This website uses cookies. By continuing to use our site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
For more details about cookies and how to manage them see our privacy policy.
Varfolomeev crowned Olympic Champion ahead of Kaleyn and Raffaeli
August 9, 2024News
An enthusiastic crowd filled the Porte de la Chapelle Arena to the brim today to witness a historical Rhythmic Individual All-Around final. The more than 7000 spectators brought warmth, passion and support to the 10 finalists who each performed their four routines; hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon.
Taking the lead early on, World Champion Darja Varfolomeev (GER) impressed with her well-known difficulty, and radiant smile, scoring over 36 points with hoop, ball and clubs to amass a grand total of 142.850. The Olympic title goes to Germany, for the first time ever, courtesy of Varfolomeev who well and truly put her country on the Rhythmic map:
My coach, Yulia Raskina, and I decided before the competition that I would stay entirely focused on myself and my routines. I wouldn’t look at my scores or pay attention to what my competitors were doing. I'm very glad that our game plan worked out that well. I knew I could perform well and was confident I would nail that final routine because I was thoroughly prepared for this moment. I'm grateful to my coach for helping me peak when it mattered most. None of this achievement would have been possible without her
Pouring her heart and soul into her routines, Boryana Kaleyn gave it her all, performing one brilliant routine after another. To the delight of the Bulgarian delegations and fans in the hall and watching on TV, Bulgaria’s 2023 European all-around Champion delivered when it counted the most, cruising to a 140.600 total, which easily secured the silver medal. This is only Bulgaria’s second medal for an individual Rhythmic gymnast, the first won in 1988 by Adriana Dunavksa, also a silver medal. Kaleyn said:
It feels pretty awesome. It's a dream come true. When I was six years old I started to train gymnastics with this dream to win an Olympic medal. That finally came true
2022 World all-around Champion Sofia Raffaeli earned a historic medal for Italy, the nation’s first in the individual final. Rebounding with a strong clubs routine, after a few mistakes with ball, the 20-year-old secured the bronze:
It means a lot to me to have this bronze medal around my neck. I'm very happy to be the first one to win a medal like this at the Olympic Games. It's amazing.
Results
GOLD Darja Varfolomeev (GER) 142.850
SILVER Boryana Kaleyn (BUL) 140.600
BRONZE Sofia Raffaeli (ITA) 136.300
Find the full results on the FIG website: FIG LIVE - Schedule (gymnastics.sport)
Gymnastics at these Olympic Games concludes tomorrow with the Rhythmic Group All-Around final!
Related news
Our Partners
