INTRODUCTION

INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND

HOOP AND BALL

CLUBS AND RIBBON

GROUP ALL-AROUND

GROUP APPARATUS

CONCLUSION AND STATS

USEFUL LINKS

The biggest question surrounding the individual competition at the 33rd World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Izmir (TUR) September 22-28 was less who would win, but how many gold medals she would take.

“She” is Yana Kudryavtseva, and she has been Russia’s Rhythmic darling since becoming the youngest-ever gymnast to win the World All-around title, which she did in 2013 in Kiev (UKR). But if the competition lacked the tension of a meet where anyone can win, lithe blonde Kudryavtseva, a few days shy of her 17th birthday, made up for it with delightful performances with all apparatus. FIG President Bruno Grandi, sitting front and center at the head table, put it concisely after seeing Kudryavtseva perform with the Ball on the first night of competition. “I thought I was sitting in the Grand Theatre in Milan, watching a ballerina on the stage,” he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND FINAL

KUDRYAVTSEVA SCORES A DOUBLE

As it has all season on the World Cup circuit, the individual All-around competition came down to Kudryavtseva and her friend and rival, Margarita Mamun (RUS).

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The result followed the pattern the two had set at the numerous World Cup meets: Kudryavtseva took gold with 75.266 points, with Mamun just behind (74.149 points). With the highest difficulty and execution scores with the Hoop, Ball and Clubs, Kudryavtseva was the top scorer on all three events, though the impressive Mamun had the best of her with the Ribbon.

In their wake, five gymnasts – Ganna Rizatdinova (UKR), Son Yeon Jae (KOR), Neta Rivkin (ISR), Deng Senyue (CHN) and Melitina Staniouta (BLR) -- had a realistic shot at the bronze. Of them, it was Rizatdinova, carried by passion for the sport and a turbulent year where violence in her native country disrupted her training, who sprung forward and established herself as the bronze medal favorite from her first routine. Others, notably the charming Son, had opportunities to challenge for the podium, but small mistakes - notably dropped Balls from Son and pre-meet favorite Staniouta - took them out of contention.

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HOOP AND BALL

FIRST GOLDS TO RUSSIA

Competition debuted in Izmir with two days of qualification with the Hoop and Ball, followed by an hour-long final that determined the medallists among the top eight gymnasts from the preliminary round.

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Kudryavtseva, the top qualifier with both apparatus, quickly asserted her supremacy with another ballerina-like routine with the Hoop to take the first gold in Izmir, Mamun trailing slightly behind.

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But with the Ball, Kudryavtseva made her first -- and only -- real mistake of the competition, overbalancing a scale and nearly falling. She covered well, but it cost her a chance to stand alone at the top of the podium. Mamun seized the opportunity with her own Ball performance, and the two friends tied for the gold on an event for the second time in as many years at the World Championships.

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Pre-competition favorite Melitina Staniouta (BLR) won bronze with the Ball, defending her medal on the event from 2013. Meanwhile, Son Yeon Jae earned Korea its first World medal at a Rhythmic Worlds by taking bronze with the Hoop, following a delightful classical performance that exhibited her technical mastery of the event as well as a deeply ingrained love of ballet. It was a sweet moment for Son, who moved to Russia four years ago in pursuit of Rhythmic greatness.

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CLUBS AND RIBBON

TWO TITLES BETWEEN FRIENDS

With two World golds already in her pocket by the time the Clubs final got underway, Kudryavtseva appeared just to have reached cruising altitude. She flew through her Clubs routine to secure a third gold, with Mamun as usual just behind.

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But when it came to the Ribbon, their positions were finally reversed. This time it was Mamun, whose dramatic 2014 routines have provided a contrast to Kudryavtseva’s lighter, more classical ones, who stood atop the podium, largely thanks to a superior difficulty score. As for Kudryavtseva, she would settle for her only silver of the competition.

The talented Rizatdinova, fourth with both Hoop and Ball on the first day of finals, avenged herself with bronze medals with both the Clubs and Ribbon on night two. Rizatdinova’s lynx-like movements and ardent musical choices -- including “Gladiator” for her Clubs routine and “Carmen” with the Ribbon -- underscored her efforts, giving her routines an extra edge. Warrior-like, Rizatdinova would fight again to be on the podium.

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GROUP ALL-AROUND FINAL

BULGARIA FOR THE WIN!

In addition to providing some of the most stunning moments of the individual competition, Russia was also responsible for one of the most surprising of the Group All-around final: In the one-and-done format that determined both the All-around champions as well as the event finals qualifiers, Russia was left chasing the leaders after one of its gymnasts had to chase a Club out of bounds during an otherwise entertaining routine.

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The gaffe, combined with a new code of points that punishes such things more severely, cost Russia dearly: in addition to missing out on the Clubs final, the team finished fourth All-around, off the podium for the first time since 2001.

Russia’s loss was a gain for Bulgaria, which swooped and danced through two error-free routines to win the World All-around title, much to the delight of its gymnasts, most of whom had trained more than half their lives dreaming of such a day. Italy, by turns dramatic with the Clubs and playful with the Balls and Ribbons, took silver after turning in two high-quality and error-free routines.

2013 World All-around champions Belarus came to Izmir with their new generation following the retirement of several Group members after their triumph in Kiev. The developing squad proved their talent, winning bronze.

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GROUP APPARATUS FINALS

SPANISH GOLD

Spain and Russia, 2013 World champions with the Clubs and the Balls and Ribbons, respectively, both entered event finals in Izmir with something to prove after disappointing All-around results.

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Spain, which finished 11th after a disastrous exercise with the Balls and Ribbons performance the day before, did not let disappointment cloud their concentration with the Five Clubs, where they remained focused to deliver an elegant routine for the gold. Spain was one of the few Groups in the eight-team final not to make a major mistake -- silver medallists Israel and Belarus, in bronze, were among the only others.

Russia, rebounding from its fourth place finish in the All-around, lived up to their potential in their only event final with the Three Balls and Two Ribbons for gold, the country’s sixth of the Championships. All-around gold medallists Bulgaria delivered another excellent performance with the Balls and Ribbons for silver, while Belarus came through for its third bronze. The new generation is nothing if not consistent.

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* CONCLUSION *

THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE

With gold in the team competition and gold with the Three Balls and Two Ribbons, Russia proved once again that it is undeniably the center of the Rhythmic universe.

 But that universe, like the earth’s physical one, is slowly expanding outward. 2014 saw the emergence of Groups from Egypt -- who qualified to the 2015 Worlds - as well as Turkey and Thailand, all of whom competed in Groups for the first time, as well as improved performances from second-time competitor Angola. Spain’s title defense with the Clubs and Bulgaria’s 10th World Group All-around title prove that while Russian gymnasts often top the podium in this sport, they are only one of the best in the world in Rhythmic.

 

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STATISTICS

 

Total federations 58
Total gymnasts 312
Total teams 32
Total groups 31
Total individual gymnasts 133

Average age 18.30 years
Oldest: Carolina Rodriguez Ballesteros (ESP) 28 years
Youngest: Iriya Rungrueang (THA) 16 years
Sofia Lodi (ITA) 16 years

MEDAL STANDINGS

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