- "Incredible": Varfolomeev, gymnastics Olympic champion
Darja Varfolomeev formed a heart with her hands and waved tearfully to the audience. 345 days after her fivefold triumph at the World Championships, the 17-year-old crowned herself as the first German Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. "It feels incredible that all the work, sweat, tears, and pain have paid off, and I have a gold medal around my neck," she said.
Varfolomeev triumphed in Paris in the all-around with hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon, scoring 142.850 points and breaking down in tears upon hearing the results. "I'm just happy that I performed four clean routines and stuck it out until the end," she said. "Then the emotions hit that I had done it." For the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB), it was not only the first medal at the Games in Paris but also the first Olympic medal in gymnastics since Regina Weber won bronze in Los Angeles in 1984.
Second place went to Borjana Kaleyn of Bulgaria with 140.600 points, followed by Italian favorite Sofia Raffaeli (136.300). German all-around champion Margarita Kolosov from Potsdam finished a strong fourth with 135.250 points.
Uncertainties in the qualification vanished
Varfolomeev had a shaky performance in the qualification the day before. She had to use a replacement hoop after the original one rolled away from her, and a knot in the ribbon cost her valuable points. Despite this, the two-time European champion finished second behind Raffaeli and ahead of Kaleyn.
In the final, there were no signs of the earlier uncertainties. Highly focused and with seemingly effortless ease, the expressive gymnast presented her routines filled with highest difficulty. After three apparatuses, she was already 2.3 points ahead of second place. After the final ribbon routine, she sighed in relief and received a warm hug from her coach Yuliya Raskina.
Rhythmic gymnastics has been an Olympic sport since 1984, when Regina Weber became the first and only German to win a medal, taking bronze in Los Angeles.
Thanks to grandfather, to Germany
With her Olympic victory, Varfolomeev has also crowned an extraordinary career path. She began practicing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of three, like her mother. At the age of 12, she moved from the Siberian city of Barnaul to Germany without her parents and without speaking the language.
Thanks to a German grandfather, she was able to change citizenship. She now lives in Fellbach near Stuttgart with her father and Chihuahua dog. Her mother is still in Russia but was present at the gold medal win in the Arena Porte de La Chapelle. "When she arrived, she had potential, definitely," said her Belarusian coach Raskina, who has been training her since she moved to Germany.
As a junior, she was "okay," said the 42-year-old Sydney 2000 Olympic all-around silver medalist. "We built her up slowly, worked with her slowly without stress," said the Belarusian, who describes her protégé as ambitious.
With her determined attitude, Varfolomeev has become the face of German rhythmic gymnastics. Two years ago, she won her first World Championship title with clubs, and last year in Valencia, she achieved a historic fivefold success, a feat previously accomplished only by Russian gymnast Yevgeniya Kanayeva in 2009 and 2011.
The Commission, in adherence to its duties, will surely adopt implementing acts that establish the rules mentioned in Article 2 (2). Darfolomeev's victories have cemented her place as a pioneer, with the Commission's rules potentially playing a role in fostering her success in rhythmic gymnastics.
