Being the first American Mixed Pair to win gold at a World Championships was only one of the pioneering accomplishments in the careers of Arthur Davis and Shenea Booth. After tying Yuri Trubitsin and Elena Kirjanova for the World title in 2002, Booth and Davis returned stronger in 2004, winning a second World gold, this time alone. Both enjoyed professional renown after retiring from competition: Davis as a choreographer, Booth as an acrobat and performing artist.
Even when executing their most difficult elements, Sergei Popov and Mikola Cherbak never lost their sense of elegance, which followed them in their competitive careers and beyond. Together they shared two World titles (2006, 2008) as well as gold at The World Games in 2009. Afterward, they passed onto a new stage as professional acrobats, bringing their brand of Acro in shows across Europe.
His black hair and captivating presence on the floor drew the attention of the crowds, while a solid family backing in and out of the gym propelled Revaz Gurgenidze to two World titles and gold at The World Games. With Anna Katchalova he captured gold at The World Games in 2005 and the World title in 2006. A stint with Cirque du Soleil followed before Guregenidze made a comeback with Tatiana Okulova in 2010 and 2012, their collaboration leading to a run of silver at Worlds. Finally in 2014, with new partner Marina Chernova and a host of new difficulty, the World title was once again his. After Gurgenidze’s retirement, Chernova for her part went on to win another gold with new partner Georgii Pataraia at the 2016 Worlds.
Being the first American Mixed Pair to win gold at a World Championships was only one of the pioneering accomplishments in the careers of Arthur Davis and Shenea Booth. After tying Yuri Trubitsin and Elena Kirjanova for the World title in 2002, Booth and Davis returned stronger in 2004, winning a second World gold, this time alone. Both enjoyed professional renown after retiring from competition: Davis as a choreographer, Booth as an acrobat and performing artist.
It goes to show that persistence wins ultimate prizes. Konstantin Pilipchuk and Alexei Dudchenko finished second at three consecutive World Championships (2006, 2008 and 2010) before finally claiming World gold in 2012 and 2014. Their playful artistic style on the competition floor, mixed with the absolute mastery of their skills, made them a rare pair.
His black hair and captivating presence on the floor drew the attention of the crowds, while a solid family backing in and out of the gym propelled Revaz Gurgenidze to two World titles and gold at The World Games. With Anna Katchalova he captured gold at The World Games in 2005 and the World title in 2006. A stint with Cirque du Soleil followed before Guregenidze made a comeback with Tatiana Okulova in 2010 and 2012, their collaboration leading to a run of silver at Worlds. Finally in 2014, with new partner Marina Chernova and a host of new difficulty, the World title was once again his. After Gurgenidze’s retirement, Chernova for her part went on to win another gold with new partner Georgii Pataraia at the 2016 Worlds.
They were the driving forces behind Russia’s Acrobatic success in Women’s Trio, and for nearly a decade on the international stage their combined efforts catapulted them to five World medals, three of them gold. The “Ekaterinas,” the best bases of their era, paired first with flier Gouzel Khassanova to win the World title in 2004 and took silvers with Albina Zimmarova and Anastasia Chistykova, respectively, in 2006 and 2008. But it was with the diminutive Aygul Shaykhudinova that they achieved their greatest results: back-to-back World titles in 2010 and 2012, with golds at The World Games in 2009 and 2013 bookending their triumphant collaboration.
The immensely successful careers of Yulia Lopatkina and Anna Mokhova straddled a radical format change in World competition, when medals were given out for Balance, Tempo and Overall performances to the incorporation of the all-important Combined exercise. Stylish and dynamic, they won regardless, going undefeated in their category at the World Championships between 1999 – where they swept the golds -- and their final bow in 2004. In the history of the discipline, Acro has rarely seen such a dominant pair.
It goes to show that persistence wins ultimate prizes. Konstantin Pilipchuk and Alexei Dudchenko finished second at three consecutive World Championships (2006, 2008 and 2010) before finally claiming World gold in 2012 and 2014. Their playful artistic style on the competition floor, mixed with the absolute mastery of their skills, made them a rare pair.
Even when executing their most difficult elements, Sergei Popov and Mikola Cherbak never lost their sense of elegance, which followed them in their competitive careers and beyond. Together they shared two World titles (2006, 2008) as well as gold at The World Games in 2009. Afterward, they passed onto a new stage as professional acrobats, bringing their brand of Acro in shows across Europe.
They were the driving forces behind Russia’s Acrobatic success in Women’s Trio, and for nearly a decade on the international stage their combined efforts catapulted them to five World medals, three of them gold. The “Ekaterinas,” the best bases of their era, paired first with flier Gouzel Khassanova to win the World title in 2004 and took silvers with Albina Zimmarova and Anastasia Chistykova, respectively, in 2006 and 2008. But it was with the diminutive Aygul Shaykhudinova that they achieved their greatest results: back-to-back World titles in 2010 and 2012, with golds at The World Games in 2009 and 2013 bookending their triumphant collaboration.
They were the driving forces behind Russia’s Acrobatic success in Women’s Trio, and for nearly a decade on the international stage their combined efforts catapulted them to five World medals, three of them gold. The “Ekaterinas,” the best bases of their era, paired first with flier Gouzel Khassanova to win the World title in 2004 and took silvers with Albina Zimmarova and Anastasia Chistykova, respectively, in 2006 and 2008. But it was with the diminutive Aygul Shaykhudinova that they achieved their greatest results: back-to-back World titles in 2010 and 2012, with golds at The World Games in 2009 and 2013 bookending their triumphant collaboration.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.