Ukrainian gymnast Nazar Chepurnyi has confidently cleared the qualification barrier at the 2026 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, advancing to two separate finals. According to the official website of European Gymnastics, cited by Sport RBC.UA, the Ukrainian gymnast has secured a spot in the top eight for the vault and the parallel bars. Consequently, both of his medal-deciding performances will take place on the same day — Saturday, August 22.
Qualification: Two Finals in One Day
Chepurnyi demonstrated a high and consistent level of preparation in both disciplines, allowing him to finish in the final eight for two events. This is a rare and indicative result for a single gymnast at a continental championship, as only the top eight athletes based on qualification scores advance to the final in each discipline. Now, the main medal battle for the Ukrainian team at the 2026 European Championships will be focused on these two finals.
Vault: Second Place in Qualification
In the vault, Chepurnyi finished second in qualification, scoring an average of 14.466 points. This is one of the highest results of the day in this discipline and direct confirmation that the gymnast is in excellent form for this event. Given his successes in the vault last year, the second position in the Euro 2026 qualification looks like a logical continuation of his upward trajectory.
Parallel Bars: Fifth Place
In the parallel bars, the Ukrainian gymnast received a score of 14.100 from the judges, securing him fifth place in qualification. He trailed the leader, Ilya Kovtun, by 0.400 points. Starting fifth in the final is a real opportunity to fight for a medal, especially considering that judges' scores are often adjusted in either direction during the final.
Ukrainian Team: Who Missed the Cut
Unfortunately, other representatives of the national team failed to advance to the final eight. Vladyslav Hryko on the horizontal bar finished 16th with a score of 13.700 — he missed the qualifying top eight by 0.266 points. Bohdan Suprun on the rings also finished the qualification in 16th place with a score of 13.633, trailing the top eight by 0.467 points. Both results were slightly below the qualifying threshold, highlighting the high density of competition at this championship.
Context: From Bronze in 2025 to Finals in 2026
Chepurnyi's performance at the 2026 European Championships fits into the broader picture of his growth. At the 2025 European Championships, he won bronze in the vault, and at the World Cup in the same discipline, he also took bronze and became the leader in the standings. These results show that the vault remains his signature event, and the current second position in the qualification for the continental championship is a natural step forward. It is also noted that the Ukrainian men's team previously qualified for the 2026 World Championships, making the current European Championships an important stage of preparation for the main event of the year.
Schedule and Broadcast
Both of Nazar Chepurnyi's final performances — in the vault and on the parallel bars — will take place on Saturday, August 22. The competition is scheduled to begin at 17:30 Kyiv time. A live broadcast of the medal fight will be available on the "Public Sport" platforms, allowing fans to follow the Ukrainian gymnast's performance in real time.
