Svetlana Khorkina's six-year reign as the European all-round Gymnastics champion was dramatically ended by Ukrainian teenager Alina Kozich on Saturday.

The 17-year-old Kozich snatched the gold from Romanian rival Nicoleta Sofronie with the final performance of the contest.

Khorkina finished fourth after landing flat on her face from the vault.

Kozich, having trailed Sofronie throughout the day, showed nerves of steel as she put on a stupendous display of tumbling on the floor to earn 9.462 and a winning total of 37.262.

When the result flashed on to the scoreboard, Kozich covered her face in disbelief as her compatriots engulfed her.

"I wasn't sure I would be first when I finished my exercise but when I saw my score I felt very tearful," a beaming Kozich said through an interpreter.

"It hasn't sunk in yet what I have achieved. Maybe I'll feel like a champion tomorrow but I'm feeling rather numb now."

Sofronie, competing on the international stage for the first time, settled for silver with 37.224. Russia's Elena Zamolodchikova finished third on 37.149.

Kozich and Sofronie easily outclassed their more celebrated rivals, Olympic champions Khorkina and Zamolodchikova, by executing a series of mesmerising and daring routines.

Sofronie made a solid start on the vault with a score of 9.300 before impressing on the asymmetric bars with four release and catch movements.

An accurate Tsukahara dismount -- involving a double somersault combined with a full twist -- took her to the top of the standings after the second round and she kept the lead until the final moments.

She followed up her 9.425 on the bars with 9.212 on the beam before an energetic and dazzling performance on the floor appeared to have secured her a place on top of the podium.

However, Kozich pulled out her ace to win by a margin of 0.038.

ELEGANT ATHLETE

Khorkina had entered the competition as the overwhelming favourite for the gold after qualifying in first place.

Arguably the most elegant athlete to have graced the world stage, Khorkina had been chasing a record fourth all-round crown at the women's European championships but her title hopes evaporated within moments of the contest starting.

The first competitor to go on the vault, the Russian diva over-rotated on her triple twist and fell flat as the crowd gasped in shock.

The devastated look on her face as she dragged herself up to acknowledge the judges summed up the mood among the 7,000-strong crowd, who had had packed into the RAI arena in the hope of witnessing history.

A score of 8.662 condemned her to 14th place after the first round, leaving a passionless Khorkina to go through the motions on her next three disciplines and finish in fourth spot.

The 25-year-old Khorkina was attempting to eclipse the record she shared with Romanian great Nadia Comaneci, who won a hat-trick of titles between 1975 and 1979.

Watching from the press stands, Comaneci said she had wanted to see Khorkina succeed.

"I didn't even know Khorkina could break the record till just now but I think it would have been great had she been able to win," Comaneci told Reuters.

"Every generation has a star performer but she has rewritten the books many times over as she is such a talent.

"People have written her off many times because of her age but it would not have surprised me at all had she won."

Khorkina still has a chance of setting another record before the championships end on Sunday.

She will be looking to become the first gymnast to win the European gold on the same apparatus for a sixth consecutive time when she contests the final of her signature event, the asymmetric bars.