Ariana Guerra
© Pierre Mertens

CHARLEROI, Belgium, Nov. 30, 2010 – The USA’s Ariana Guerra of League City, Texas, and Ericha Fassbender of Katy, Texas, celebrated the recent Thanksgiving holiday by winning medals at the recent Top Gym junior competition in Charleroi, Belgium. Guerra won the vault gold, all-around silver, and balance beam bronze medals. Fassbender took top honors in the uneven bars, followed by a silver-medal finish for floor exercise. Both gymnasts train at Stars Gymnastics.

In the all-around, Guerra posted a total score of 53.883 for the silver. Russia’s Anastasia Sidorova claimed the all-around title at 56.917. Italy’s Elisa Meneghini edged out Fassbender for third by 0.167. Guerra had the second highest scores on both vault and beam. Her individual event scores were: 14.600, vault; 12.850, bars; 13.733, beam; and 12.700, floor. Fassbender’s apparatus scores were: 14.267, vault; 12.750, bars; 12.733, beam; and 13.567, floor.

The USA won two of the four event titles; Russia’s Sidorova won the other two. On vault, Guerra topped Sidorova by 0.067 to win the title. Guerra’s two vault scores were 14.067 and 14.433, which gave her an average of 14.250. Hungary’s Tessa Gerrits was third at 13.650.

Fassbender was the champion for the uneven bars, beating the Netherlands’ Antje Vandevelde by 0.700. Fassbender posted a 13.933, and Vandevelde scored a 13.200. Makra rounded out the top three at 12.567.

Guerra claimed the bronze medal in balance beam, with Sidorova and Makra going one-two. Fassbender finished just behind Sidorova in the floor exercise, with Makra coming in third.

2010 Top Gym
Charleroi, Belgium
Nov. 27-28, 2010

All-around finals
1. Anastasia Sidorova, Russia, 56.917
2. Ariana Guerra, USA/League City, Texas, 53.883
3. Elisa Meneghini, Italy, 53.484
4. Ericha Fassbender, USA/Katy, Texas, 53.317
5. (t) Kristina Sidorova, Russia, and Noemi Makra, Hungary, 52.833

Individual event finals

Vault
1. Ariana Guerra, USA/League City, Texas, 14.250
2. Anastasia Sidorova, Russia, 14.183
3. Tessa Gerrits, Netherlands, 13.650

Uneven bars
1. Ericha Fassbender, USA/Katy, Texas, 13.933
2. Antje Vandevelde, Belgium, 13.200
3. Noémi Makra, Hungary, 12.567

Balance beam
1. Anastasia Sidorova, Russia, 13.500
2. Noémi Makra, Hungary, 13.467
3. Ariana Guerra, USA/League City, Texas, 13.167

Floor exercise
1. Anastasia Sidorova, Russia, 14.900
2. Ericha Fassbender, USA/Katy, Texas, 14.100
3. Noémi Makra, Hungary, 13.500