Joe Fraser takes high bar gold and parallel bars bronze at European Championships in Zagreb

Joe Fraser won gold on the high bar and bronze on the parallel bars for Great Britain at the European Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb on 23 August 2026, scoring 14.3 in the high bar final; team-mate Sol Scott added a bronze in the vault. Fraser's high bar routine was described as one of the most difficult of the final and he claimed his first high bar gold at a major championship.

The 27-year-old Fraser has previous success on parallel bars and recorded two top-five finishes at the 2024 Olympics. He said: "Having a break after Paris has given me a lot of perspective. "Opening my own gym and having a baby daughter on the way all adds to that and has definitely helped my gymnastics. "I'm just really happy and excited to get out there with the team tomorrow for the big one in the team final."

Fraser sealed the high bar title with a 14.3, the highest score in the apparatus final. Cyprus' Marios Georgiou took silver with 14.2, while Savelii Sieedin, born in Russia but competing as a neutral athlete, claimed bronze with 14.066.

After the high bar victory Fraser spoke about the wider team behind his success, saying: "I'm very, very proud," said Fraser, who has also won Commonwealth, European and world golds on the parallel bars. "It's not just me. It's everyone behind the scenes - my coaches, my family. Everyone contributes to these moments. It's very special."

In the parallel bars final Fraser recorded a 14.3 to finish third. Croatia's Illia Kovtun won gold with 14.7 and Turkey's Ferhat Arican took silver with 14.433.

Nineteen-year-old Sol Scott, competing at his first major championship, scored 14.199 to finish third in the vault. He said: "I'm just so happy. I can't believe it, I really didn't expect this," he said. "Moving up to senior European is a big step, but the team and support team have really helped me and it's been an incredible experience." Ukraine's Nazar Chepurnyi won the vault with 14.566 and neutral athlete Aleksei Usachev took silver with 14.399.

The team final follows on Sunday and will be broadcast live on BBC Two from 12.45-17.00 BST; Fraser said: "I'm just really happy and excited to get out there with the team tomorrow for the big one in the team final."