Historic 4th place finish from Volkoff in European Beam Final

Irish junior gymnast Estella Volkoff hit a truly historic 4^th place in today’s Beam final at the 2026 European Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia making her the first Irish gymnast to qualify for a top-8 apparatus final on Beam at a European Championships.

Commenting on her experience Estella said:

“I’m really happy with how my routine went today. I upgraded my mount from qualification and was very happy that it went well. Finishing 4th in Europe is an incredible result and I’m just delighted.”

Volkoff’s coach, Marissa Peters added:

“To make the final was such an amazing achievement but to finish 4th is just incredible. I am so proud of her and how she performed throughout this competition. Couldn’t have asked for more.”

About today’s competition, National Coach Nicole Cassidy said:

“Congratulations to Estella and her coach Marisa on an amazing result in the beam final. We are all so proud of you representing Ireland on the international stage and making history.

It has been a pleasure to watch Estella grow in her gymnastics journey from her very first international in 2024 to making the beam final at the European championships today.

All of her hard work and determination showed in her performance. To make a final and then to finish in 4th place is an incredible achievement. I am excited to see what the future holds for Estella”

Commenting on the competition today, National Coach Sandra Stevenson said:

“I’m so proud of Estella and Marisa today, finishing in a fantastic 4th place in the beam final. To increase from qualifying in 8th to deliver such a strong final performance is outstanding, and it’s invaluable experience for Estella as she continues on her journey toward senior.”

Gymnastics Ireland Performance and Technical Director, Sally Johnson said:

“Estella Volkoff delivered a beautifully performed beam routine in the Junior European final today. With her unique skill, distinctive style and confident execution, she showed incredible composure on securing a routine full of precision and artistry achieving a fantastic 4th in Europe at her young age… congratulations to all involved in Estella’s development!“

Gymnastics Ireland CEO, Ciaran Gallagher added:

“Estella firmly made her mark today as an international gymnast with huge potential for the future! Her 4th place finish in the Beam final at the 2026 Junior Europeans is not only a superb result for Estella but also a historic result for the Gymnastics Ireland women’s programme and one Estella & her coach Marissa should be extremely proud of! Huge congratulations to Estella & her family, Marissa & DP Gymnastics plus our national performance team!“

Attention now shifts to the Junior and Senior Men’s competition next week which kicks off on Wednesday, 19th August from 13:00 - 16:30pm (Irish time).

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