Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, Gabriele Targhetta of Italy and Artur Avetisyan of Armenia each struck gold on the first of two days of the senior apparatus finals at the European Championships that continued Friday in Zagreb.
Dolgopyat, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion on floor exercise, earned his third continental title on that event, scoring 14.666 against silver medalist Arsenii Dukhno of World Gymnastics 2 (14.333) and bronze medalist Harry Hepworth of Great Britain (14.300).
The 29-year-old Dolgopyat’s previous Europeans finishes on floor exercise included first in 2020 and 2022, second in 2018 and 2019, fourth in 2017 and seventh in 2025. His world championships medal tally on floor exercise includes gold in 2023, and silver in 2017 and 2019.
On pommel horse, Targhetta, the top qualifier and 2025 bronze medalist on pommel horse, bettered defending champion Hamlet Manukyan of Armenia to win gold with 15.133. Manukyan took silver with 15.100, followed by bronze medal-winning teammate Armenian Mamikon Khachatryan (14.900).
Earlier this year, the 20-year-old Targhetta finished first on pommel horse at the World Cup of Cottbus, upping to four his collection of World Cup or World Challenge Cups medals. He was ninth on pommel horse in qualifications at the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta.
Manuykan, who will turn 19 on August 22, placed fourth on pommel horse at last year’s Worlds, where Khachatryan took silver.
Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan, who earned gold on pommel horse at the 2018 Europeans and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finished seventh with 14.166.
With his winning performance on still rings, 28-year-old Artur Avetisyan of Armenia completed his continental medal collection on that apparatus, having earned silver in 2016 and bronze in 2025.
Avetisyan and Ilia Zaika of World Gymnastics 2 each scored 14.400, but Avetisyan’s higher Execution score broke the tie.
In another tiebreaker, Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias – who won gold on still rings at the 2015-18, 2021-22, 2024 and 2025 (tie) Europeans – took bronze with 14.366. Courtney Tulloch of Great Britain also scored 14.366 but yielded bronze to Petrounias, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games champion, based on Petrounias’s higher Execution score.
The competition continues Saturday with the second day of the senior apparatus finals, and all six junior apparatus finals.
2026 Men’s European Championships
Zagreb
August 21 (first of two days of senior apparatus finals)
Floor Exercise:
Artur Dolgopyat ISR 14.666Arsenii Dukhno WG2 14.333Harry Hepworth GBR 14.300Illia Kovtun CRO 14.100Yahor Sharamkou WG1 14.066Luca Murabito SUI 13.766Eamon Montgomery IRL 13.533Mukhammadzhon Iakubov WG2 13.033
Pommel Horse:
Gabriele Targhetta ITA 15.133Hamlet Manukyan ARM 15.000Mamikon Khachatryan ARM 14.900David Ivanov BUL 14.700Ignacio Yockers ESP 14.433Dmitrijs Mickevics LAT 14.266Rhys McClenaghan IRL 14.166Arsenii Dukhno WG2 10.966
Still Rings:
Artur Avetisyan ARM 14.400Ilia Zaika WG2 14.400*Eleftherios Petrounias GRE 14.366Courtney Tulloch GBR 14.366*Vahagn Davtyan ARM 14.000Nikita Simonov AZE 14.000*Artur Sahakyan GER 13.900Harry Hepworth GBR 12.866
*tie broken by higher Execution score
International Gymnast Online’s features on day-one senior apparatus finalists include: