"I had a lot of fun today. I'm so happy. I don't know how to describe how I feel but it's a pretty cool feeling," she said.

For this final, the Frenchwoman advanced as a favorite after winning bronze at the World Championships five months ago and winning two World Cup stages last month.

"I am especially happy to have ensured my status, it is the thing that made me stress the most," she added to the microphone of France Televisions.

At the age of 22, Devillard won his fourth European medal. With a score of 13,800 points, she is ahead of Italy's Asia D'Amato (13,600 pts), already vice-champion of Europe last year, and Belgium's Lisa Vaelen (13,583 pts).

After a first jump rewarded with 14.300 points, the Frenchwoman decided to present a single spin for her second run instead of the planned double spin. A prudent choice that allowed him to ensure a good execution.

"(I chose as) strategy to do a single spin. No need to do both," she explained. "So it means I still have some margin and that's an extra feeling."

Coline Devillard in Antalya on April 15, 2023 © OZAN KOSE / AFP

To get this victory, she relied in particular on her momentum race, worked on in training with the 2005 world champion of the 110m hurdles Ladji Doucouré.

Adem Asil still in gold

By winning this second title, Devillard has come a long way. Six years ago at her first European Championships, she revealed herself at only 16 years old by winning her first gold medal on vault.

But between the two coronations, there was a long period of doubts, marked by injuries, some failures and changes of coaches.

The other two Frenchmen competing on Saturday, Benjamin Osberger and Lucas Desanges took respectively the 5th and 7th places in the floor final, won by the British Luke Whitehouse.

Coline Devillard in Antalya on April 15, 2023 © OZAN KOSE / AFP

"I had a good feeling and I was good in my legs but I'm disappointed because the podium was achievable," said Osberger, fourth in the world last fall.

In the other finals of the day, Turkey's Adem Asil won the gold medal in the rings, two days after winning the all-around in front of his home crowd.

Italy's Alice D'Amato won the uneven bars, while Ireland's Rhys McClenaghan won the pommel horse for the second time, an apparatus of which he is also the reigning world champion.

On Sunday, the French chances will be defended by Cameron-Lie Bernard in the final of the parallel bars.

© 2023 AFP