Hungary won half of the women’s titles and the Armenian men, led by triple medalist Artur Davtyan, earned two victories at the World Challenge Cup of Varna that ended Sunday in Varna.

Women’s vault champion Tijana Korent (née Tkalcec), who turned 34 on April 27, captured her first World Cup or World Challenge Cup medal in four years. She was third on vault at the 2019 World Challenge Cup of Mersin and second on vault at the 2019 World Cup of Guimaraes. Korent placed eighth on vault at the 2013 and 2020 Europeans.

Bengisu Yildiz of Turkey earned her first World Cup or World Challenge Cup medal when she placed third on vault. Born September 29, 2006, in Cankaya, she was 59th all-around at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, and 66th all-around in qualifications at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool.

Yildiz’s previous top World Challenge Cup results were fourth on uneven bars at the 2022 World Challenge Cup of Osijek, and fourth on vault at the 2022 World Challenge Cup of Mersin. Earlier this year she was eighth on vault at the World Cup of Baku.

2017 and 2023 European all-around silver medalist Zsofia Kovacs of Hungary finished first on uneven bars while teammate Bettina Lili Czifra won balance beam, her first World Cup or World Challenge Cup medal.

Czifra, a 16-year-old born in Dunaujvaros, placed 40th all-around in qualifications at the 2020 Junior European Championships in Mersin, and 12th all-around at the 2022 Junior Europeans in Munich.

France’s Silane Mielle took the title on floor exercise in her first World Challenge Cup competition. Mielle, a Voiron native who will turn 18 on July 28, finished third on uneven bars at the 2022 French Championships and was a member of the sixth-place French team at this spring’s European Championships in Antalya.

In the men’s competition, Bulgaria’s 32-year-old Eddie Penev won gold on floor exercise. Penev, a Sofia native who moved with his family to the U.S. when he was three, represented Bulgaria from 2007-2011 and then competed for the U.S. until resuming his career for his native country this year. He won gold on floor exercise and gold on vault at the 2014 World Challenge Cup of Anadia, and gold on floor exercise at the 2017 World Challenge Cup of Koper.

Albania’s Matvei Petrov notched his third World Challenge Cup gold in winning the title on pommel horse. Petrov, the 2020 European champion on pommel horse, placed first on that apparatus at the 2021 World Challenge Cup of Osijek and the 2021 World Challenge Cup of Koper.

Still rings champion Artur Davetisyan of Armenia added gold to his 2023 medal collection after winning bronzes on that apparatus at the World Cup of Cottbus and the World Cup of Cairo earlier this year. He was seventh on still rings at last month’s Europeans.

Davetisyan’s teammate Artur Davtyan won the title on vault, having earned gold on that apparatus at all six World Cup competitions he entered in 2022 and 2023. He also placed first on vault at last year’s Worlds. Davtyan was the only gymnast to win three medals in Varna, where he also placed fifth on parallel bars and sixth on floor exercise.

Rasuljon Abdurakhimov of Uzbekistan earned gold on parallel bars, his first World Cup or World Challenge Cup medal. He achieved all of his previous finals berths at these competitions on that apparatus, finishing seventh at the 2021 World Challenge Cup of Varna, fifth at the 2022 World Cup of Cairo and seventh at the 2023 World Cup of Baku.

On horizontal bar, Sofus Heggemsnes of Norway placed first and collected the second medal of his World Cup or World Challenge Cup career. He took bronze on vault at the 2019 World Challenge Cup of Szombathely.

2023 World Challenge Cup of Varna
May 26-28

Women:

Vault:

1. Tijana Korent CRO 13.050
2. Greta Mayer HUN 13.049
3. Bengisu Yildiz TUR 12.849

Uneven Bars:

1. Zsofia Kovacs HUN 14.166
2. Djenna Laroui FRA 12.900
3. Barbora Mokosova SVK 12.866

Balance Beam:

1. Bettina Lili Czifra HUN 13.466
2. Tina Zelcic CRO 12.266
3. Naomi Visser NED 12.233

Floor Exercise:

1. Silane Mielle FRA 12.933
2. Maddison Hajjar CAN 12.833
3. Emma Ross AUS 12.566

Men:

Floor Exercise:

1. Eddie Penev BUL 14.366
2. Botond Molnar HUN 13.833
3. Emil Akhmejanov KAZ 13.800

Pommel Horse:

1. Matvei Petrov ALB 14.800
2. Abdul Azimov UZB 14.500
3. Artur Davtyan ARM 14.233

Still Rings:

1. Artur Avetisyan ARM 14.700
2. Mehmet Kosak TUR 14.133
3. Artur Davtyan ARM 14.066

Vault:

1. Artur Davtyan ARM 14.799
2. Sebastian Sponevik NOR 14.300
3. Dusan Dordevic SRB 14.116

Parallel Bars:

1. Rasuljon Abdurakhimov UZB 14.233
2. Yordan Aleksandrov BUL 14.233*
3. Jermain Gruenberg NED 14.066

*tie broken in favor of Abdurakhimov’s higher Execution score

Horizontal Bar:

1. Sofus Heggemsnes NOR 13.833
2. Yordan Aleksandrov BUL 13.733
3. David Vecsernyes HUN 13.666

International Gymnast Online’s recent features on 2023 World Challenge Cup of Varna competitors includes:

https://www.intlgymnast.com/news/hungary-and-armenia-win-multiple-golds-at-world-challenge-cup-of-varna/