Third place and a bright future for TG Saar
TG Saar won bronze in the DTL finals, rounding off a successful, pioneering year for gymnastics in Saarland.
On 2 December 2023, the gymnasts of TG Saar managed to beat last year’s winners TuS Vinnhorst in the ‘small final’ of the Deutsche Turnliga (DTL) to claim third place in the German team championships for apparatus gymnastics. In the battle for third place, TG Saar secured a clear victory against the reigning champions and thus won a bronze medal for the 2023 Deutsche Turnliga season. With a final result of 43:23, the Saarland gymnasts put in an impressive team performance in front of a sold-out crowd in Neu-Ulm.
The highest point scorers in this final match were Daniel Mousichidis, 2023 German champion on floor and pommel horse, and Oleg Verniaiev, 2016 Olympic champion on the parallel bars. Both gained eight points for TG Saar. With this bronze medal, the gymnasts of TG Saar have been rewarded for their magnificent performance this season and for successfully putting their strategy and goals into practice. The combination of experienced veterans and ‘young bucks’ trained in-house, who are taking on an increasing amount of responsibility, showed that a well-balanced team can achieve outstanding results.
Third place in the federal league rounds off an eventful, successful year for TG Saar and gymnastics in Saarland, giving the athletes an optimistic and confident outlook for the future. The gymnasts from Germany’s smallest federal state already had much to celebrate when the year was only half complete.
A slew of medals at the 34th German youth championships
This year’s German apparatus gymnastics youth championships were held in Saarland from 29 June to 2 July 2023 and were organised by TG Saar. With a home advantage to draw on, the ‘young bucks’ of TG Saar were able to impress across the board at their final youth competition. The winners’ podium was firmly occupied by Saarland athletes for the all-round competition in the 17/18 category. Defending champion Daniel Mousichidis put in a dominant performance and was once again crowned German junior champion, with his two TG Saar team colleagues, Maxim Kovalenko and Gabriel Eichhorn, in second and third place. Another TG Saar gymnast, Moritz Steinmetz, was also competing in this age category and finished in 12th place.
The Saarland gymnasts were also extremely successful in the apparatus finals: Daniel Mousichidis continued his winning streak and became German junior champion on the floor and pommel horse. He also won silver on the parallel bars and bronze on the rings and vault. Maxim Kovalenko was named German junior champion in the vault, as well as gaining silver on the floor and bronze on the horizontal bar.
TG Saar youngsters also successful in senior competition
The youth championships were quickly followed by the next highlight just a week later: the newly crowned junior champions completed in the German senior championships for the first time, held from 7 to 9 July 2023 as part of the ‘Finals 2023 Rhein-Ruhr’ multisport event in Düsseldorf.
At the 2023 Finals, 18-year-old European junior champion and newly crowned multiple German youth champion Daniel Mousichidis demonstrated his exceptional talent and skill to win two gold medals in his first German championships at senior level. The talented Saarland gymnast impressed on both the floor and the pommel horse and won against strong competition. This strong result for TG Saar’s ‘young bucks’ was further boosted by Maxim Kovalenko, who won silver on the vault, and Gabriel Eichhorn who became the new German champion on the horizontal bar.
This potential from in-house youth talent gives TG Saar a very hopeful outlook for upcoming competitions. Winning the small final in Neu-Ulm has already showcased this, and could mark the beginning of a successful new era for gymnastics in Saarland.
We would like to congratulate TG Saar and its gymnasts for this successful year and wish them all the best for the future.
Photo: TG Saar/ Thorsten Michels