2026 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships. EF. HB (Teledeporte)

Summary — Men’s Horizontal Bar (EF. HB), 2026 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships

The men’s horizontal bar grand final (the last apparatus of the day) featured six apparatus specialists. Several gymnasts struggled with execution and grip on high-difficulty release sequences, shaping the medal results.

Featured routines and results

• Radomir Stelmac (Germany) Opened among the early gymnasts after qualifying with 14.033 (6th). His routine started with multiple bar-linked elements, including a pirouette-based connection and other difficulty near the bar. He suffered a fall after a release/connection mistake—while trying to regain control and avoid slipping, he couldn’t secure the heel properly and ended on the floor, forcing him to continue. He later had another release-related issue but completed more of the routine than expected; the performance left him off the podium.

• Ilia Koftun (Croatia) (favorite) Began with two dives with pirouette + half turn, followed by linked catches and difficult releases. He also connected extended somersaults with twists, then executed a high-complexity exit. The judges rewarded both difficulty and execution, and he took the lead after his routine.

• Noe Sefer (Switzerland) Entered next but made two falls, with commentary suggesting the bar/release was misjudged (“they didn’t see the bar”), creating a major setback. Although he completed additional elements (including finishing with a triple somersault), the falls dropped him to a low placing. He ultimately finished 7th in the final.

• Joey Fräser (Great Britain) (won gold) Delivered a highly technical routine with multiple linked releases and large acrobatic height. He had a small step (a minor execution blemish), but the routine remained both solid and very difficult. He produced the best overall performance of the day, winning gold with a top score.

• Marios Georgiou (Cyprus) (won bronze) Executed an elegant, safe routine with high-quality releases and smooth transitions. The strength of execution was enough for him to finish in the bronze medal position, delivering Cyprus its first medal at this event on this apparatus.

• Keiden Spencer (Bulgaria) and Sabeli Siedin (Neutral/Refugee-eligible Russian team) (later phase)

  • Spencer: small flaws and a missed detail on a transition/release connection; finished 4th provisionally at the time.
  • Siedin: described as very clean and competitive, but commentary suggests the routine lacked a bit of “virtuosity”/elegance in the transitions. He scored enough to be provisionally in 3rd, before final rankings locked.

• Robert Toborogal (Lithuania) (defending European champion; last to go) Commentary notes possible linking/difficulty devaluation issues related to a hand movement before releases, plus trouble with leg position (legs opening). He finished 5th, unable to challenge the medalists.

Final Podium (Horizontal Bar)

• Gold: Joey Fräser (Great Britain)
• Silver: Ilia Koftun (Croatia)
• Bronze: Sabeli Siedin (Neutral/Russian team) and Marios Georgiou (Cyprus) (Broadcast text indicates Georgiou won a medal and that Siedin and Fräser were silver/bronze in the medal wrap-up, with Georgiou taking Cyprus’s first medal.)

Notable outcomes

• Multiple competitors fell, including Stelmac and Sefer, severely impacting their chances.
• The most decisive clean-through performance came from Fräser, combining very high difficulty with strong execution, despite a tiny step.

Presenters / Sources (end of subtitles)

• Teledeporte (broadcast source referenced multiple times in the commentary)
• Named figures in commentary: Quintilian (cited at the beginning as a rhetorical/expository example)
• Coaches were referenced during routines, but no specific coach names were clearly identified in the subtitles.