Great Britain's Alice Kinsella clinched the bronze medal in the all-around final on the first day of the European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships, despite posting the fourth-best score of the day.
Thursday's opening competition in Rimini saw gymnasts participate in the all-around final, which also served as qualification for the team and apparatus finals to be held over the weekend.
Kinsella, who won the all-around silver at the 2022 Europeans, posted a total score of 53.599 after her vault, beam, floor and uneven bars routines, which saw her finish behind three home favourites.
Manila Esposito (55.432) took the European title for Italy, while Alice D'Amato - the 2023 bronze medallist - finished as runner-up to her compatriot with a silver-worthy score of 54.831.
Angela Andreoli (53.766) completed a clean sweep of the top three positions for the Italians, but with a maximum of two gymnasts per nation permitted on the podium, Andreoli missed out on a medal as Kinsella took home the bronze.
"I feel super happy, it wasn't actually my best competition, but I'm delighted to make third place and have this medal," the 23-year-old told the official British Gymnastics website.
Yes @AliceKinsella16 🥉 pic.twitter.com/qSEPSlSsI1
— British Gymnastics (@BritGymnastics) May 2, 2024
GB quartet qualify for individual finals
"I made a few small mistakes today but I kept my head and stayed in the zone which helped. Going to floor last I was really confident - I had a lot of fun with the team as always which definitely helps my performance."
As well as her all-around success, Kinsella formed part of the five-strong GB troupe - also comprising Ruby Evans, Abigail Martin, Georgia-Mae Fenton and Becky Downie - that qualified for the team final in second place behind Italy.
Kinsella's floor score of 13.466 also saw her qualify for the individual final on that apparatus, where she will be joined by Martin (13.233), who was called up to the team as a replacement for the injured Ondine Achampong.
GB will also have two representatives in the uneven bars final, as 32-year-old Downie - the 2014 and 2016 European champion in the event - qualified with the second-highest total of 14.500, while Fenton scored 13.733 to sneak in too.
Downie's beam score of 12.933 was not enough to earn her a route into the eight-gymnast final, but she will be second reserve for that individual competition.
The 2024 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships continue on Friday, where the juniors will take to the Rimini arena for their all-around final and apparatus and team final qualifications.
Ben Knapton
