The first individual European Championship medal in the history of Hungarian rhythmic gymnastics was won by Fanni Pigniczki, who finished second in the final of the ball event on the last day of the continental tournament in Budapest on Sunday.
Pigniczki qualified for the final with a score of 33.350, but she surpassed that with a near perfect routine and a score of 34.850. This is an absolute personal best, as she has never achieved such a high score in an international competition with any apparatus. Her previous record was 34.700 points for her ball routine on Saturday.
This is Hungary’s first silver medal in this sport with this apparatus, as the team finished third in 1988, 1992, and 1993.
The MTK (Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre) athlete later finished fifth in the ribbon event.
Fanni Pigniczki. Photo via MTI/Illyés Tibor
Pigniczki was modest about her expectations at both press conferences ahead of the continental tournament, only saying that she would like to finish in the top 12 in the overall final. She noted after winning the silver medal on Sunday that since she won the bronze medal at the World Championships, she has thought almost every day how nice it would be to crown the European Championships with a medal in front of her home crowd.
The three medalists of the ball routine, Fanni Pigniczki, Italian Sofia Raffaeli, and Israeli Daniela Munic (L-R). Photo via MTI/Illyés Tibor
After winning the silver medal, she did not have much time to celebrate, as she still had the ribbon event to go. She stressed that she has learned a lot and gained a lot of experience in the competitions so far, hence after a good practice and after winning a medal, she can continue to fight and focus on her next task.
For the 24-year-old Pigniczki, the first European Championships for adults was in Budapest in 2017, but she does not yet know whether she will compete in a continental event or continue her career after the summer Olympics in Paris.
Whether I do or not, this will be a very memorable European Championships for me and I think it will always be my favorite,”
she concluded.
Fact
Fanni Pigniczki qualified for the Paris Olympics in August 2023, after finishing 11th at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Valencia, Spain. On the same occasion, Pigniczki finished third in the final of the hoop event, which was the second World Championships medal for Hungarian rhythmic gymnastics after Mária Patocska’s bronze medal, also in the hoop event, nearly 51 years ago.
Via MTI; Featured image via MTI/Illyés Tibor
