Gymnasts Across the Globe Set for Anadia

The field for next week’s Anadia World Challenge Cup will pull from countries across the globe, with top gymnasts from places as far as China, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil expected to travel to Portugal for the eighth challenge cup meet of the season.

For the women, the list includes many who have already qualified to the Olympic Games as well as those still attempting to earn spots on their countries’ teams.

One of the most exciting will be a preview of four very likely to make Brazil’s team, as Rebeca Andrade, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira, and Flavia Saraiva will all compete. Their team has yet to be named, but these four plus Daniele Hypolito are looking like the top options, so this could be one of the final determining competitions before things are made official.

Italy wlil also send a couple reaching for the games, including Vanessa Ferrari, a near-lock but needing a test like this as she’s spent so much time out due to injury since worlds. Sofia Busato, who went to Euros just for her big vaults, is also expected to compete. She’s more of a long shot for the team without her other events, but she could make an interesting last-minute bid if she can add something else to her program.

Both Greece and Mexico earned two spots at the Olympic Test Event and one Olympic spot apiece, with the contention for these spots between Vasiliki Millousi and Argyro Afrati for Greece and Ana Lago and Alexa Moreno for Mexico. Millousi won’t compete here, but Afrati – this year’s national champion – will hope to impress enough to earn the spot. Lago and Moreno, meanwhile, are both so close in their all-around potential, the decision between them will be nearly impossible. With Moreno capable of making the vault final, she could be the best option, but next weekend’s meet could give the federation a good idea as to who is most prepared at the moment.

As for those who have already qualified for the Olympics, we’ll see Isabella Amado of Panama, Teja Belak of Slovenia, Farah Boufadene of Algeria, Simona Castro of Chile, Ana Derek of Croatia, Catalina Escobar of Colombia, Katarzyna Jurkowska-Kowalska of Poland, Zsofia Kovacs of Hungary, Emma Larsson of Sweden (alongside her teammate Veronica Wagner, back for the first time since worlds), Jessica Lopez of Venezuela, hometown girl Ana Filipa Martins of Portugal, Larrissa Miller of Australia (along with Emily Little, Rianna Mizzen, and Lauren Mitchell), and Ariana Orrego of Peru.

The World Challenge Cup in Cottbus will be held from March 31 through April 3. A full list of MAG and WAG contenders is below.

Article by Lauren Hopkins