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Zsófia Kovács (gymnast)

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The native form of this personal name is Kovács Zsófia. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Zsófia Kovács
Kovács at the 2022 European Championships
Personal information
Born (2000-04-06) 6 April 2000 (age 24)
HometownDunaújváros
Height1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented Hungary
Years on national team2014–present (HUN)
LevelSenior International Elite
Medal record
Artistic gymnastics
Representing  Hungary
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2020 Mersin Vault
Gold medal – first place 2020 Mersin Uneven Bars
Gold medal – first place 2022 Munich Vault
Silver medal – second place 2017 Cluj-Napoca All-Around
Silver medal – second place 2023 Antalya All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Mersin Team
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Antalya Balance Beam
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Apparatus World Cup 2 3 1
World Challenge Cup 7 4 3
Total 9 7 4

Zsófia Kovács (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈʒoːfijɒ ˈkovaːt͡ʃ]; born 6 April 2000) is a Hungarian artistic gymnast who competed at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.[1] She is the 2017 and 2023 European all-around silver medalist, the 2020 European champion on uneven bars, as well as the 2020 and 2022 European champion on vault.

Early life

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Kovács was born on 6 April 2000 in Dunaújváros. She started gymnastics at the age of six.[1]

Junior gymnastics career

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Kovács competed at the 2014 European Championships where she placed nineteenth in the all-around.[2] At the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival Kovács finished fifth in the all-around, fourth on vault, and seventh on both uneven bars and balance beam.[3]

Senior gymnastics career

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2016

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Kovács became age-eligible for senior competition in 2016, and made her senior debut at the Austrian Team Open, where she won the all-around ahead of Giulia Steingruber and Barbora Mokošová.[4] She then competed at the Doha World Challenge Cup, where she took the bronze medal on floor behind Steingruber and Diana Bulimar.[5]

Kovács training at the 2016 Olympics

In April, Kovács competed at the Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, which served as a qualifier for the 2016 Summer Olympics. She finished fourteenth in the all-around, earning an individual berth for the Olympic Games.[6] In the qualification round of the Olympic Games, Kovács placed 33rd in the all-around and did not advance to any finals.[7]

Following the Olympics, Kovács competed at the Szombathely World Challenge Cup, where she won the bronze medal on the uneven bars.[8] She also competed at the Cottbus World Cup, where she won the gold medals on uneven bars and balance beam, and also picked up the bronze on vault.[9]

Also in 2016, she performed in the German Gymnastics Bundesliga (premier league) for the team TZ DSHS Köln. On the second competition day, she showed the best all-around performance of all gymnasts.[10]

2017–2018

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At the 2017 European Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Kovács won the silver medal in the all-around behind Ellie Downie, becoming the first Hungarian woman to land on the podium since Adrienn Varga did so in 1998 when she won vault. Additionally Kovács finished sixth on vault, uneven bars, and balance beam.[11] She also competed at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal, but did not make any finals.[12]

Kovács was forced to miss the 2018 European Championships due to an abdominal injury.[12] However she competed at the 2018 Szombathely World Challenge Cup, where she won the gold medal on balance beam final.[13] She went on to compete at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, where she qualified to the all-around final, finishing twentieth with a score of 51.765.[12]

2019–2020

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In March Kovács competed at the 2019 Stuttgart World Cup and placed ninth in the all-around.[14] In April she had to withdraw from the 2019 European Championships due to a foot injury.[12] She returned to competition at the Koper World Challenge Cup in June, where she won the gold medals on the uneven bars and balance beam.[15] In September, Kovács competed at the Paris World Challenge Cup, where she took the bronze medal on the uneven bars behind Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos and Anastasia Agafonova.[16] In October she competed at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, where she placed thirtieth in the all-around during qualifications. Although she did not qualify to the all-around final, she earned an individual berth to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[17]

Most competitions in 2020 were canceled or postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In December Kovács competed at the rescheduled 2020 European Championships in Mersin, where the Hungarian team of Kovács, Csenge Bácskay, Dorina Böczögő, Mirtill Makovits, and Zója Székely won the bronze medal behind Ukraine and Romania. The Hungarian team's placement on the podium was the first time in European Championship history.[18] Individually Kovács won gold on vault and uneven bars with scores of 14.050 (the average score of 14.350 and 13.750) and 13.850 respectively.[19]

2021

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Kovács competed on the uneven bars and balance beam at the 2021 European Championships, but did not make the finals. At the 2021 Osijek World Challenge Cup she won silver on the uneven bars behind Nina Derwael.[20] She next competed at the Doha World Cup and won silver on the balance beam behind Diana Varinska.[21]

Kovács represented Hungary at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, her second Olympic Games. In the qualification round, she qualified to the all-around final, and placed fourteenth on the uneven bars, making her the third reserve for the final. In the all-around final, she finished fourteenth with a score of 53.433.[22]

Kovács then competed at the 2021 World Championships in Kitakyushu, but was limited to the uneven bars due to a leg injury. She qualified to the uneven bars final, where she finished fifth.[12]

2022

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Kovács at the 2022 European Championships

Kovács started her 2022 season at the Cairo World Cup, where she took the silver medal on the balance beam.[23] In June, she competed at the Koper World Challenge Cup, winning three gold medals on vault, uneven bars and balance beam.[24]

In August, Kovács competed at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where she was considered to be one of the favorites to medal in the all-around.[25] However, in the qualification round of the competition, which also determined the all-around results, she fell twice on the balance beam and also fell on her uneven bars dismount.[26] Despite the falls, she managed to score 52.765, finishing ninth in the all-around. Additionally, she qualified to the vault final in first place as well as the floor exercise final in seventh place, and helped Hungary qualify to the team final.[27] Hungary finished seventh in the team final.[28] In the vault final, Kovács won the gold medal ahead of Asia D'Amato and Aline Friess, winning her second European title on the event. In the floor exercise final, she fell on her third tumbling pass and placed eighth.[29]

At the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool, Kovács was limited to the balance beam due to an abdominal muscle injury. She qualified to the final, where she finished seventh.[30]

2023–2024

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At the 2023 European Championships Kovács helped Hungary finish fourth in the team competition.[31] Additionally, she qualified to the all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise finals. During the all-around final, she won the silver medal behind Jessica Gadirova.[32] During apparatus finals she placed fifth on the uneven bars, eighth on floor exercise, and won the bronze medal on the balance beam.[33][34]

In September Kovács tore her ACL and was unable to compete at the 2023 World Championships.[35]

Kovács returned to competition in June 2024 to compete at the RomGym Trophy. During qualifications she scored a 10.600 on the uneven bars and initially did not qualify to the final. However, after Ana Filipa Martins withdrew, Kovács was substituted into the final where she scored 14.200 and won the silver medal Kaylia Nemour.[36] As a result the Hungarian Gymnastics Federation decided to give their non-nominative Olympic berth to Kovács.[37] During podium training at the 2024 Olympic Games Kovács injured her knee and was unable to compete; she was replaced by Zója Székely.[38]

Competitive History

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2014
European Championships 10 19
2015 European Youth Olympic Festival 10 5 4 7 7
AUS-HUN-POL Friendly 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4
Senior
2016 Austrian Team Open 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Doha World Cup 4 4 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Olympic Test Event 14
National Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships 8 7 5
Olympic Games 33
Szombathely Challenge Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4
2nd Bundesliga 1st place, gold medalist(s)
3rd Bundesliga 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5
2017 WOGA Classic 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Doha World Cup 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8 4
European Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 6 6
Osijek World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6
National Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Szombathely Challenge Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2018 Elek Matolay Memorial 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Osijek Challenge Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Hungarian Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Szombathely Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 20
Hungarian Masters Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Joaquin Blume Memorial 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2019 Stuttgart World Cup 8
Elek Matolay Memorial 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 6
Koper Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Paris Challenge Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5
2020
European Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2021 Osijek Challenge Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Doha World Cup 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5
Olympic Games 14 R3
World Championships 5
2022 Cairo World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Koper Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships 7 9 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8
World Championships 7
2023
European Championships 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 8
Varna Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2024 RomGym Trophy 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kovács Zsófia" (in Hungarian). Magyar Olimpiai Bizottság. 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  2. ^ "2014 European Championships Results". The Gymternet. 18 May 2014.
  3. ^ "2015 European Youth Olympic Festival Results". The Gymternet. 30 July 2015.
  4. ^ "2016 Austrian Team Open results". The Gymternet. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  5. ^ "2016 Doha Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Test Event". GymnasticsResults. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  7. ^ "2016 Olympics". GymnasticsResults. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  8. ^ "2016 Szombathely Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  9. ^ "2016 Cottbus World Cup results". The Gymternet. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Results of the 2nd competition day of the German Gymnastics Bundesliga" (PDF). deutsche-turnliga.de.
  11. ^ "2017 European Championships results". European Gymnastics. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Zsofia Kovacs FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  13. ^ "2018 Szombathely Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 23 September 2018.
  14. ^ "2019 Stuttgart World Cup results". The Gymternet. 17 March 2019.
  15. ^ "2019 Koper Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 7 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Paris Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 17 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Olympic Qualifiers". The Gymternet. 7 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Magyar bronzérem született a csapatversenyben a női torna EB-n" [Hungarian bronze medal in the team event at the women's ECH]. Origo Sport (in Hungarian). 19 December 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  19. ^ "2020 European Championships results". European Gymnastics. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  20. ^ "2021 Osijek Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 16 June 2021.
  21. ^ "2021 Doha World Cup results". The Gymternet. 27 June 2021.
  22. ^ "2020 Olympics". GymnasticsResults. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  23. ^ "2022 Cairo World Cup results". 20 March 2022.
  24. ^ "2022 Koper Challenge Cup results". The Gymternet. 21 June 2022.
  25. ^ "European Championship preview". BalanceBeamSituation. 9 August 2022.
  26. ^ "Inkább sír, mint mosolyog tornásznőnk, pedig első helyen lett Eb-döntős" [Our gymnast is crying rather than smiling, even though she is a finalist in the European Championships]. Magyar Nemzet (in Hungarian). 12 August 2022.
  27. ^ "2022 European Championships results". European Gymnastics. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  28. ^ "Multisport Eb, torna: hetedik lett a női csapatunk". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 13 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Kovács Zsófia Eb-győztes ugrásban". M4 Sport (in Hungarian). 14 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Kovács Zsófia hibázott, de sok dicséretet kaptak a magyarok". Magyar Nemzet (in Hungarian). 6 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Sporttörténelmi magyar szereplés, negyedik a női csapat a torna Európa-bajnokságon". M4 Sport (in Hungarian). 12 April 2023.
  32. ^ "European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023: Britain's Jessica Gadirova wins sensational all-around title". International Olympic Committee. 14 April 2023.
  33. ^ "10th European Artistic Gymnastics Championships Results Book" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  34. ^ "Kovács Zsófia bronzérmet nyert a torna-Európa-bajnokságon". Telex (in Hungarian). 16 April 2023.
  35. ^ "Zsofia Kovacs withdraws from World Artistic Gymnastics Championships after tearing ACL during practice". Sportskeeda. 24 September 2023.
  36. ^ "2024 RomGym Trophy Results". The Gymternet. 1 July 2024.
  37. ^ "Párizs 2024: Kovács Zsófia reménykedik az olimpiai döntőben" [Paris 2024: Zsófia Kovács hopes for the Olympic final]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 16 July 2024.
  38. ^ "Kovács Zsófia nem indulhat a párizsi olimpián, Székely Zója válthatja" [Zsófia Kovács cannot compete in the Paris Olympics, Zója Székely can take her place]. Index (in Hungarian). 26 July 2024.
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