Georgiou became the first Cypriot man or woman to win a European gymnastics title when he won horizontal bar gold in 2022. Two years later, he beat two-time champion Vernaiev to make more history for his nation.

The 26-year-old totalled 84.265 with Verniaiev's 84.031 enough for silver. Italy's Yumin Abbadini, who finished sixth last year, took bronze with a score of 83.765. Georgiou also led Cyprus to a first team final, and qualified for a third Olympics.

Despite having lost out on funding towards the Paris Games, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Georgiou has continued to improve steadily since his all-around 19th on his European Championship debut in 2015. He won all-around bronze in Szczecin, Poland in 2019, Cyprus' first medal at a European Championships.

Türkiye's defending champion Adem Asil was down in ninth with Jake Jarman of Great Britain, who took silver last year, just out of the medals in fourth. Verniaiev's Ukrainian team-mate Illia Kovtun finished sixth having won bronze 12 months ago in Antalya.

Ukraine were top in team qualification, followed by Great Britain and Spain, ahead of Sunday's final. Switzerland were fourth, just 0.001 points behind Spain, with Italy close behind.

The apparatus finals take place on Friday and Saturday. Kovtun qualified first on parallel bars and horizontal bar with Ukrainian team-mates Verniaiev (pommel horse) and Nazar Chepurnyi (vault) also on top. Israel's Artem Dolgopyat led floor qualification with Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece first on the still rings as he bids for a seventh European title on his favourite apparatus.

Thursday in Rimini sees the junior team final and qualification for the junior all-around final and junior apparatus finals.