Angelina Melnikova emerged victorious, while Anna Kalmykova claimed second place in the competition in Croatia

Russian athletes claimed gold and silver in the women’s all-around event on the first day of the European Gymnastics Championship in Croatia.

World champion Angelina Melnikova claimed first place, ahead of teammate Anna Kalmykova. Another Russian athlete, Liudmila Roschina, narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing behind Elena Colas of France, who is in her first senior season.

The participation of the Russian team was marred by hostile actions from the host country, which initially refused to provide visas to nine members of the Russian delegation, including both of the medal winners, a coach, and the team’s physician. Russian diplomats managed to secure visas for four of the affected athletes, while others remained barred from entering Croatia.

In addition to the visa troubles, the host country also refused to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag. 

European Gymnastics reinstated Russian athletes to competitions earlier this year, enabling them to perform under the national flag, following a ruling from World Gymnastics.

However, for the events for which hosting rights were awarded before July 28 this year, Russian teams can be barred from displaying the country’s flag and other symbols at the host’s decision.