Every year the European Championships provides a highly anticipated matchup featuring Europe’s top gymnasts in the early portion of the season. In 2023 the European Championships were no different. Jessica Gadirova became the latest breakout star to win the highly coveted All-Around while capping off a 3-year win streak on floor. Then came the arrival of the next generation as the high-school aged Manila Esposito and Sabrina Voinea won the first medals of their young careers.

Becky Downie (age 31), Sanne Wevers (age 31) and Elisabeth Seitz (age 29) created success on the opposite end of the age spectrum. Once again proving that the seat of power in women’s gymnastics is every bit as much controlled by adult women as it is by teenaged girls. The success of Downie was especially fulfilling as it seemed to revitalize the career of a popular fan favorite who had been plagued by misfortune in recent years.

Italy and Great Britain continued their rivalry that has been especially compelling in recent years. But this time it was the British who came out on top, winning three gold medals to Italy’s one. Jessica Gadirova delivered a trio of gold medals, but her personality is so positively expressive that her popularity with gymnastics fans always seems to grow tenfold each time she wins. Not to be outdone, Italy invoked the contributions of Asia D’Amato and Alice D’Amato who are just as capable of provoking positive emotions from gymnastics fans due to their status as twins. At the start of the individual events the first three podiums featured an alternating set of one the D’Amato twins.

But while Italy and Great Britain seemed to steal the show, Zsofia Kovacs of Hungary had quietly won two medals as well. It was a trilling story line from the country that is the “oldest power” in women’s gymnastics. Hungary was among the five original programs to mark the Olympic debut of women’s gymnastics in 1928. Then Hungary had given us legends like Agnes Keleti in the 1950s and Henrietta Onodi in the 1990s. Now it seemed that Zsofia of the 2020s was set to prove that the great days of this historic program had not yet ended.

When all was said and done, the following 12 gymnasts had won medals in the individual events at the 2023 European Championships:

Jessica Gadirova
Zsofia Kovacs
Alice D’Amato
Coline Devillard
Asia D’Amato
Lisa Vaelen
Becky Downie
Elisabeth Seitz
Sanne Wevers
Manila Esposito
Alice Kinsella
Sabrina Voinea

Those were the tales from a competition that provoked thrilling storylines and gymnastics fans walked away feeling fully satisfied with the outcome. But in the months since the gymnasts who won medals at this competition seemed to be plagued by misfortune and the 2023 European Championships in general now feels like a cursed competition.

Just two weeks after the conclusion of the European Championships Asia D’Amato suffered an ACL and meniscus tear at the Cairo World Cup at the end of April. That seemed to be the end of things until Elisabeth Seitz announced she had ruptured her Achilles tendon on September 5th. Then Lisa Vaelen announced she would have to withdraw from World Championships consideration due to an illness on September 9th. And finally, Zsofia Kovacs announced she had torn her ACL on September 23rd.

These four events meant that of the 12 gymnasts who won individual medals at the 2023 European Championships, 33% of them were knocked out of the World Championships due to injury or illness. Nor will Becky Downie be present after not making the British World Championships team this year. Bringing the rate to 42% of medal winners in the individual events at the 2023 European Championships will ultimately not be present at the 2023 World Championships.

The European delegation will hit a 50% withdrawal rate if any of the seven remaining gymnasts are forced to announce yet another injury or illness in our last week before the 2023 World Championships are slated to start. Such a prospect no longer feels like a far fetched hypothetical given how many “September surprises” Europe has recently experienced.