Verniaiev successfully defends parallel bars title as European Gymnastics Championships close in Montpellier

Oleg Verniaiev successfully defended his parallel bars title at the European Gymnastics Championships ©Getty Images

Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev added to his growing medal collection today by successfully defending his parallel bars title as the European Gymnastics Championships came to a close in Montpellier.

The world champion in the discipline, who secured the European all-around title earlier this week, scored an unassailable 15.866 to claim the gold medal at the Park&Suites Arena in the French city.

His mark was more than half a point more than Romania’s Marius Berbecar and Switzerland’s Christian Baumann, who tied for silver, ahead of Azerbaijan’s Oleg Stepko, who just missed out on a podium spot.

Meanwhile, Youth Olympic Games gold medallist Nikita Nagornyy of Russia claimed the gold medal in the vault competition.

He outperformed his compatriot and defending champion Denis Ablyazin, who took the silver medal in the discipline at the London 2012 Olympics, and Ukrainian Olympic bronze medallist Igor Radivilov with two well-executed vaults to take his first European title.

Ablyazin and Radivilov tied for silver medals.

Croatian horizontal bar World Championships bronze medal winner Marijo Možnik went two better at this tournament to take the gold medal.

He was joined on the podium by silver medallist Sam Oldham of Great Britain and Greek former world champion Vlasios Maras.

Ksenia Afanasyeva's performance on floor saw her claiming the European gold medal ©Getty Images

“I’m really happy,” Oldham, a team gold medallist at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, said.

“Coming in to this a final I felt a bit tired but just kept saying to myself stay focussed, go for it.

“For me this Championship has been all about the end of a journey, from injury at the Commonwealth Games I’ve worked hard and been supported by so many people and to have this medal is amazing.”

Elsewhere, the women’s events saw Andreea Munteanu continuing Romania’s strong tradition on beam by securing her first individual European title with a score of 14.366.

She was joined on the podium by British silver medallist Becky Downie and home athlete Claire Martin, who claimed the bronze.

Russian former world and European champion Ksenia Afanasyeva came back to form after being hit with injury to clinch the gold medal on the floor.

Her routine of spins and leaps saw her topping Britain’s Claudia Fragapane, who claim the silver medal, and Swiss bronze medallist Giulia Steingruber, who won the women’s all-around title and vault silver medal earlier in the Championships.

Next year’s European Artistic Gymnastics Championships will take place in Bern, Switzerland.