Zaika Debuts Rings Element Now Named After Him and Wins Gold

Ilya Zaika left the FIG World Challenge Cup in Paris with two things no other rings gymnast can claim: a gold medal and a move that now carries his name.

A new element enters the code

The move earned a 0.8 difficulty rating in Group H. Under artistic gymnastics rules, the FIG ratified it and named it the "Zaika".

He scored 14.500 in that session, advancing to the final in first place.

Gold decided by three hundredths

A day later, Zaika delivered a 14.566 to win the rings final. Nikita Simonov, now competing for Azerbaijan, took bronze with 14.133.

Kommersant noted the historical parallel with Albert Azaryan, whose cross at the 1960 Rome Olympics so impressed spectators that they demanded a score beyond the code's limits. A new name now joins that lineage on the same apparatus.

The two-time European Championship silver medallist and multiple Russian champion added a pioneer's distinction no medal count alone can match. Five Russians travelled to Paris, with the World Championships in Rotterdam set for mid-October.