A bath of gold, emotions and enthusiasm with the stadium cheering at the Unipol Forum in Milan, sold out for the Italian rhythmic gymnastics. Almost ten thousand spectators in three days of competition, an organizational and technical success. Thanks, the latter, to the infinite Butterflies of the International Academy of Desio and a stratospheric Sofia Raffaeli. Big party in Milan thanks to the blue lionesses who scratch the platform with the 5 circles obtaining a fantastic 38,350 which earns them the title of specialty. The airmen of the Vigna di Valle Sports Group Alessia Maurelli, Martina Centofanti, Agnese Duranti, Daniela Mogurean and Laura Paris, together with the policewoman Alessia Russo, lead Brazil by a tenth and a half, silver with 38,200 and China by almost half a point, bronze with 37.900. Emanuela Maccarani’s girls, assisted by Valentina Rovetta, Olga Tishina and Federica Bagnera, instead had to settle for fifth position in the mixed ribbons and balls with a score of 30.800 behind Brazil, just below the podium of the Milan stage with 31.850. Gold, silver and bronze went, respectively, to China (32,600), France (32,100) and Ukraine (31,850). The Blue Butterflies also won the international 5 hoops circuit while France won the ribbons and balls circuit.
After having written the history of rhythm with the first world titles for Italy, Raffaeli continues to dominate the international small apparatus scene, also in the final stage of the 2024 World Cup, taking home three more medals, one gold and two silver, to which is added yesterday’s All around. The vice world champion, coached by Claudia Mancinelli at Fabriano Gymnastics, makes the Mameli anthem resonate in the final with the ribbon. The 20-year-old from the Marche region, with a personal score of 33,950, puts her current world rival Darja Varfolomeev (32,900) and the Ukrainian Taisiia Onofriichuk (31,550) behind her. The agent of the Fiamme Oro sports group of the State Police instead stops in second place in the ball test – with a score of 35.350 ahead of the Uzbek Takhmina Ikromova (34.400) and behind Darja Varfolomeev (35.650) – and in the one with clubs – finishing behind the German Varfolomeev (35.450) and in front of the Ukrainian Onofriichuk (34.900). In the exercise with the hoop Raffaeli, due to some inaccuracies on the hoop, placed himself in seventh place and won this final eight the Chinese Wang Zilu. The vice European champion at the last Championships in Budapest finally won first place in the 2024 FIG circuit on clubs, after the stages of Athens, Sofia, Baku, Tashkent and Milan, while the German won on hoop, ball and ribbon Darja Varfolomeev, reigning world champion.
The vice president of the Italian National Olympic Committee Claudia Giordani, the President of the Italian Gymnastics Federation, Cav. Gherardo Tecchi, his deputy, the vicar Valter Peroni, the president of the Organizing Committee Paola Porfiri, the number one of the FGI Lombardy Regional Committee Oreste De Faveri, the representative of the international relations of the Federation Cristina Casentini and Olympic bronze medalist in Rome ’60 Gianfranco Marzolla and Cristina Casentini
Today’s six finals were broadcast live on La7 and in streaming on La7.it. For those who missed it, the whole day is available on demand on the page dedicated to rhythmic music www.la7.it/figworldcup.
