faidra Diamanti. At ACRO Worlds in Pesaro, Roni Cohen and Shiraz Sokolovsky (ISR) clinched the treble in women’s pairs plus team gold. Superstars Ivan Labunets and Yevfrosyniia Kryvytsa (UKR) secured two titles and the joy of the Azerbaijan’s women’s group after their dynamic win was simply contagious.
• It’s TeamGym time! Finland hosted the very first European event 30 years ago, and we return there this year. From 14 to 17 October, Espoo’s Metro Areena is the place to be for all TeamGym fans. Olly is joined by former Team GB athlete and European Gymnastics co-commentator Liam Gallagher and Swedish TeamGym coach Emma Göransson who discuss TeamGym’s unique format, the pace and the high stakes, the team spirit and the rivalry of the Nordic countries. Learn all about this spectacular discipline so you can follow the entire competition live on gymtv.online, with expert commentary by Olly and Liam!
• Ahoy to Rotterdam! Find out three topics Blythe is excited about for these World Championships before we speak to Italian great Manila Esposito about her success in Zagreb, her return to her childhood gym in Civitavecchia, the support of her family and a selfie with… Simone Biles.

So … did you guess the music? Let us know on social media!

In episode 7 of ‘The European Gymnastics Podcast’, Olly Hogben and Blythe Lawrence focus on the upcoming World Championships as they chat with the Aerobic man of the moment Miquel Mane (ESP) and Ukraine’s ACRO mixed pair Ivan Labunets and Yevfrosyniia Kryvytsa.

• A World Championships in 60 seconds: Blythe recaps Rhythmic Worlds held in Frankfurt last month.
  • Which ACRO pair found World Games glory using this piece of music?
• Blythe looks back on the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships, held in Zagreb recently. Her top moments include the all-around title of Angelina Melnikova, the comeback stories of Helen Kevric and Manila Esposito, and the rise of the French team lead by Elena Colas.
• Olly dissects the Men’s week in Zagreb, highlighted by an incredible team final, 6 nations winning 6 apparatus finals, the one thousands mark separation in both all-around finals and Illia Kovtun’s return to competition, this time representing his new home, Croatia.

· Reigning mixed pair World Games Champions Ivan Labunets and Yevfrosyniia Kryvytsa (UKR), who’ve been training in Poland for 4 years already, are getting ready for the Acro Worlds in Pesaro. Despite being far away from home - Yevfrosyniia and Ivan see their family and friends in Ukraine only once a year - the duo strives thanks to the total focus on their sport. Join us as they talk about trust, commitment, and the Broadway and Nutcracker ballet inspiration for their routines.

• A glimpse back at the extraordinary performances at the Mediterranean Games where Kaylia Nemour shone brightest, Türkiye and Italy won the team titles and Super Marios Georgiou excelled yet again.
• Reigning World Champion Miquel Mane is heading to a home Aerobics World Championships, in Pamplona. When you see Mane perform, fans witness moments of pure art. Mane’s passion for theatre, aesthetics and science give way to a lust for life that shows on and off the competition floor.

So … did you guess the music? Let us know on social media!

In episode 6, Olly Hogben and Blythe Lawrence talk Artistic Gymnastics with reigning European All-Around Champion Adem Asil (TUR) and Croatian trailblazer Tijana Korent as we head to Zagreb this month for the European Championships!

• Blythe recaps the essential gymnastics news including the success of Ruby Evans, Reuben Ward and Luke Whitehouse at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the dominance of Darja Varfolomeev at the Rhythmic World Cup final in Milan in the lead-up to home World Championships in Frankfurt, an all Romania – Ukraine affair at the Aerobic World Cup, and heartfelt goodbyes to Italy’s Nicola Bartolini and Türkiye’s Ahmet Onder.

o An iconic piece of Artistic Gymnastics music is playing in the background. Can you guess who used this and when?

• 2023 and 2025 European All-Around Champion Adem Asil opens up about the pressure and the prestige of being an all-around gymnast, continuously pushing his limits, the focus on his physical, and even more importantly, his mental capabilities and the incredible development of Türkiye’s men’s team. What advice does Adem give his younger self coming to Türkiye 10 years ago? Find out in this candid interview!
• Olly and Blythe discuss the top three things they look forward to most at the upcoming European Championships in Artistic Gymnastics. Can you guess the descriptions?
• At 37 years old, Tijana Korent is still leading the Croatian team to new heights. Back after a pause caused by a kidney illness, Korent speaks about her desire to end her gymnastics career on her own terms and the thrill of competing at a home Championships. As a history-maker for her nation, where she became the first female gymnast to compete in an European Championships final, Korent loves to give advice to the younger gymnasts and show her love for the sport. The best is still to come!